Art and Architecture Collection > Historic Pottery and Porcelain

Introduction to the Collections

The Art and Architecture Collection, located in Room 300, possesses extensive holdings on aspects of historic pottery and porcelain created from antiquity to the early twentieth century. These take the form of antiquarian plate books, scholarly monographs, collector guides, exhibition catalogs, and articles in specialized periodicals on ceramics, crafts, and the decorative arts. Materials on historic pottery and porcelain can also be found in foreign languages relevant to the subject, in The Dorot Jewish Division (Room 84), The Asian and Middle Eastern Division (Room 219), and The Slavic and Baltic Division (Room 216). Texts on archeological excavation and the description of ancient pottery can also be found in The General Research Division (Room 315).

Among the Art & Architecture Collection’s holdings are:

• Key antiquarian texts on pottery and porcelain from antiquity to the 19th century
• Plate books of historic pottery and porcelain in private collections
• Permanent collection catalogs of museum holdings
• Monographs on ceramics by region and/or country
• Guides to specific ceramics manufacturers
• Works on art pottery
• Catalogs for important pottery and porcelain exhibitions

 Subject areas of particular strength include:

• Ancient pottery from the Mediterranean
• Near Eastern and Asian pottery
• Pre-Columbian, Mesoamerican, and Native American pottery
• British and Western European pottery and porcelain
• American art pottery
• Catalogues raisonnés of important manufacturers