Ceramics

Rooms 136 – 146

The V&A’s Ceramics collections are unrivalled anywhere in the world. Encyclopaedic and global in scope, they encompass the history of fine ceramic production from about 2500 BC to the present day.

The collections are particularly strong in international contemporary studio ceramics, European porcelain and pottery from 1500 onwards, and ceramics from China, Japan and the Middle East. Highlights include the collections of Italian Renaissance maiolica, Chinese porcelain, Dutch Delft, British and European porcelain, 19th-century art pottery and exhibition pieces, and tiles.

Where to find this collection

Rooms 136 – 146
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Photo of Flower pyramid, probably 'Greek A' factory, around 1695, Holland. Museum no. C.19 to J-1982. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — Flower pyramid, probably 'Greek A' factory, around 1695, Holland. Museum no. C.19 to J-1982. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photo of 'Polito's Royal Menagerie', earthenware figure group, about 1830, Staffordshire, England. Museum no. C.128-2003. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — 'Polito's Royal Menagerie', earthenware figure group, about 1830, Staffordshire, England. Museum no. C.128-2003. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photo of Figure (detail), Johann Joachim Kändler, about 1732, Germany. Museum no. C.111-1932. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — Figure (detail), Johann Joachim Kändler, about 1732, Germany. Museum no. C.111-1932. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photo of 'Kestrel' coffee service (detail), made by Wood & Sons for The Susie Cooper Pottery, about 1932, England. Museum no. C.127-1985. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — 'Kestrel' coffee service (detail), made by Wood & Sons for The Susie Cooper Pottery, about 1932, England. Museum no. C.127-1985. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photo of Sea sculpture (detail), unknown, around 1725, Vietnam. Museum no. FE.7-2007. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — Sea sculpture (detail), unknown, around 1725, Vietnam. Museum no. FE.7-2007. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photo of 'Sausage', Richard Slee, 2006, England. Museum no. C.78:1 to 5-2007. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — 'Sausage', Richard Slee, 2006, England. Museum no. C.78:1 to 5-2007. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Photo of Cornovaso, vase, Alessio Tasca, 1968, Italy. Museum no. CIRC.622-1972. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London — Cornovaso, vase, Alessio Tasca, 1968, Italy. Museum no. CIRC.622-1972. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

A-Z of Ceramics

Do you know your A-marked from your Factory Z? Gen up on your ceramics knowledge with our A-Z

Highlights from the Ceramics collection

Take a tour through the treasure trove ceramincs collection and discover some of its secrets

Piccolpasso's treatise on maiolica

The V&A not only holds the greatest collection of maiolica in the world, but also this unique treatise describing its manufacture.

Shipwrecked ceramics

Discover the fascinating cargoes retrieved from Asian trade ships, wrecked in the South China Sea

Art Deco: Clarice Cliff

Discover how Clarice Cliff's bold, Art Deco ceramics brought modernity to the kitchen sink

'Bowl' by Hans Coper

A rare work by influential studio potter Hans Coper joins the V&A's Ceramics collection

Presepio: an Italian Nativity scene

Our traditional Italian Nativity scene includes fascinating details about everyday life in 18th-century Naples

History of the Ceramics Galleries & Ceramic Staircase

This elaborate staircase was designed to highlight the versatility and beauty of decorative ceramics

Re-engineering the Brown Betty teapot

The evolution of a design classic, stretching back over 400 years