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Golden Splendours: 20th-Century Painted Porcelains of Hong Kong

1/F Thematic Galleries 3 & 4
19 December 2018 – 18 March 2019

Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and The Hong Kong Ceramics Research Society
Jointly organised by Hong Kong Heritage Museum and The Hong Kong Ceramics Research Society

The porcelain industry is an integral part of the art, culture and history of Hong Kong. As a world trading port in the 20th century, Hong Kong developed unique painted porcelain with diverse shapes and rich decorations using continually innovative techniques. This particular type of painted porcelain, known as gangcai, combines Chinese and Western cultural elements, while presenting the distinct local colour of Hong Kong. Popular among both the Chinese and Western communities, gangcai represents the prime period of the painted porcelain industry in Hong Kong.

This exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and The Hong Kong Ceramics Research Society. Research is supported by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation's "Arts: Transforming Hong Kong" Grant. It showcases painted porcelain made by local painters and factories, including vintage porcelain and armorial porcelain, produced mainly for export, as well as ceramic items for decoration and household use commonly found in Hong Kong. Complete with historical photos, manuscripts, hand-drawn designs, pigments, tools, and more, the exhibition offers an elucidating study of the development and characteristics of painted porcelain in Hong Kong and of its achievements as an industry.

 

Special Programmes for Exhibitions "Claylaboration—Contemporary Ceramic Art Exhibition" and "Golden Splendours: 20th-Century Painted Porcelain of Hong Kong

 

Exhibit Highlights