Until Sunday 29 August 2010 you can visit the temporary exhibition 'Potpourri. Floral decorations in ceramics' in Museum Lambert van Meerten.
Content
The exhibition is in itself a potpourri because of the various numbers of different floral decorations. The goal is not to art historically categorize floral decorations on ceramics. And also completeness is not strived for. Instead the goal is to show the variety of floral decorations. Thus the emphasis is on viewing pleasure and on something good for everyone!
History of floral decorations
For parties and various occasions and whenever it is possible we take flowers to our homes. Until about a century ago fresh flowers were costly, seasonable and barely available for the masses.
Ornaments
Artificial flowers don’t wither. So flowers become a beloved ornament for ceramics, silverware, wallpaper, woodwork and architecture. Especially the festive garland of the Old Greeks is a great success as decorative motif for centuries.
Manifestations
Floral decorations can be found on all human manifestations, like ceilings, tapestry, painting from Hindeloopen, marquetry, flooring, but also on Flower Power t-shirts, pots, overlays, airplanes, ties, bathing caps, cups, book covers, glassware, bags, et cetera. Even a fridge with floral stickers is acceptable.
Popularity
Sometimes certain floral decorations are especially popular. The marigold for example is very popular around 1580 and from the beginning of the sixteenth century the tulip becomes a sensation. The iris and the dianthus become a trend in the mid 1630-ies. The abstract fleur-de-lis or French lily is one of the older European floral decorations, dating back to the Roman Empire.
N.B. All objects that are part of this exhibition are from the Museum Lambert van Meerten collection and are a permanent loan of the Instituut Collectie Nederland, unless mentioned otherwise.
