Ceramics

One of the most comprehensive and significant areas of the museum’s collection.

From the early Middle Ages to the present, the collection includes both sculptural, one-off pieces and industrially produced consumer goods: stoneware jugs, cups or bowls from the Middle Ages, and especially from the Renaissance, document an increasingly refined and luxurious dining culture. The collection of oriental receptacles and tiles and of Italian Renaissance majolica, whose colourful painted decorations mainly depict stories from antique mythology, is simply outstanding. In the 17th century, Dutch faience, whose decoration was influenced by East Asian porcelain but also by, for example, local flora and fauna, gained increasing importance.

In the 18th century, faience manufactories were established in many places in Europe and their fragile products are still kept in the MAKK today. These include chocolate-coloured teapots and cups with saucers, inviting the user to enjoy the then-new and fashionable beverages of tea and coffee. There are also covered pots and dishes, for example in the form of a bunch of asparagus or a melon, which were not only meant to provide visual delight but also to create visual illusions.

Nineteenth century Empire style stands out by its clear forms that hark back to antiquity; Biedermeier immortalises famous buildings on the surfaces of pots and cups, while Historicism exuberantly celebrates the diversity of historical styles.

Another focus is on art nouveau artist ceramics and on ceramics from the European post-war period by, for example, Alexandre Bigot and Pierre Adrien Dalpayrat, Richard Bampi, Albrecht Hohlt and Horst Kerstan, and Antoni Cumella and Pablo Picasso.