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An A–Z of Ceramics
Do you know your A-marked from your Factory Z? Gen up on your ceramics knowledge with our A-Z
Ceramics
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.
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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.
Collection highlights
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Flower pyramid, made by Greek A factory and Metalen Pot factory, about 1695, Delft, Netherlands -
Polito's Menagerie, figure group, about 1830, Staffordshire, England -
Goat figure, modelled by Johann Joachim, manufactured by Meissen Porcelain Factory, about 1732, Meissen, Germany. Museum no. C.111-1932 -
Kestrel Coffee Set, coffee pot, designed by Susie Cooper, manufactured by Susie Cooper Pottery, 1932, Burslem, England -
Stick stand, by Minton, 1870 – 1900, Stoke-on-Trent, England -
Snow Lady Gourd, pot, by Kate Malone, 2008, London, England -
Jar, 3500 – 2500 BC, Kanto, Japan -
Ewer, 1522 – 1566, Jingdezhen, China -
Plate, by Maestro Jacopo, 1510, Cafaggiolo, Italy -
Dish, 1590 – 1600, Iznik, Turkey -
The Music Lesson, by Joseph Willems, manufactured by Chelsea Porcelain factory, about 1765, London, England -
Form, by Gillian Lowndes, 1986, UK
Features
Highlights from the Ceramics collection
Take a tour through the treasure trove ceramincs collection and discover some of its secrets
Ceramics – a risky business
Firing a pot is the point of no return. Discover some of the 'happy accidents' that have emerged from the kiln.
Meissen's King Vulture
Discover the story behind this remarkable porcelain creature
Richard Batterham: methods of making
Find out more about Richard Batterham's commitment to the whole process of making
The Rouen gamesboard tray
Lessons in love from a rare ceramic board game
Iranian bath rasps: ASMR
Watch as we unbox and gently rattle a selection of late 17th and early 18th century ceramic bath rasps from Iran
The Chelsea porcelain factory
Get a taste for high-quality English porcelain produced in the iconic west-London factory
Studio tour with potter Edmund de Waal
Step inside the potter's studio
Re-engineering the Brown Betty teapot
The evolution of a design classic, stretching back over 400 years
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.
Blanc de Chine – white porcelain from China
A centuries-old Chinese porcelain tradition reinvented by contemporary designers
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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
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'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
Chinese blue-and-white ceramics
Discover some of the most iconic and enduring objects in the history of Chinese ceramics
William De Morgan – an introduction
Meet an imaginative and innovative 19th-century artist-potter
Contemporary ceramic making from the Middle East
Discover the meanings, inspiration and processes of making
Fooling the eye: Trompe l'oeil ceramics
Soup tureen or bunch of asparagus? Take a closer look at trompe l'oeil ceramics
Teapots through time
Discover some of the finest examples of teapots produced over the last five centuries
Let them eat clay: Mexican búcaros ceramics
Discover a unique appetite for clay
How was it made? An agate teapot
Experimenting with how the object was originally made
William De Morgan's tiles
Bold, intricate and beautiful
On the White Road: Edmund de Waal
Take a journey into the history of porcelain through extraordinary objects
The Wedgwood anti-slavery medallion
Discover more about Wedgwood's anti-slavery medallion – a forerunner of the protest badge
