Programs

Ceramic Vases & Floral Ornament….

The next lecture of the WSB will be, “Blooms Transported: Ceramic Vases & Floral Ornament” presented by Leslie Grigsby, Winterthur Senior Curator of Ceramics & Glass, Emerita’ on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Leslie will begin by hinting at the range of meanings which, throughout history, have been associated with portrayals of flowers and floral ornament. In the Asia or the West, for examples, various blooms might represent one of The Four Seasons (such as Spring) or The Five Senses (Smell). Portrayals of “Flower Sellers,” particularly those in ceramic form, were created for consumers from nearly all levels of society as were a stunning range of vase types. Some flower container shapes trace their origins to wine-related and other vessels from ancient China or classical Greece and Rome. Others, which appeared spontaneously in response to the public’s obsession with novelty, were imitated and modified for decades, only to fade into oblivion.

Leslie B. Grigsby, Winterthur’s Senior Curator of Ceramics and Glass, Emerita, was responsible at that institution for 20,000+ ceramic and glass objects. She received her BA in Art History from the University of Illinois and her Post-Graduate Diploma in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Manchester in England. She spent the 1980s as part of the curatorial staff at Colonial Williamsburg. The 1990s saw her writing books on important American ceramics holdings, including the Colonial Williamsburg, Weldon, Chipstone Foundation, and Longridge collections. She joined the Winterthur staff in 1999 and retired in 2025. Leslie has published extensively on 17th- and 18th-century ceramics, design sources, and the histories of dining and drinking and has curated numerous major exhibitions. She has lectured across the USA, Canada, the UK, China, and Australia. In retirement, she continues to teach in Winterthur’s two MA programs and to create sculptural artwork.

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