This lovely hand-painted porcelain with its putti (charming little infant boys) is Italian Majolica.  Majolica is a type of glazed pottery first produced on the island of Majorca during the Renaissance. The pottery is made from a type of earthenware, coated with a tin glaze and then decorated with bright enamels atop the glaze. A second firing causes the enamels to fuse with the glass, creating a hard, glossy surface. Majolica was used for functional and decorative purposes and was exported to other countries, where it was highly sought after by wealthy and affluent members of society.