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The Ceramic Collectors Society was founded on the 13th of September 1949, by a small group of antique dealers and ceramic collectors in Sydney.  Its aim is to promote appreciation and knowledge of ceramic art and to form a meeting ground for all those interested in ceramics.  

In 2024 the society celebrates its 75th-Anniversary year and will have a special public lecture and a luncheon to celebrate that milestone on Sunday the 15th of September 2024 in the Sydney CBD.

Professor Andrew Montana, author of “The Art Movement in Australia – Design, Taste and Society”, will present a talk at the State Library of New South Wales followed by a celebratory lunch at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel.

Above: Fulham Pottery Aesthetic Movement salt glazed jug by John Pollard Seddon circa 1880, 8”-high. Credit: The V&A Museum.

The talk is entitled “By design and example: British art ceramics in Australian Galleries, Collections and Interiors 1880 – 1915.”

Andrew will address the British Aesthetic movement and in particular Arts and Crafts ceramics, and their influence in the Colonial and early-Federation Australian arts’ scene.

Enquiries to attend this public lecture or the luncheon can be directed to our email address:

Email: ceramiccollectorssociety@gmail.com

The one-hour lecture is at 11:00 am in the Macquarie Room in the State Library’s new buildings on Macquarie Street, with the luncheon at 12:30 pm in the Bridge Room of the Intercontinental Hotel.

The Ceramic Collectors Society has staged a number of exhibitions since its foundation: “Chinese Pottery and Porcelain” (1951), “Chelsea and Chelsea-Derby” (1952), “18th Century Worcester” (1953), “Continental Porcelain” (1954), “Old English China” (1959), “Worcester Porcelain” (1978), “Chelsea, Derby and Bow” (1979), “Oriental Ceramics and their Influence on Europe” (1982), “Pottery Through the Ages” (1985), “Fired with Enthusiasm: Celebrating Ceramic Diversity” (1999), and “Fragile Treasures (2009).  

We hold regular meetings of members for illustrated lectures and discussions, frequently accompanied with relevant ceramic and decorative pieces from the collections of presenters and members, to view and enjoy.  Presenters are drawn from within the Society’s membership and from local, national and international experts.  The Society has also organized seminars and workshops with visiting experts; in recent years they have been on French porcelain, 18th and 19th century English ceramics, the Macquarie-era Sydney Punchbowls, and 20th-century Australian ceramics.  Occasionally, visits are organized to places of interest such as the Powerhouse, other exhibitions and collections.  This Newsletter is issued six times a year.  The Society normally meets on the second Monday of every second month. 

We operate a society stand at the annual AAADA fair in Sydney at which we stage a display of fine ceramics from our members’ collections and canvas membership enquiries. The Ceramic Collectors Society values the support of the AAADA and this opportunity to appear in its seasonal catalogue.

Above: The four-shelf ‘tea’-themed display case exhibited by the Ceramic Collectors Society at the 2023 AAADA fair in Sydney. Credit: Paul Simadas.
Above: ‘Le Haute Coiffure’ figure group, glazed porcelain, modelled by Carl Ries (1749-1794?), Hochster Porzellanmanufaktur, Germany, c 1780. Height 27-cm, width 35-cm. Rijksmuseum collection. This was a popular subject in the late 18th-century produced in various versions by the European porcelain factories. Gentlemen tend to the hair of an aristocratic lady using spyglass, mirror and step-ladder to impress their client. This is one of the ceramics described at our April 2024 talk by Eva Czernis-Ryl, decorative arts curator at the Powerhouse. Credit: The Rijksmusem.

The society also publishes a broad range of interesting digital content on its Instagram, Facebook and webpage platforms: search for ‘ceramic collectors society’ in your browser.

Membership applications are always welcome via our webpage:

https://www.ceramiccollectorssociety.com/membership


CONTACT DETAILS

Ceramic Collectors Society: PO Box 1, Darlinghurst, NSW 1300. Email: ceramiccollectorssociety@gmail.com

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