From Practical Cooking and Dinner Giving by Mary Newton Foote Henderson (1877): Henderson refers to majolica in the context of decorating a table for dinner and suggests that a majolica be used as a centerpiece for fruit or flowers. This object is a decorative piece from mid-19th century. The majolica was very popular during this time, and, indeed, still has its advocates.
Practical cooking and dinner giving : a treatise containing practical instructions in cooking; in the combination and serving of dishes; and in the fashionable modes of entertaining at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, available at: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5wm2z
