Wedgwood treasures from the V&A are now on display in Chengdu, tracing 260 years of British ceramics and their links with China.
Wedgwood treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) are now on display in Chengdu, giving Chinese visitors a closer look at more than 260 years of British ceramics.
The exhibition, The Potter’s Art: Treasures from the V&A Wedgwood Collection, opened to the public at Chengdu Museum on Sept. 30th. It is jointly presented by Chengdu Museum and the V&A.
The exhibition features 202 ceramics from the V&A, the Sichuan Museum and Chengdu Museum. It is also the first stop of the exhibition’s tour in China. It will run through Dec. 27th.
The exhibits trace the development of British ceramics through different periods. They also show how Wedgwood drew on earlier artistic traditions and responded to changing tastes in Europe.
Josiah Wedgwood, often known as the “Father of English potters,” is best known for his innovations in ceramic production and design. Among his most ambitious projects was a reproduction of the Portland Vase, an ancient Roman glass masterpiece.
Wedgwood borrowed the original vase for close study. He then worked to reproduce it in jasperware, a material closely associated with his name. The process took nearly five years and involved thousands of experiments.
Another highlight is the famous “Frog Service,” commissioned by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, in 1773.
The order included more than 900 pieces, each decorated with a hand-painted view of British buildings and landscapes. Twenty-nine artists worked on the service for 12 months, producing more than 1,000 views.
Today, the pieces are also valuable visual records of 18th-century British architecture and gardens. Some of them are included in the Chengdu exhibition.
Yet the story of Wedgwood is not only about Britain. Chinese porcelain also played an important role in the development of European ceramics.
For centuries, Chinese porcelain was traded across Europe, influencing tastes, designs and ceramic production. By the 18th century, European potters were looking closely at Chinese techniques and styles as they sought to develop their own ceramics industries.
Catrin Jones, lead curator of the V&A’s Wedgwood Collection, said Chinese porcelain had a fundamental influence on Wedgwood. She noted that European ceramic makers in the 18th century often looked to China and its long tradition of porcelain making as a reference point while the industry expanded in Britain and across Europe.
The Chengdu exhibition therefore offers more than a look at Wedgwood’s craftsmanship. It also traces a longer history of exchange, in which Chinese porcelain, ancient Roman art and European design traditions met and influenced one another.
For visitors in Chengdu, the objects offer a chance to see this history through the ceramics themselves.
Additional reporting by Shan Peng.
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