I completely finished a long post on these two days and then somehow lost it all-- not very happy about that! So this will be short.
I returned from Lingfield by 10 am on Saturday and spent some time napping and straightening up my things. Right after lunch I went with a friend to Kensington Palace to see the four exhibits that are currently open to the public. It was enjoyable, but not one of my faves of London. I didn't get very many pictures because it was dark in the rooms but I did get a few pictures of items from Asia that I noticed. During this seminar I've been on the lookout for items from what the Dutch call "the rich trades" or the trade that began first in the Indian Ocean in 1497 and expanded further East after that.
I wonder how old this chest is.
Some Chinese vases placed out of reach of the masses.
This chest was very impressive.
Not a great picture, but there were three pretty plates in this cabinet.
After we left the palace we walked around the area a bit and got a snack in a Whole Foods store. That was fun!
Sunday, July 7th
In the morning I took the Tube to the Hyde Park area to attend church at 9 am. However, I got turned around in the area and looked in the wrong area. It was a really hot,day and I eventually gave up and went back to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I spent several hours there and really enjoyed it. I thought I had seen just about all there was to see when I was first there, but man, was I ever mistaken! I especially was happy to find the pottery collection on the top floor.
Before I got started, though, I had to have tea one more time. I'm going to really miss those scones, clotted cream, and jam.
And here is the tea room that is still in its original condition from the Victorian era. I was amazed that some people preferred to have their tea in a modern cafeteria room adjacent to this rather than here.
Okay, now for some pottery. Here are a few examples of prehistoric Venus figurines to use in teaching. These, interestingly, are from the Ghandara area.
I loved this bowl from Yuan China. The four fish in the bottom are unglazed and highlight the terra cotta clay.
Also from the Mongol period are these examples of blue and white pottery from both China and Iran. The sharing of use of color, design and technological technique highlights the stability that the Yuan period provided for a large area that allowed for this kind of sharing.
Moving on to evidence of more long distance trade we see here examples of Medici blue and white pottery made in Italy. I am amazed by the refined shapes and skill level of these potters. Also, they don't seem to be trying to copy the Chinese patterns closely but instead include their own motifs with Chinese influenced techniques.
Here is more Italian pottery, definitely less refined in terms of technique-but intricate in pattern and interpretation of religious themes.
These are British attempts at replicating Chinese pottery. Notice how they are nearly copies.
Here are some similar examples from the Netherlands.
There is a potter in residence there right now from Japan. She has a studio there on the top floor that is closed in by glass walls so visitors can watch her work. She was there on Sunday but only packaging up some things for shipment. Here is a map plate from Japan from 1800. Following this is her modern interptation of this plate for Great Britain.
And I couldn't resist having my picture taken in front of this huge plate from Japan. Can you imagine turning this on a wheel?! The sweet older lady that I stopped to ask if she would take my picture was taken aback because she didn't speak English. I thought I heard her say something in Japanese so I spoke in Japanese and asked her again if she would take my picture. She was so relieved and happy.
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