Courtly Pleasures

Scenes of gardens and of love, idyllic hunting parties, picturesque farms, and lifelike animal figurines in porcelain were popular motifs in table decoration from the Baroque to the beginning of the 19th century. These 'worlds in miniature' were intended to initiate conversation among the table guests - and of course attest to the discerning taste of the hosts. The decorative pieces were, for all intents and purposes, part of the furnishing scheme and finished off the room’s interior as a total work of art down to the last detail. Central to this was the artisanal sophistication and the perfect mastery of the latest techniques, which breathed new life into the miniatures.Following on from Courtly Companions: Pugs and Other Dogs in Porcelain and Faience, now Courtly Pleasures presents the most beautiful table decorations produced by a variety of manufacturers, all from the abundant treasures of a southwest German private collection.Text in English and German.

Dr. Gun-Dagmar HelkeStudied art history, classical archaeology and Byzantine art history followed by her doctorate with dissertation on the Augsburg etcher Johann Esaias Nilson. Intern and assistant curator at the Museum fr Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg. From 2006 conservator of the Collection at Gut Hohen Luckow; since 2012 art historian and manager of the Familienstiftung Ruth Merckle. Research focus on ceramics, antique carpets and prints from the seventeenth to nineteenth century.Hela Schandelmaier, MAStudied art history, German language and literature, and Italian literature. Assistant curator at the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, where she inventoried and restructured the Ceramics Department. Expert appraiser in ceramics from the eighteenth to twentieth century. Worked twenty-five years on the board of directors at the Gesellschaft der Keramikfreunde e. V. and on freelance exhibition and publication projects.