This book is in two parts, the first explains the method of working and the second is a glossary. Very few art schools teach this method and the old way of learning is finished. You cannot start at thirteen years old working and learning this specialty in a factory. When I say factory, I mean a human factory where everything was done by hand. You learnt to paint, drawing with a brush, by decorating hundreds of plates and jars.

What sets this method apart from other techniques is that the decorating is done in one firing. A white, opaque, glaze-base is applied on to bisque, already fired clay, decorated with ceramic colors, then fired at 980⁰ C. They fuse together, this integrates them forming other colors and shades and the glaze forms a smooth, vitrified, unbroken surface.

I have written this book and done all the illustrations and photos. I did it for two reasons, the first is that I have never found a good book that explains the Majolica Method and the other is that I hope, in a small way, to promote and help keep this beautiful method of decorating ceramics alive – Susan Mussi.