Explore the development of design in glass and earthenware in these three special lectures by Leslie B. Grigsby, Senior Curator of Ceramics and Glass, Winterthur Museum, Delaware, USA .Presented by The Ceramics and Glass Circle of Australia.

10am: “An Adoration of the Orient: The Chinese Taste Reflected in Western Ceramics”

Focussing on Chinese ceramics and selected other Asian artwork such as lacquer ware, in this lecture Grigsby will explore important inspirations for Western ceramic design from the 17th to the early 19th centuries. English and Continental European earthenware, stoneware and porcelain in useful and decorative shapes will feature largely in the discussion. Also included will be Chinese porcelain bearing ornament which was applied in the West.

11:30am: “Classic Beauty: Antiquity as an inspiration for Ceramic Design”

The impact of ancient Greek and Roman design on later European ceramics—whether in terms of vessel shapes, surface ornament, or figural subjects—cannot be overstated. In this lecture Grigsby will discuss some of the range of classical ceramics, sculptures, and other artwork influencing English and Continental earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain of the 17th century through to the early 18th century.

2pm: “The Image of Perfection: Ceramic Figures as a Reflection of 18th- & 19th-Century Society”

In this final lecture, Grigsby will consider a selection of popular Western (European) subjects that were frozen into figural form, considering what such objects may have meant to their original owners. Inspired by themes dating from antiquity onward, such figures were interwoven into the larger context of 18th- and 19th-century design history.

Winterthur is the premium museum of American decorative arts, reflecting early American and the du Pont family’s life. Grigsby joined Winterthur as its Curator of Ceramics and Glass in 1999 and is responsible for the Museum’s 20,000+ objects in those media. She spent the 1980s as Assistant Curator of Ceramics and Glass at Colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia, and afterwards spent a decade writing books on 17th and 18th century English earthenware and stoneware. Her major publications include The Longridge Collection of English Slipware and Delftware, English Pottery 1650-1800: The Henry H. Weldon Collection and English Slip-Decorated Earthenware at Williamsburg. Her catalogue of ceramics at the Chipstone Foundation is available as an online database at the foundation’s website.

Since joining Winterthur, as well as displays in the 175 house rooms and Ceramics & Glass Gallery at Winterthur, Grigsby has curated exhibitions on English slipware and delftware, and hosted the Drambuie Museum’s exhibition on Bonnie Prince Charlie and Jacobite glass. Her other exhibitions have focused on objects and traditions relating to alcoholic beverages, tea and coffee.