SMALL IS THE NEW BIG AT BURGHLEY

SMALL IS THE NEW BIG AT BURGHLEY, THE ONLY PLACE TO SEE EUROPE’S OLDEST PORCELAIN

A mix of stunning architecture and priceless artwork has made Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire, a firm favourite with visitors from across the globe.

This year, England’s greatest Elizabethan house is the ONLY place to see three jars, just revealed as some of the oldest examples of European porcelain.

For 2010 the ‘Art in Miniature at Burghley’ exhibition features some of the smaller treasures from this renowned art collection, from world-class miniature paintings to small-scale works of art of all kinds including ceramics, silver, jewellery, and even scientific gadgets.

One inclusion in particular is causing a real stir in the world of art and ceramics… and puts Burghley at the centre of the ceramics world in 2010.

“At Burghley we’re used to uncovering surprises and delights amongst our collection of art, ceramics and furniture, different examples of which we proudly display in our annual exhibition. But this year we truly have something very special, and can justly lay claim to offering our visitors a chance to glimpse a headline-grabbing piece of porcelain,” said Miranda Rock, House Director.

Over the years, the immense collection of fine art housed at Burghley has provided plenty of surprises for scholars and collectors.

None of these have been quite as sensational as the analyses of the three tiny jars known as the ‘Buckingham China’, and a companion jar, carried out by laboratories at Imperial College and at the British Museum. Their tests, which have only recently been revealed to the scientific world, suggest that these pieces may be early examples of porcelain production in Europe and that their production seems likely to have taken place in England.

Until now, it has been generally accepted that the first production of this type of porcelain in Europe took place at Meissen in 1708, when Johann Böttger, after years of painstaking research, succeeded in the production of this immensely valuable material.  Whilst Böttger’s porcelain was certainly the first material made in Europe to be commercially viable, it now seems that several of his contemporaries were following similar paths of research.

The discovery of the composition of the Burghley jars highlights the way in which worldwide knowledge of the actual constituents of porcelain has altered in recent years. Recent analyses of Chinese ceramics have found that kaolin, once believed to be a vital component, is only present as tiny traces in items long-accepted as being of the finest true porcelain.  The argument for the jars’ production in England is partly because they have firm provenances in old English collections and partly because they have lead-glazes of a kind unknown on porcelain from China or continental Europe

Research into the jars was first undertaken by Gordon Lang of Sotheby’s in 1991. He discovered their inventory listing and first suggested that they were of porcelain rather than glass, however, scientific research at that time was inconclusive. In 2007, the choice of the jars as a subject for a dissertation by a young Canadian student, Morgan Wesley, reawakened scientific interest and prompted further research using the latest technology. As part of that research, the original source for the decoration of the larger jar was discovered by Sir Timothy Clifford to have been taken from a folio of engravings published in Paris in 1654.

‘Art in Miniature at Burghley’ opened on Saturday 20th March and runs until Sunday 31st October. For full details visit www.burghley.co.uk or telephone 01780 752451.



EDITOR’S NOTES:

Burghley, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, has been the home of the Cecil Family for over 400 years and is England’s greatest Elizabethan House. Burghley is owned and maintained by Burghley House Preservation Trust, which looks after a huge collection of great works of art, including one of the most important private collections of 17th century Italian paintings, the earliest inventoried collection of Japanese ceramics in the West, exceptional 18th century furniture and wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons and his followers. The Trust also maintains a 13000-acre estate including residential, commercial and agricultural lettings, woodland and Burghley Park, which is open daily at no charge.

During 2010 Burghley is open Saturday 20th March to Sunday 31st October daily (except Fridays) from 11am to 4.30pm with guides in the state rooms to answer any questions visitors may have. Admission to the House and Gardens is £11.80 adults, £5.80 children (5-15) and £30 for a family (2 adults and 2 children).