FPS LIVING ROOM LECTURES

The French Porcelain Society continues its series of weekly online lectures with Diana Davis, who will discuss the influential role of ceramic dealers in Britain during the nineteenth century. We hope you can join us!

Living Room Lecture: SELLING PORCELAIN, SHAPING TASTE: CERAMIC DEALERS IN BRITAIN, 1785–1885

Diana Davis

Time: Saturday, 18 July 2020, 18:00PM London, UK (BST) PLEASE NOTE NEW TIME

Members will receive an email invitation with instructions on how to join the online lecture. If you want to join, please contact us for more details on FPSenquiries@gmail.com.

SELLING PORCELAIN, SHAPING TASTE: CERAMIC DEALERS IN BRITAIN, 1785–1885

Dr Diana Davis

In 1818 George, Viscount Newport, wrote, ‘I thought it was quite a common thing to have french china painted and gilt in England.’ History has not been kind to dealers who redecorated and repurposed porcelain. However, it tells only part of a rich and textured story, extending from the chinamen who sold ceramics, glass, and tea in the eighteenth century to the connoisseur art dealers of the nineteenth. Join Diana Davis as she describes the evolution of the ceramics dealer as tastemaker, instrumental both in forming some of the finest private and public collections ever assembled in Britain and in creating a glittering Anglo-Gallic decorative style for the elite interior.

The talk will be followed by a round-table discussion with John Whitehead and Dr Helen Jacobsen.

Image: Sugar bowl, stand and cover, Sèvres factory,  service festons, bleu celeste, bought by the dealer Enoch Rittener in 1790 (© The Trustees of the British Museum)