Pottery & Ceramics

In tandem with the artwork and decorative details, Hill-Stead’s Chinese porcelains comprise an in situ exhibition. In the First Library, for instance, the oxblood red in a group of vases corresponds to the colors in a tortoiseshell clock nearby and adds warmth to a room dominated by rich brown and gold tones. The Popes collected pieces from the Han (206 BCE-220 CE), Sung (960-1279) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties, as well as 19th-century porcelains. Utilitarian blue and white Cantonware, commonly associated with the Colonial Revival, was among their choices.

The collection also includes numerous plates, urns and jars that the family collected on their trips to Europe. Hill-Stead exhibits many fine examples of 16th- and 17th-century Italian maiolica, tin-glazed earthenware pottery noted for its opaque glazing, rich color and narrative scenes. English lusterware pottery, characterized by iridescent metallic glaze, and an English Wedgewood tea set, executed in a rare yellow porcelain bisque, are also on display. The oldest item in the collection is a Corinthian head-pyxis, c. 600-575 BCE, noteworthy for its superb condition and profusion of ornament.