Atrium Gallery

Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery has a large and fascinating ceramics collection representing many eras and design styles from the ground-breaking work of William Cookworthy and Plymouth Porcelain, to the Japanese inspired 20th Century studio pottery of Bernard Leach. The collection is exhibited in the Atrium Gallery on our first floor balcony. Displays are themed to highlight different aspects of the collection. You can currently see:

• 'Plymouth Porcelain: A New Collection' by Clare Twomey
• Church Plate Display
• Plymouth Porcelain, 1768 to 1770
• Plymouth Porcelain, Design and Experimentation, 1768 to 1770
• Bristol Porcelain
• Studio Pottery
• Containers
• The Martin Brothers
• Chinoiserie

You can also currently see selected works by Foundation Degree Applied Arts students from Plymouth College of Art and University College Falmouth. The students have produced artistic responses for the wall space above the gallery and individual works inspired by our historic collections in relation to our Clare Twomey commission (Plymouth College of Art) and forthcoming ‘Sinopticon’ exhibition (University College Falmouth).

Related events

Our 'Art Bites' tours, which are held on selected Wednesdays throughout the year regularly focus on our decorative art collection. Artist, Clare Twomey will give a Lunchtime Talk about her work on 10 July 2012.

Want to see more images of the gallery? Visit our flickr site now!

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Church Plate Display

In this case, you can explore a bit more about Plymouth’s religious history through a number of silver items from the 1500s through to the 1930s - all of which are on loan to the Museum from local churches such as St Andrew’s and Holbeton Parish church. The case explores the role of the church as patrons of the silversmith trade and how changing religious ideals have often had an effect on changing designs. The case features a 16th Century chalice made by John Jones of Exeter, after the Reformation, to replace an earlier Medieval plate which had been destroyed. Also on show is a range of silver made by local Plymouth silversmiths Samuel Blatchford, Pentecost Symons and Peter Rowe.

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Plymouth Porcelain, 1768 to 1770

Have you heard of Plymouth porcelain but are not sure why it is so special? This case explores how great William Cookworthy’s achievements were in founding the porcelain factory and how important it was for the South West. With a drawing of the factory’s kiln you can trace, step by step, how the porcelain was manufactured and also what problems the factory faced.

For further information on the history of Plymouth porcelain, we now have audio guides that you can download and use in the museum.

Plymouth Porcelain, Design and Experimentation, 1768 to 1770

This case looks more closely at the design styles and influences of Plymouth porcelain and shows off our fantastic collection. Have a look at the yellow ground butter dish - one of only two known examples of Plymouth porcelain in this colour - or the uniquely painted pair of pheasants. Animal models such as lions, cows and sheep produced at the factory are also on display.

If you'd like to know more about how some of our unique items were made, you can download an audio guide which accompanies these displays.

Bristol Porcelain

When the Plymouth porcelain factory moved to Bristol in 1770, the factory progressed into a new era. This display looks at technical and stylistic developments made to the porcelain at the Bristol factory under the direction of Richard Champion.

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Studio Pottery

This case explores the legacy of Studio Pottery in the South West, looking at concepts of form and texture. It highlights the local heritage of craft and pottery, showcasing works by artists such as Bernard Forrester, Ewen Henderson and Mary Rogers.

Containers

This case relates to the Key Stage 3 Art and Design units and may be useful for teachers and students. Containers are practical everyday objects that we don’t often give much though to. Yet, most containers are designed specifically to suit a purpose. This case looks at a wide range of containers - from a 20th Century jewellery box to an 18th Century silver coffee pot, a German tankard to an English wine glass. There are even some mystery objects for you to guess! Information about the mystery objects on display can be downloaded below.

Containers: tobacco jar [147.3KB]

Containers: drug jar [169.8KB]

Containers: tulip vase [115.4KB]

Containers: reliquary [152.2KB]

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The Martin Brothers

The Martin Brothers were a group of four brothers working together in Fulham and Southall, London in the Victorian period. They produced many strange but wonderful ceramics in salt glazed stoneware. This case looks at the influence of nature on the Martin Brothers by putting their work side by side with items from the Natural History and Human History collections. We now have an online catalogue of Martinware, and you can also find more information about the Martin Brothers on our ceramics collection page.

Chinoiserie

Chinoiserie was a key design style of the 1700s and was very fashionable. But what exactly is Chinoiserie and how can you recognise it? This case points out key features of the Chinoiserie style to help identify it. It gives examples of how Chinoiserie was used in ceramics, furniture and textiles and  presents some very fine pieces of porcelain and Delftware.

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