The Art Institute of Chicago recently opened a couple irresistible exhibits,. One is Mary Cassatt: After Impressionism (September 6, 2026 – January 3, 2027) The other is Lee Miller: Fearless (August 29, 2026 – December 7, 2026) But more on those fascinating exhibits later
Today I want to share some photos taken in an exhibition of ceramics.
This figure is a famous piece of Victorian satire known as the "Aesthetic Teapot".
The manufacturer is Royal Worcester Porcelain Company and it was first produced around 1881–1882.
The teapot satirizes writer Oscar Wilde and Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera Patience (1881).
It has a two-sided design.
On the front side is an effeminate young male dandy wearing a velvet jacket adorned with a sunflower.
And on the back side (visible in the mirror reflection): is a young woman wearing a frilled collar adorned with a calla lily.
The teapot is poking fun at Victorian anxieties over gender roles.
This set is a 19th-century French Japonisme tea and coffee service (Déjeuner) made by Minton (c. 1870–1880s) It features blue-and-white hand-painted crane-like birds, pine branches, and chrysanthemum.
This display features 18th- and 19th-century fine ceramic wares produced by the famed English pottery manufacturer Wedgwood (founded by Josiah Wedgwood in 1759):
This is the Londonderry Vase. It was created in 1813 by the famous Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory in France. It is part of the collection at the Art Institute and is displayed invthe Applied Arts of Europe galleries.
It is 54 inches (137.2 cm) tall.
Produced during the Empire period, this monumental vase exemplifies the extreme splendor and craftsmanship sponsored under Napoleon's reign. It was later given by King Louis XVIII as a diplomatic gift to Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (2nd Marquess of Londonderry)—hence its popular name, the Londonderry Vase—to help cultivate British favor following Napoleon's downfall.
This pair of lidded vases are also an example of 18th-century French Sèvres porcelain produced around the 1760s–1770s).
The rich turquoise/apple-green glaze was introduced at Sèvres in the mid-1750s and became one of the factory's signature, highly sought-after colors.
Do you enjoy museums? I've never met a museum I didn't like!
All photos are from my family albums
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