San Francisco Ceramic Circle
November 15th, 2001 Meeting
"The Matchless Art: Porcelain Boxes of the 18th
century"
an illustrated slide lecture by
Meredith Chilton
Chief Curator, the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic
Art, Toronto, Canada
The November meeting of the San Francisco Ceramic Circle will
be held on Thursday,15th November in the Florence Gould Theater
at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, San Francisco.
Entrance is from the West terrace from 7.30pm. The lecture will
start at 8.00pm.
About the Lecture: This illustrated talk will discuss the
small boxes that were the quintessential extravagant luxury of
the 18th century and one of the periods most fashionable personal
gifts. Fashioned of precious materials including gold, silver,
jewels and porcelain and with enamel decoration, these boxes demonstrated
the exquisite taste of the donor while the importance of the recipient
was indicated by the richness of the decoration. Most porcelain
boxes were used for snuff, a form of perfumed, powdered tobacco
which was inhaled by both ladies and gentlemen. In this talk particular
emphasis will be placed upon the small European porcelain boxes
of the 18th century and their social uses.
About the Speaker: Meredith Chilton is chief curator at the
George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. Before joining the Museum
in 1983 as founding curator, she studied the history of art and
ceramics at the Universities of East Anglia, Aix - Marseilles
and Manchester. She has curated many special exhibitions and written
extensively. She is a member of the adjunct faculty of the Bard
graduate center for studies in the decorative arts. Her current
exhibit at the George R. Gardiner Museum "Harlequin Unmasked"
runs through January 20, 2002.
Next meetings: 10th January 2002. A lecture on Yellow Wares
by Jody Wilkie, Vice President, European Ceramics and Glass, Christie's,
New York.