Ongoing

Mint Museum Randolph 

Wedgwood, Staffordshire, England, 1759-present        Lekythos-Shaped Vase circa 1780-1795        Stoneware (black basalt), enamel decoration        Gift of M. Mellanay Delhom        1976.DG.16	Meissen porcelain factory, Germany, 1710-present. The Sacrifice circa 1783-1784  Porcelain (biscuit hard paste) Gift of the Delhom Service League 2004.9

Drawing entirely from The Mint Museum's permanent collection, this exhibition includes approximately 25 examples of British, French, and German ceramics, accompanied by several works on paper, created in the late 18th or early 19th century and inspired by classical antiquity. Classical art had a tremendous influence on the art of Western Europe from the Renaissance to the late 19th century. While Renaissance artists emulated aspects of the antique in an effort to surpass classical art, their counterparts in the 18th and 19th centuries often endeavored to precisely imitate classical prototypes. The discovery of the archaeological sites of Herculaneum in 1738 and Pompeii in 1748 provided important sources for the historical accuracy of the designs. The pieces showcased in Classically Inspired: European Ceramics circa 1800 reflect this great interest in finding inspiration in the classical world to create objects for the fashionable domestic interior circa 1800.

Groups and Manufactories

William Adams and Son 

• Information on the history of the Adams family's Staffordshire potteries and their signature blue-printed wares from Patriotic America 
• Detailed history of William Adams and his work
• Examples of William Adams and Son pieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Boisettes Porcelain Factory 

• Boisette was a French porcelain manufacturer operating from 1777 to 1792.
• Representation of the signature B marking from Old and Sold

Derby porcelain factory

• Historical information on Derby's porcelain factories from Pottery Histories
• Examples of work from the collections of the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum
• Selected books on Derby porcelain from The Mint Museum Library

Dihl and Guerhard

• History of Dihl and Guerhard from Old and Sold
• Article on "A Paris Porcelain Dinner Service for the American Market" from the Metropolitan Museum of Art featuring images and information

Pierre d'Hancarville 

• Information on d'Hancarville's publication of Hamilton's Etruscan, Greek and Roman antiquity collection from the Louvre's Paper Museum
• Historical overview of d'Hancarville's catalog from Christies's
• Hancarville, Pierre d'. Collection of Etruscan, Greek, and Roman antiquities from the cabinet of the Honorable William Hamilton.  Naples: 1776-1767.

Meissen porcelain factory

• Detailed account of a tour to the Meissen Porcelain Factory including information about its history, process and more from Watch Friends (Note: the emphasis is on their watch-making, but contains excellent images and overview of their processes)
• Meissen company website
• History of the factory from the J. Paul Getty Museum
• Images of Meissen pieces from the collections of Victoria & Albert Museum, Brooklyn Museum, and National Gallery of Victoria 
• Selected books on Meissen porcelain in The Mint Museum Library

James Neale and Company

• Detailed history of Neale from Staffordshire Figures
• Information on the Neale markings from ThePotteries.com 

Nymphenburg porcelain factory

• Nymphenburg company website 
• Encyclopaedia entry on Nymphenburg porcelain from Encyclopaedia Brittanica
• Article on the present-day, updated look of Nymphenburg from the New York Times 
• Hoffman, Friedrich Herman. Geschichte der bayerischen Porzellan-manufaktur, Nymphenburg. Liepzig: K.W. Hiersemann, 1923. (German)  

Humphrey Palmer Potworks 

• Brief overview of the relationship between Palmer and Neale from Staffordshire Figures
• Information on Palmer's pot-works and involvement in New Hall from ThePotteries.com

John and Richard Riley 

• Images of pieces from the collecion of the Victoria and Albert Museum
• Examples of Riley markings from ThePotteries.org

Sèvres porcelain factory

• Detailed history from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
• Encyclopaedia entry on Sèvres porcelain from Encyclopaedia Britannica
• History of Sèvres from J. Paul Getty Museum 
• Mew, Egan. Royal Sèvres china. London: T.C. and E.C. Jack; New York: Dodd, Mead & co., 1909. 

Turner

• Account of Turner from Shaw's History of Staffordhire Potteries
• Brief history of Turner from UK/Irish History @ Suite 101
• Markings and information on John Turner from ThePotteries.org 
• Hillier, Bevis. Master Potters of the Industrial Revolution: the Turners of Lane End. London: Cory, Adams, & McKay, 1965. 

Wedgwood

• Wedgwood company website
• History of Wedgwood and Waterford from The Guardian
• History site for children on Wedgwood's importance from BBC Primary History 
• Examples and more historical information from Wedgwood Museum 
• Buten, David. 18th century Wedgwood: a guide for collectors and connoisseurs. New York: Methuen, 1980. 

Ralph Wood II 

• Detailed history on Ralph Wood from Staffordshire Figures 
• Overview of the Wood family from ThePotteries.org

Selected General Resources in The Mint Museum Library 

• Coutts, Howard. The art of ceramics: European ceramic design, 1500 - 1830. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2001.
• Hildyard, R.J.C. European ceramics. London: V&A Publications, 1999. 
• Meister, Perter Wilhelm. European porcelain of the 18th century. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1983. 

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Created by Nicole Jacobson, Volunteer for The Mint Museum Library