Lusterware Honey Jar / Melero de reflejo metálico ca.1700-1750, Manises, Spain E. Boyd Memorial Fund purchase, International Folk Art Foundation, Santa Fe Photo by Paul Smutko

Mayólica vessels were made to serve almost every function in the Spanish and Mexican household. Inkwells, flower pots, chamber pots and barber bowls were among the items that were formed on the potter’s wheel. Many of these pieces were based on metal or wooden prototypes. Mayólica proved to be less expensive than metal, more durable than wood, and more colorful than either. The status associated with mayólica is evident in its inclusion in many portraits and still lifes in the colonial period, indicating that it was a significant possession. The range of vessel forms provides a glimpse of the many activities that made up daily life in Spain and Mexico.