The art of making porcelain and the Doccia Manufactory, synonymous with elegance and refinement.

The exhibition Luxury and elegance is dedicated to the first thirty years of activity of the Ginori factory, a Europe-wide phenomenon that characterized the first three decades of the 19th century with very intense exchanges with the French manufacturer of the time, in particular Sèvres.

On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the opening of the Porcelain Museum in Palazzo Pitti, the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico, Polo Museale della città di Firenze and Associazione Amici di Doccia wanted to celebrate this event with an exhibition which highlights the porcelain collection of Palazzo Pitti and the production of the Ginori factory in the period between the Napoleonic domination and the Lorraine Grand Duchy (1800-1830).

The changes brought by Napoleon’s empire to the governance of Tuscany were reflected in the arts, but especially in the years of the presence of Elisa Baciocchi. Sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, she was Princess of Lucca and Piombino (1805-1814) and Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1809-1814). She promoted a renewed interest in the arts. Her patronage not only brought sculptors, painters and musicians to Florence, but also fostered the craft industries of Tuscany, encouraging the production of silk, furniture and porcelain.

The Doccia Manufactory played an important role in this newly vibrant artistic climate.

In particular, under the enlightened guidance of Carlo Leopoldo Ginori Lisci (1792-1838), the manufactory played a role in the significantly innovative technical and stylistic trends coming from France, creating a decorative style which remained in fashion throughout the 1820s.

One hundred and fifty works are on display in the exhibition, mostly from the collections in Palazzo Pitti and from the Doccia Manufactory's Museum Richard-Ginori, but also from the leading Italian and French museums devoted to the art of porcelain and from several private collections.

Manifattura Nast, Tazza e piattino, 1810 circa, porcellana bianca e dorata.  Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Museo delle PorcellaneManifattura Dagoty, Parigi, decorazione antichizzante, XIX secolo (1810 ca. - 1812 ca.), biscuit/ doratura. Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Museo  delle PorcellaneManifattura Dagoty, Parigi , Paesaggio con figure e animali, porcellana/  invetriatura/ pittura/ doratura, XIX secolo (1810 ca.). Firenze, Gallerie degli  Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Museo delle PorcellaneWilhelm Titel (Boltenhagen, Germania 1784 - Greifswald, Germania 1862), Altre  attribuzioni: Benvenuti Pietro (1796-1844), Ritratto femminile - La regina d'Etruria con i  figli Carlo Lodovico e Luisa Carlotta, XIX secolo, prima metà (1807), olio su tela. Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Galleria d'Arte ModernaManifattura toscana, Tavolino, XIX secolo, inizi (1800 ca.-1814), marmo nero  porcellana/ doratura/ ottone/ pittura verde. Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi,  Galleria d'Arte ModernaManifattura francese, Tripode, XIX secolo, bronzo /doratura/cesellatura/patinatura. Firenze, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria Palatina ed Appartamenti Reali
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Luxury and elegance

The French Porcelain at court and the Ginori Factory (1800 - 1830)

The Treasury of the Grand Dukes (Silver Museum), Pitti Palace, Florence

19 March – 23 June 2013

Exhibition curated by Andreina d’Agliano in collaboration with Livia Frescobaldi Malenchini, Sèvres scientific consultant Tamara Préaud

Exhibition catalogue published by Giunti - Sillabe (available only in Italian)

Ministero dei beni e delle attività culturali e del turismo, Direzione Regionale per i Beni Culturali e Paesaggistici della Toscana, Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze; Museo degli Argenti e Firenze Musei, Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze