Sparkling Evening Talk - 'Sèvres and more at Upton House'
Join Félix Zorzo, Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts at National Museums Scotland, exploring the brilliance of Sèvres porcelain with mesmerising examples from Upton's collection.
At the dawn of the eighteenth century the European fascination with porcelain became an obsession. Rulers set up porcelain factories that competed against each other to emulate and outdo the Chinese and Japanese. Through porcelain they pursued commercial success as much as prestige. Meissen, in Germany, and Sèvres, in France, achieved levels of refinement and technical prowess unsurpassed today.
First considered highly fashionable, eighteenth-century Sèvres porcelain followed the artistic trends from the 1750s to the 1800s, compelling buyers to spend extraordinary sums of money on vases and tableware. With the end of the Ancien Régime, collectors relished ‘old Sèvres’ as relics of the past, giving into the porcelain sickness that had struck Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour in the previous century.
In this talk, part of our programming theme of artists and their muses, Félix will share insights into the superb creations of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory drawing on exquisite examples from the Bearsted Collection at Upton House.
Félix Zorzo is Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts at National Museums Scotland. He was previously Curatorial Assistant at the Wallace Collection and cover for the Curator of French Eighteenth-Century Decorative Arts. He is a committee member of the French Porcelain Society and co-convener of its Emerging Scholars Group and Editorial Board.
The evening starts with us welcoming you with a glass of fizz.
Please note:
- Standard admissions charges apply to non-members on arrival.
- Enter via Visitor Reception and make your way down the drive. The main house entrance is 300m from the visitor car park immediately in front of you. There is designated disabled parking in the main car park and limited spaces by the house.
- You may wish to bring a sweater or a warmer layer if it is a cool evening.
- There is a ramped entrance into the house but please be advised that the talk is in the Picture Room on the lower ground floor, which has stepped access only.
- Children over 16 are welcome, supervised by parent/guardian.
- Gates open at 6pm. You are welcome to view the gardens prior to the talk but please be at the main house entrance by 6.30pm.
- If you require more information about ingredients or allergens for this event, please contact uptonhouse@nationaltrust.org.uk
Ticket options
Join Félix Zorzo, Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts at National Museums Scotland, exploring the brilliance of Sèvres porcelain with mesmerising examples from Upton's collection.
At the dawn of the eighteenth century the European fascination with porcelain became an obsession. Rulers set up porcelain factories that competed against each other to emulate and outdo the Chinese and Japanese. Through porcelain they pursued commercial success as much as prestige. Meissen, in Germany, and Sèvres, in France, achieved levels of refinement and technical prowess unsurpassed today.
First considered highly fashionable, eighteenth-century Sèvres porcelain followed the artistic trends from the 1750s to the 1800s, compelling buyers to spend extraordinary sums of money on vases and tableware. With the end of the Ancien Régime, collectors relished ‘old Sèvres’ as relics of the past, giving into the porcelain sickness that had struck Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour in the previous century.
In this talk, part of our programming theme of artists and their muses, Félix will share insights into the superb creations of the Sèvres porcelain manufactory drawing on exquisite examples from the Bearsted Collection at Upton House.
Félix Zorzo is Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts at National Museums Scotland. He was previously Curatorial Assistant at the Wallace Collection and cover for the Curator of French Eighteenth-Century Decorative Arts. He is a committee member of the French Porcelain Society and co-convener of its Emerging Scholars Group and Editorial Board.
The evening starts with us welcoming you with a glass of fizz.
Please note:
- Standard admissions charges apply to non-members on arrival.
- Enter via Visitor Reception and make your way down the drive. The main house entrance is 300m from the visitor car park immediately in front of you. There is designated disabled parking in the main car park and limited spaces by the house.
- You may wish to bring a sweater or a warmer layer if it is a cool evening.
- There is a ramped entrance into the house but please be advised that the talk is in the Picture Room on the lower ground floor, which has stepped access only.
- Children over 16 are welcome, supervised by parent/guardian.
- Gates open at 6pm. You are welcome to view the gardens prior to the talk but please be at the main house entrance by 6.30pm.
- If you require more information about ingredients or allergens for this event, please contact uptonhouse@nationaltrust.org.uk
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