A type of tin-glazed wares made in Sicily and southern Italy from shortly before 1200 until the 15th century. The appearance of these wares coincided with the importation of tin-glazed pottery from North Africa, particularly the Maghreb. The jugs and bowls were usually painted with various animals or coats-of-arms in the variety of colors before glaze was applied. The best-known proto-maiolicas are from northern Apulia; they were traded extensively to local villages and across the Adriatic to Yugoslavia.