EarlyAmericanCeramics.com: The Pennsylvania German Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Friday, October 19, 2018

The Pennsylvania German Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

When it comes to red earthenware and stoneware, and where to see some of the best public collections in the country today, the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City come to mind.

However, the collection of eighteenth and nineteenth century Pennsylvania German wares owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art are easily equal to any major museum collection in America. In fact, the museum's Pennsylvania German Collection book is a must-have for any serious library of domestic red earthenware and stoneware, and also priced at a bargain of only ten-dollars through the museum bookstore.

Nonetheless, seeing the Philadelphia Museum of Art's collection in the American Art Wing never gets old; it has been a thrill each and every time I have visited. Many exceptional pieces are on display, and even more are kept behind the scenes. I suspect that it does not really matter how much knowledge a person possesses about this subject in order to appreciate the artistic skill and all-around beauty found in many of these objects, especially the plates and dishes.

These pictures were taken the last time I visited the museum, which was probably four or five years ago. It is tough to describe the magnitude of what is owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, until a person has actually visited the museum. But I feel the experience itself is very similar to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whereas you can look at the pictures all you want on the museum's website, but the true adventure begins once you have walked through the museum's doors, wandering the rooms and hallways, and actually witnessing the visual beauty and history of these objects with your own eyes.

Note: The Philadelphia Museum of Art also owns a remarkable collection of stoneware, including examples from the Edgefield District in South Carolina, Virginia, Pensnylvania, New Jersey and New York City.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Pennsylvania German Red Earthenware Collection