The tradition of fine maiolica came under increasing competition in the 18th century, mainly from porcelain and white earthenware. But the 18th century is not a period of relentless decline. To face the competition from porcelain and its vibrant colours, the process of third firing (piccolo fuoco) was introduced, initially in North-West Europe around the mid of century. After the traditional two firings at 950 °C, the vitrified glaze was painted with colours that would have degraded at such high temperatures, and was fired a third time at a lower temperature, about 600-650 °C. New vibrant colours were thus introduced, in particular red and various shades of pink obtained from gold chloride. It is believed that one of the first to introduce this technique in Italy was Ferretti in Lodi, in northern Italy. Lodi maiolica had already reached high quality in the second quarter of the 18th century. With the introduction of the third firing technique, and with the increasing interest in botany and scientific observation, a refined production of maiolica decorated with naturalistic flowers was developed.