A piece of Italian pottery is on display at Shanxi Museum. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

About 150 pieces of Italian pottery dating back to the 15th century are on display in a museum in northern China's Shanxi province.

The items from the International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy, are being shown in China's Shanxi Museum from Oct 1 to Dec 27.

The showpieces are items of Italian Majolica pottery, a tin-glazed pottery dating from the 13th century, often decorated in colors on a white background, and sometimes depicting historical and mythical scenes.

Italian Majolica is one of the most influential pottery varieties in Europe, and the exhibition is one of the most important exhibitions about European pottery, according to Guo Xuelei, deputy curator of Shenzhen Museum, who held a lecture on Majolica pottery in Shanxi Museum.