10 April 2008 – 28 September 2008

Fragile beauties: a collector’s pieces of choice 18th century porcelain and faience

18th century European and Chinese ceramics constitute but one facet of the eclectic collection assembled by this Genevan art lover, who also sought out archaeological objects – Chinese, Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Mexican –, French furniture and modern paintings. Our collector began his career with porcelain objects nonetheless; humble cream pots to be precise, of which he acquired several hundred specimens that constitute a genuine historical overview of 18th century porcelain. Over time, he turned away from this systematic approach in order to set his sights upon more ambitious ceramics: figurines, sophisticated containers, subtle trompe-l'oeil pieces. Chosen with an increasingly exacting eye, these articles include some extremely rare examples – of Strasbourg faience or Meissen and Saint-Cloud porcelain – and even some masterpieces that remain one-of-a-kind to this day, like the two Chantilly “magots” (figurines) that can rightfully be considered monuments of French porcelain.

Address

Musée Ariana
Avenue de la Paix 10
1202 Genève
phone +41 22 418 54 50
http://www.ville-ge.ch/mah/

Opening Hours

Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed on
Tuesday.

Description of the Museum

The Ariana Museum contains prestigious collections of ceramics and glass of the City of Geneva. It is the only museum in Switzerland, and among the most important in Europe, devoted entirely to kilncraft.

Within 10 days
starting exhibitions
ending exhibitions