Contemporary artist Walter McConnell’s piece “A Requiem in White” is a memorial to the workers who fell ill or died of lead poisoning from handling the glazes used to give majolica pottery its shine. Screenshot from video by the Walters Art Museum.

This upcoming week is the last chance to see the “Majolica Mania” exhibit while it is on view at the Walters Art Museum’s Hackerman House.

The exhibit, which opened March 13 and runs through Aug. 7, features 350 majolica pieces — clay pottery coated with enamel, painted, and glazed.

Popular in the 19th century, majolica production fell off after the lead glazes used to give the pieces their sheen were outlawed for their toxic qualities.

Within the exhibit is a piece by contemporary artist Walter McConnell called “A Requiem in White,” a memorial to the workers who fell ill or died of lead poisoning from handling the glazes used to make majolica.

In this video by the Walters Art Museum. McConnell speaks about majolica and his work, over time lapse footage of the “Requiem” piece being assembled.

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Marcus Dieterle

Marcus Dieterle is the managing editor of Baltimore Fishbowl. He returned to Baltimore in 2020 after working as the deputy editor of the Cecil Whig newspaper in Elkton, Md. He can be reached at marcus@baltimorefishbowl.com...