around Valencia, at Triana near Seville,
&c., but the most important manufacture was at Talavera in the centre of
the peninsula. The best of this ware recalls the late Italian majolica
of Savona, and the influence of Chinese porcelain designs, probably
filtered through to the Spanish potters by the then popular enamelled
Delft wares, is very apparent. The potteries of Talavera are mentioned
as early as 1560, and they continued at work, with varying fortunes,
down to the end of the 18th century. Many and varied wares were
produced, including tiles as well as pottery; the most common pottery
pieces are dishes, bowls, vases, _tinajas_, holy-water vessels,
drug-pots, and hanging flower vases, together with moulded and painted
snails, owls, dogs, oranges, almonds, walnuts, and every kind of fruit.
Apart from the poorer colour the baroque style of ornament also rendered
the ware much inferior to that of Italy or of France. The popular
Talavera wares were imitated elsewhere in Spain, and a number of
factories existed at Toledo in the 17th century, but their wares are
very inferior. In the 18th century, besides debased imitations of this
ware, some coarse but striking pottery was made at Puente del Arzobispo
near Toledo.

An interesting offshoot from the Talavera potteries is to be found in
the tin-enamelled wares made at Puebla, Mexico, from the early 17th
century. It is said that Spanish potters were settled at this place by
the Dominicans soon after 1600; and the making of a debased form of
Spanish majolica continued there for nearly two centuries. See Barber's
"Tin-Enamelled Pottery," _Bulletin of the Philadelphia Museum_, 1907.
During the 18th century determined efforts were made by King Charles
III. and by the famous Count Aranda to improve the Spanish pottery
wares, as well as to introduce the manufacture of porcelain. The efforts
of the king led to the foundation of the porcelain works at Buen Retiro
near Madrid, which will be mentioned later, and considerable success
also attended the revival of strong copper lustre, like that of the late
Hispano-Moresque wares; but the finest tin-enamelled wares were those
made at Alcora in the important factory founded by Count Aranda in 1726,
which continued in operation down to the French wars. For his purposes
the count brought from Moustiers, then one of the famous French pottery
centres (see above), Joseph Olerys, a well-known pot-painter. He went to
Alcora as chief draughtsman