Pottery and Porcelain Society
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| Pottery and Porcelain Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pottery and Porcelain Society |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Learned society |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Fields | Ceramics studies |
| Headquarters | London |
Pottery and Porcelain Society is a learned society dedicated to the study, appreciation, and preservation of historic and contemporary ceramic wares. It brings together collectors, curators, scholars, and conservators to advance knowledge of ceramics through publications, lectures, exhibitions, and conservation initiatives. The Society interacts with museums, universities, auction houses, and heritage bodies to promote research and public engagement with ceramics.
History
The Society emerged in the 20th century amid growing scholarly interest exemplified by institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Courtauld Institute, Warwickshire Museum, and Manchester Museum. Early members included curators and collectors connected with W.M. F. Petrie, Bernard Leach, William Burton, Josiah Wedgwood, and figures associated with Royal Doulton, Minton, Spode, Coalport, and Meissen. The Society’s formation paralleled research developments at universities like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Leeds, University of Glasgow, and Institute of Archaeology, and it engaged with national programs at Historic England and National Trust. Over decades the Society collaborated with auction houses including Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams and with museum professionals from Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery on interdisciplinary studies of material culture.
Mission and Activities
The Society's mission aligns with scholarship practiced at institutions such as British Library, Royal Society of Arts, Guildhall Library, Courtauld Gallery, and Victoria County History projects. Activities range from organizing lectures featuring specialists from Institute of Historical Research, School of Oriental and African Studies, Royal College of Art, and Birmingham City University to facilitating study days tied to collections at Rijksmuseum, Musée du Louvre, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, and Prado Museum. The Society liaises with conservation bodies including Institute of Conservation and professional networks like ICOM and ICOMOS to support training and standards.
Membership and Governance
Membership draws on professionals and amateurs connected with British Ceramic Biennial, Crafts Council, Society of Antiquaries of London, Royal Anthropological Institute, and international bodies such as American Ceramic Society and Deutsche Keramische Gesellschaft. Governance follows trustee models seen at Wellcome Trust, Heritage Lottery Fund, Royal Society, and National Trust for Scotland. Committees collaborate with academic departments at Royal Holloway, Goldsmiths, University of Southampton, Keele University, and research centers like Courtauld Institute of Art for peer review, grants, and fellowship awards.
Publications and Research
The Society publishes monographs and journals engaging methodologies developed at Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, Bloomsbury, and Taylor & Francis. Research articles have cited archival resources from Bodleian Library, National Archives (UK), Lambeth Palace Library, and specialized collections such as V&A National Art Library and Harvard Art Museums. Collaborative projects have linked with university presses at Yale University Press, Princeton University Press, and museum publishing programs at Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications and British Museum Press to document kiln technologies, trade networks reflecting archives in Port of London Authority, and maker biographies associated with Worcester Porcelain Works and Chelsea porcelain factory.
Exhibitions, Events, and Awards
The Society supports exhibitions curated in partnership with venues like Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, National Museum of Scotland, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Sheffield Museums, Manchester Art Gallery, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool, National Library of Scotland, and international partners such as Rijksmuseum, Musée d'Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo National Museum, Shanghai Museum, and Museum of Applied Arts Vienna. Events include study days linked to auctions at Sotheby's, Christie's, and Bonhams and prize schemes analogous to awards administered by Leverhulme Trust, Gulbenkian Foundation, Getty Foundation, Clore Leadership Programme, and Wolfson Foundation for research and conservation.
Collections and Conservation
The Society works with collections and conservation teams at Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (ceramic archives), Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Leeds Museums and Galleries, Historic Royal Palaces, Imperial War Museums, and regional museums across Cornwall, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Devonport. Conservation protocols reference standards from Institute of Conservation, ICOM-CC, and collaborative laboratories at Courtauld Institute, University College London, University of Manchester, and University of York for materials analysis using facilities at Diamond Light Source and synchrotron partnerships with European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.
Influence and Legacy
The Society has influenced curatorial practice and scholarship connected to exhibitions and catalogues at Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, Ashmolean Museum, Rijksmuseum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Musée du Louvre, and academic curricula at University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Courtauld Institute, University of Leeds, and Royal College of Art. Its legacy includes fostering partnerships with museums, universities, and funders such as Wellcome Trust, Gulbenkian Foundation, Getty Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, and Arts Council England that advanced conservation, cataloguing projects, and public engagement initiatives preserved in institutional archives at Bodleian Library and National Archives (UK).