Principles of Connoisseurship: How to Look at Ceramics

This class will provide a study of ceramics within a broad chronological scope, from sixteenth-century Italian maiolica to contemporary porcelain. Students will gain a connoisseurial understanding of the ways different types of ceramics—from hard- and soft-paste porcelain to earthenware and stoneware—can be recognized. Discussions with curators, art historians, conservators, collectors, dealers, and artists will provide multiple, specialized perspectives. The class is designed around two exhibitions organized at The Frick Collection by Charlotte Vignon: Masterpieces of French Faience: Selections from the Collection of Sidney R. Knafel (October 10, 2018-September 22, 2019) and an installation of contemporary sculpture by artist and writer Edmund de Waal (opening in spring 2019). The class will meet primarily at the Frick, with additional visits to local museums, auction houses, and galleries. 3 credits.