lusterware

Refers to pottery ware decorated with metallic lusters using techniques dating from the 9th century or earlier. One technique is of Middle Eastern origin and is best known from Hispano-Moresque pottery in Spain and Italian and Spanish majolica; it involved a multi-staged process that stained the ware. Another technique was cheaper and less complicated, using pigments containing salts of gold and platinum. It was inspired by the late 18th-century Spanish majolica dishes, however, it was an English invention and used to create popular wares throughout the 19th century.