Beginning in the early 1500s, new ocean trade routes brought increasing quantities of Asian porcelain to European markets. The material’s delicate translucence and subtle shades of white captivated European craftspeople and consumers—but its production methods remained a mystery. To meet growing demand, European potteries began imitating Asian styles, sparking a wave of innovation and creativity.
After decades of experimentation, European natural philosophers in the early 1700s identified the materials and firing techniques needed to produce their own porcelain. By the mid-1700s, royal and private manufactories were in fierce competition, drawing skilled artisans and entrepreneurs whose collaborations elevated porcelain into new heights of function, ornament, and sculpture.
Join Christopher Maxwell, Chair and Eloise W. Martin Curator of Applied Arts of Europe, to explore this fascinating and dynamic episode in European design history, and stop by the new ceramics room in the redesigned Eloise W. Martin Galleries to discover our world-class collection of European porcelain.
Please note this event was postponed from October 2 to December 4. If you registered to attend on October 2, you will receive a new ticket for December 4.
European Porcelain from the collection
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory
Du Paquier Porcelain Manufactory
Meissen Porcelain Manufactory
Manufacture nationale de Sèvres
About the Speaker
Christopher (Kit) Maxwell is the Chair and Eloise W. Martin Curator of Applied Arts of Europe. Before joining the museum in 2022, he was at the Corning Museum of Glass, where, as curator of early modern glass, he was responsible for collections ranging in date from about 1250 to 1820. Before joining the Corning Museum, Kit worked in several different capacities at the Royal Collection Trust, and from 2005 to 2010 he held the position of assistant curator in the ceramics and glass section at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where he participated in the reinstallation of the ceramics galleries.
Kit received his BA in history of art from the University of Cambridge, his MA in decorative arts from Birkbeck College, University of London, and his PhD from the University of Glasgow with a dissertation on the dispersal of the Hamilton Palace collection. His recent postdoctoral work includes an MPhil on Nazi-era provenance from the University of Glasgow and an MRes in Caribbean Studies at the University of Warwick with a focus on the material culture of the colonized Caribbean during the 18th century.
If you have any questions about programming, please reach out to [email protected].
Closed captioning will be available for this program. For questions related to accessibility accommodations, please email [email protected].
