: The Birmingham Museum of Art presents the exhibition, "À la
dernière mode: Eighteenth Century French Ceramics from the
Permanent Collection," December 4 through February 26.
The exhibit features works "of the latest fashion" from the
premiere manufacturers of ceramic bodies in production during
that period. Through the recent gift of more than 30 pieces from
the collection of Dr and Mrs Eric H. Baret, the museum now boasts
a strong collection of French ceramics that mirrors both the
tastes and trends of the period and reflects the technological
changes that revolutionized the French ceramics industry.
The Eighteenth Century was a period of unprecedented
transformation in the style and technology of French ceramics.
The quest to decipher the Asian formula for porcelain that began
at Meissen, Germany, at the beginning of the century quickly
spread to France. At this time, most porcelain in Europe was
imported from Asia. European potters were struggling to discover
the secret of Chinese hard paste porcelain, which was made of a
white china clay called kaolin and a natural feldspathic stone
known as petuntse.
The French relied on products made of tin glazed earthenware,
called faïence, a less valuable material that was widely
available. The earliest factory to make porcelain in any quantity
was Saint Cloud, followed closely by the Chantilly factory. Yet,
it was the production success of Sèvres that eventually eclipsed
that of all other French factories. Established at the Château of
Vincennes in 1740, the factory was moved to Sèvres in 1756. Under
the patronage of the King Louis XV, the factory became a model
for all other European porcelain manufacturers and led to the
creation of a number of factories in and around Paris.
Bulb pot, about 1780, Paris, Rue Thiroux. Hard paste por-celain
with overglaze enamel colors and gilding, gift of Dr and Mrs
Eric H. Baret, from the collection of the Birmingham Museum of
Art.
"The museum visitor now has the opportunity to see the
variety of period ceramic types from early faïence to beautiful
examples of soft paste porcelain to typical productions of the
Parisian porcelain manufactories," said Anne Forschler-Tarrasch,
The Marguerite Jones Harbert and John M. Harbert III, Curator of
Decorative Arts. "It is fascinating to look closely at our French
ceramics, and then visit our English and Wedgwood galleries to see
the similarities and differences."
The fine ceramic collection, an area of strength for the museum,
includes the world-renown Dwight and Lucille Beeson Wedgwood
Collection, a large collection of English and Continental
European ceramics, as well as pottery and porcelain from China,
Japan, Korea and Africa. Recently, the museum purchased an
important collection of Vietnamese ceramics, establishing
Birmingham as one of the premiere collections in the United
States. The Hanson Library offers an extensive collection of
books on ceramics and houses the important Elizabeth Chellis
Wedgwood Library of more than 1,000 books.
The museum is at 2000 Eighth Avenue North. For information,
205-254-2566 or www.artsbma.org.
