Majolka bod’ pozdravljena

We are all looking forward to presenting our new exhibition, which was created in cooperation with the National Museum of Slovenia, Slovenian majolika. We believe we will see each other again this year. And you will also be able to buy a luxurious and image-rich catalogue that goes along with it. In these pre-holiday days (more precisely from the contribution of Dr. Mateja Kos), we also summarized some facts about the useful side of this cult object.

Majolika is simply a wine with a spherical belly and a three-leaf mouth with a funnel. It has a very special status in Slovenian folk art, as it is a symbol of fun in good company, as well as pleasure and well-being. We can say that majolika, like the beehive extension, or hayrack is a mythological object closely connected with the peculiarities of the Slovenian nation. Such a wine handle is so typical in Slovenia that in some German lands it was called a Carniolan jug.

Majolika is therefore all-Slovenian. It is sung by folk songs. The most famous that we all know is, of course, Majolka bod’ pozdravljena (Majolka hello). The song is about majolika, about drinking wine and also about the consequences.

It is often depicted as a folklore motif in the paintings of Maksim Gaspari, as it appears in depictions of peasant ceremonies, especially weddings. Last but not least, majolika belongs to the repertoire of typically Slovene souvenirs and is therefore at least as Slovene as the hayrack.

And another interesting fact: Mihael Verne, in his travelogue Journey through Laško, wrote the real fact that Faenza in Italy is the homeland of majolika. And he added the fabrication that majolica was invented by a man who wrote himself that way, namely Mr. Majolica.

Well on health and drink wisely.

#naprejvpreteklost #praznicnimuzej

Prepared by: Marko Kumer