Luxury and elegance The French Porcelain at court and the Ginori Factory (1800 - 1830)

The exhibition Luxury and elegance is dedicated to the first thirty years of activity of the Ginori factory, a Europe-wide phenomenon that characterized the first three decades of the 19th century with very intense exchanges with the French manufacturer of the time, in particular Sèvres.

On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the opening of the Porcelain Museum in Palazzo Pitti, the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico, Polo Museale della città di Firenze and Associazione Amici di Doccia wanted to celebrate this event with an exhibition which highlights the porcelain collection of Palazzo Pitti and the production of the Ginori factory in the period between the Napoleonic domination and the Lorraine Grand Duchy (1800-1830).

The changes brought by Napoleon’s empire to the governance of Tuscany were reflected in the arts, but especially in the years of the presence of Elisa Baciocchi. Sister of Napoleon Bonaparte, she was Princess of Lucca and Piombino (1805-1814) and Grand Duchess of Tuscany (1809-1814). She promoted a renewed interest in the arts. Her patronage not only brought sculptors, painters and musicians to Florence, but also fostered the craft industries of Tuscany, encouraging the production of silk, furniture and porcelain.

The Doccia Manufactory played an important role in this newly vibrant artistic climate.

In particular, under the enlightened guidance of Carlo Leopoldo Ginori Lisci (1792-1838), the manufactory played a role in the significantly innovative technical and stylistic trends coming from France, creating a decorative style which remained in fashion throughout the 1820s.

One hundred and fifty works are on display in the exhibition, mostly from the collections in Palazzo Pitti and from the Doccia Manufactory's Museum Richard-Ginori, but also from the leading Italian and French museums devoted to the art of porcelain and from several private collections.