Square vase
Ernest Chaplet French
Since the 1980s, the Museum has made significant strides in the field of nineteenth- century porcelain (entries 74–78). These acquisitions, most of which were made by purchase, were spearheaded by Clare Le Corbeiller (1931–2003), one of the first curators in this country to systematically collect nineteenth- century ceramics that had been commonly regarded in recent history as merely derivative or even in bad taste. Increasing the nineteenth-century holdings remains a priority for the department, and the acquisition in 2013 of the Robert A. Ellison Jr. collection of European Art Pottery from 1880 to 1930 has transformed the Museum’s ceramic collection. Though primarily composed of stoneware—the preferred medium of art potters—the Ellison collection includes several significant works in porcelain, such as five monumental vases by Ernest Chaplet (1835–1909) (2013.477).
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