Musee Nationale de la Ceramique

The Ceramic Museum is the only museum which is open on Mondays, and anyway it was high on my list of priorities. Sevres is just a little outside of Paris and only two metro stops from my place. From there you cross the river Seine - it is a real working river with barges... and house-boats! The impressive building in the back is the museum:

And closer:

The porcelain factory of Sevres was founded in 1740 and around 1800 the owner Alexandre Brogniart decided to also collect all kinds of pottery, earthenware, stoneware, porcelain, faiance, majolica etc. from all around the world and through all times and establish a museum.
And it is really a very impressive collection: old Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Bycantine, Islamic from Iran, Irak, Turkey, renaissance Italian, Spanish (though mainly Manises and Valencia and nothing about Triana!), Delft, from Germany there was the blue-grey salt glazed Western Forest stoneware and the bearded man's jugs from the Rhine, also Korea, Japan, with an extra section about the tea ceremony, China and of course all the important French makers including Sevres themselves....


Islamic tile



Chinese cat



Japanese dish

 

"Hall of Fame" with vases from Sevres

 

French plates

 I was there more than three hours and then I had also applied for a tour though the workshops - but when I got there it was over! I had not understood the time correctly, instead of treize trente (13.30) I understood trois trente (3.30)! Shit! There will be another tour on Thursday... if I have time I'll go again!



view from a museum window to the factory