Evolution of a Royal Vision: The Birth of Meissen Porcelain

Description

Evolution of a Royal Vision: The Birth of Meissen Porcelain, on view at San Francisco International Airport from April 2 through September 13, 2010, features a magnificent collection of more than one hundred pieces of eighteenth-century Meissen porcelain and includes many Chinese and Japanese ceramics from the collection of Augustus the Strong, which served as an inspiration for Meissen factory production. This exhibition traces the history of early European hard-paste porcelain development, design, and innovation, and coincides with the 300-year anniversary of the Meissen Porcelain Factory.

Of special interest in the exhibition is an exceptionally large baluster vase, one of Meissen’s greatest masterpieces, comparable to the best blue-and-white wares of the Yuan and early Ming dynasties (1279-1644). Another one of Meissen’s most iconic pieces, an exquisite gilded eagle-spout teapot is also on display. Additionally on view is a tea bowl with figures from New Amsterdam (New York) in the 1600s, probably representing the earliest depiction of Americans on European porcelain. The exhibition also features pieces from the Swan Service—the most famous dinnerware ever produced at Meissen.

Evolution of a Royal Vision: The Birth of Meissen Porcelain will be located pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall. There is no charge to view the exhibition.

In conjunction with this exhibition, a lecture by Collector Malcolm Gutter, Reinventing Porcelain: Celebrating the Meissen Manufactory’s Tricentennial, will be held on Sunday, 11 April 2010 at 1:30 pm at the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library & Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum (ALM) located in the International Terminal, Departure Level. Admission to the lecture is free. Please contact 650.821.6700 for additional information.

More Info

Link

http://www.sfoarts.org

Call

650.821.6700