Fitzwilliam Museum Guided Tour

The Tour will cover pottery and porcelain in relation to gardening and flower arranging, and to the passion for botanical and other floral decoration which developed during the 17th to early 19th centuries. In this context, we will look at a selection from the Fitzwilliam collections ranging from Isnik ware, English delft tulip chargers, slipware dishes with tulip borders, flower vases for tulips and other plants of the 17C, before moving on to Sèvres Rococo floral decoration, jardinières and pot-pourris. There is botanical decoration on Chelsea and the Trelissick dessert service, contrasting with the pretty and colourful floral decoration on creamware and other pottery, such as Japanese chrysanthemum decoration on Worcester. Modelled flowers and foliage decorate vases, bowls, knobs and handles, and is found on figures. We will see items to illustrate each topic and some will be available to be handled.

Our Guide: Julia Poole joined the Fitzwilliam as Assistant Keeper of Applied Art. She was awarded a Cambridge PhD in 1995 for her catalogue of the Fitzwilliam’s collection of Italian maiolica, and was promoted to Keeper of Applied Art in 2004. She has wide-ranging interests in European ceramics, their sale, use, and collecting. More recently, she has been working on a catalogue of the Fitzwilliam’s Limoges painted enamels from the Renaissance and later, as well as researching the history of two 18C manuscript recipe books belonging to Norfolk women.

Joining details: Please meet in the Courtyard entrance at 10:45am. The first group will start the tour promptly at 11:00am. A second group will tour at 12:15pm. The maximum number for each tour is 15, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Getting there: the Fitzwilliam address is Trumpington Street CB2 1RB. Limited Pay and Display and disabled badge-holder parking is available on Trumpington Street. The nearest car parks are at Grand Arcade, off Downing Street, and Queen Anne, Gonville Place. For Park & Ride information, please check this webpage. For more parking options, see also further information on parking provided by Cambridge City Council.

Bookings: preferably by BACS transfer of £12 (£14 for non-member guests) to Cambridgeshire County Garden Trust (sort code 20-29-68, account number 30347639) using your name as reference. Cheques, payable to Cambridgeshire Gardens Trust, may be sent to Jane Sills, The Willows, Ramsey Road, Ramsey Forty Foot PE26 2XN.

We look forward to seeing you there!