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 thevariety of period ceramic types from early faïence to beautifulexamples of soft paste porcelain to typical productions of theParisian porcelain manufactories,” said Anne Forschler-Tarrasch,The Marguerite Jones Harbert and John M. Harbert III, Curator ofDecorative Arts. “It is fascinating to look closely at our Frenchceramics, and then visit our English and Wedgwood galleries to seethe 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.