Hispano-Moresque is the term for the tin-glazed earthenware, usually decorated with lustre, made in Spain under Islamic and later Christian rule from the medieval period onward. It combines Islamic ceramic techniques and ornament with European forms and heraldry, and it represents one of the great achievements of medieval European pottery.
The lustre technique, in which metallic oxides are fired onto the glaze to produce a shimmering golden or coppery surface, reached Spain from the Islamic world. Málaga in southern Spain was an early centre, and production later flourished at Manises and Paterna near Valencia, which became famous for large lustred dishes, drug jars known as albarelli, bowls and jugs, decorated with vine leaves, flowers, Arabic-inspired script and coats of arms. These wares were exported widely across Europe, including to Italy, where they influenced the development of maiolica. Production continued over the following centuries, generally becoming coarser in quality, and there was a revival of interest in the nineteenth century, when copies and pastiches were made. Collectors look at the quality and colour of the lustre, the clarity of decoration and condition, as chips, wear and restoration are common on such early earthenware.
