The Walters Art Museum has received a $2.5 million gift from Baltimore art collectors Deborah and Philip English to endow and hire a new curator to specialize in the areas of decorative arts, design, and material culture. In addition, the Englishes committed to donating more than 500 objects in their collection of Majolica to the museum.
The Walters will conduct a national search for this position, known as the Deborah and Philip English Curator of Decorative Arts, Design, and Material Culture.
“This new position funded by the Englishes gives us the ability to further the study of ceramics like Majolica and other examples of material culture, which expands the types of stories we are able to tell and restores this art to its rightful place in history,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director. “We are simply thrilled to have this opportunity to integrate the visionary collection the Englishes have created into the Walters, which stewards one of the most significant collections of ceramics from across the globe and across time in the United States.”
The English Majolica Collection is one of the largest, most comprehensive, and most significant collections of English and Continental-European Majolica given to any U.S. institution. Majolica, a type of molded earthenware known for its brightly colored lead-based glazes, was widely used throughout Victorian society in the form of tableware, decorative objects, and garden ornaments. After debuting at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, Majolica quickly became ubiquitous in England and America, with works appearing in museum displays, royal palaces, and in the homes of average citizens. The English Majolica Collection contains both monumental pieces created specifically for exhibitions as well as daily ware.
The Walters will conduct a national search for this position, known as the Deborah and Philip English Curator of Decorative Arts, Design, and Material Culture.
“This new position funded by the Englishes gives us the ability to further the study of ceramics like Majolica and other examples of material culture, which expands the types of stories we are able to tell and restores this art to its rightful place in history,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director. “We are simply thrilled to have this opportunity to integrate the visionary collection the Englishes have created into the Walters, which stewards one of the most significant collections of ceramics from across the globe and across time in the United States.”
The English Majolica Collection is one of the largest, most comprehensive, and most significant collections of English and Continental-European Majolica given to any U.S. institution. Majolica, a type of molded earthenware known for its brightly colored lead-based glazes, was widely used throughout Victorian society in the form of tableware, decorative objects, and garden ornaments. After debuting at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851, Majolica quickly became ubiquitous in England and America, with works appearing in museum displays, royal palaces, and in the homes of average citizens. The English Majolica Collection contains both monumental pieces created specifically for exhibitions as well as daily ware.
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