European Porcelain in The Metropolitan Museum of Art

By Jeffrey Munger with an essay by Elizabeth Sullivan

This beautifully illustrated volume showcases ninety works that span the late sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century and reflect the major currents of European porcelain production. Among these are the influence of Chinese porcelain and the efforts of European ceramic factories to reproduce its remarkable qualities; the significant artistic, technical, and commercial ramifications of porcelain manufacturing; and the key roles played by artisans, kings, patrons, and entrepreneurs. Each work is illustrated with glorious new photography, accompanied by analysis and interpretation by one of the leading experts in European decorative arts. Among the wide range of porcelains selected are rare blue-and-white wares and figures from Italy, superb examples from the Meissen factory in Germany and the Sèvres factory in France, and ceramics produced by leading British eighteenth-century artisans. Taken together, they reveal why the Metropolitan Museum's holdings in this field are among the finest in the world.

Jeffrey Munger is former Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Elizabeth Sullivan is former Associate Research Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.