Abstract
Secreted throughout the display cases of the National Museum of Ireland Decorative Arts collection are several pieces of industrially produced ceramics made circa 1880. These are mainly intended for domestic use, serving as teapots and plates, cups and saucers. And while they work in an efficient, presumed and functional way, their surface decoration tells a different story. This paper will explore the use of what could be considered controversial imagery and text by referencing these pieces of ceramics which tell a highly politicized story. Yet they tell this in the domestic settings of urban and rural homes in Ireland. This paper offers a brief consideration of colonial and post-colonial themes in the broader cultural or political context in Ireland, to help frame the discussion of Controversial Crockery in the Decorative Arts Collection of the National Museum of Ireland and beyond. The paper will then examine other ceramic objects within Irish collections that have other stories to tell. These pieces are examined within this text for the multifaceted stories they can tell. These exist on the technical and aesthetic level but also on levels relating to politics, history, folklore and material culture of some intrigue.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 26-30 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Museum of Applied Art Journal. Belgrade Serbia. |
Volume | 14 |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 10 Nov 2018 |
Keywords
- Ceramics. Applied Arts