“That sideboard would be gorgeous,” a decorator once said to me, “with a display of majolica on the wall above it.” What’s majolica?, I wondered. A make-believe country? A magic spell? Turns out it’s both those things—and more. A type of English and American ceramics of the 19th century, colorful and whimsical, majolica reflects the Victorian interest in botany and zoology, the eye-popping cabinet of curiosities. The first exhibition on this subject in almost four decades, “Majolica Mania” includes nearly 400 objects. Organized jointly by the Bard Graduate Center Gallery and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, the show touches on themes such as sources and styles, British and American factories, marketing, and majolica in the home. —L.J.

The exhibition will be on view at the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, from February 26 to July 31, 2022.