Exhibition "The Porcelain House"

Step inside the PORCELAIN HOUSE!

The exhibition recounts the bustling activity of a Brussels porcelain factory that spanned our country’s history without interruption from 1830 to 2020.

From the shop window to behind the scenes, it highlights the life journeys of everyone involved: artisans, workers, sales personnel, directors and customers… each of whom, in their own way, accompanied and shaped these two centuries.

In this adventure filled with (r)evolutions, each porcelain piece embodies the shifting trends, customs and major societal changes of its time. From the home to public spaces, royal commissions to mass production and the emergence of new artistic styles, the pieces are astonishingly diverse in form and function.

Porcelain isn’t always what you might think. Wander through The Porcelain House and discover a story that is at once industrial, social and profoundly human.

To extend the exhibition experience, a selection of works by contemporary craft artists offers a fresh perspective on the practice of artistic craftmanship and proves the tradition still very much alive.

 Curators

The exhibition is curated by Elise Urbain Ruano, in collaboration with Marieke De Baerdemaeker and Valérie Montens.

 Production and partners 

The Porcelain House is an exhibition co-produced by the Domain and Royal Museum of Mariemont, the Museum of the City of Brussels and the Royal Museums of Art and History, in partnership with the Office des Métiers d’Art of the Province of Hainaut.

© Musée royal de Mariemont 

© Musée royal de Mariemont (Don du Cercle royal des Amis de Mariemont ASBL)