According to Eberlein and McClure (The Practical Book of Early American Arts and Crafts, 1916), the Spanish introduced the production of Talavera style majolica pottery in the 1500s. The city of Puebla, founded in 1531, became the center of production, and the only producers of majolica in the western hemisphere for nearly three centuries. Fine quality pottery, tiles and decorative items were produced from the mid-1500s to the mid-1800s, when the production became debased, and shoddy. Early in the 1900s a few producers re-introduced fine quality workmanship.
Talavera was produced from an equal combination of red and white clays. Different body color resulted from firing times and temperatures, rather than changes in the base clay. The process was involved: first the clay was formed into the desired shape, and allowed to dry. Then it was fired. Next it was dipped in the base glaze, and again allowed to dry. Next, if the piece was to have painted decoration, vitrifiable colors were produced from various metallic oxides and the patterns painted over the dried glaze. Finally, the piece was fired a second time, during which the over-painting fused into the base glaze, giving the appearance of underglaze painting.
Potters guilds were introduced n 1653, and established strict rules and quality standards. Three grades of pottery were were produced. The lowest was called yellow ware, and was made with a glaze made of 25 parts lead to two parts tin. The yellow ware pottery was usually thicker than the finer pottery, and did not have painted decoration, though there might be some decorative embellishments in the form of the pot itself.
The second grade, called common ware, used the same base glaze as the yellow ware, but was more finely made, and oftentimes was decorated with painted-on patterns, in one, two or three colors. This was the most widely produced ware, and served utilitarian purposes, with enough attention paid to the decorative effects to please the average housewife.
The first grade, called fine ware, was top quality, and hence much more expensive. Most of it was produced for decorative use, though it might be put to utilitarian purposes in wealthy households. The basic glaze was made of 25 parts lead to six of tin. Painted decoration consisted both of patterns and images, and might employ as many as five colors in one piece.
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