Publishers:A&C Black, London (1999),
University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, USA (1999)

 The practice of tin glaze spans a thousand years of history, from its inception in Mesopotamia, through its flowering in Islamic culture, its brilliant heyday during the Italian Renaissance and its current active revival around the world.

The New Maiolica has been conceived by Matthias Ostermann as a workshop in print, guiding the reader progressively though some of the conceptual, material and technical concerns that inform this very demanding medium.

The book opens with a foreword by noted United Kingdom tin-glaze ceramist Alan Caiger-Smith, and a brief history of tin glaze. Following this, important aesthetic and conceptual considerations are broached that, in turn, are the necessary precursors to the use of materials in the making process. Colour theory is followed by a step-by-step approach to the creation of an individual colour palette, and this precedes an exploration of brushwork, and many specifically illustrated surface-decoration techniques. The work of over 50 international ceramists is shown, giving evidence of the great variety of contemporary expression in tin glaze. To conclude, there is an examination of the problems that can occur in maiolica production and suggested solutions, followed by a list of recommended reading, with food for philosophical, aesthetic and technical thought.

Although this book specifically addresses the practice of tin glaze, it can also be a sourcebook for any ceramist attracted to colour and painting.