'Exciting' and rare Oriental ceramics to go on display

Historic pottery exhibited for first time since the 80s

- Sentinel Reporter

RARE ceramics will be exhibited for the first time in decades thanks to a partnership between the University of Staffordshire and the city council.

The collection of Oriental pieces has found a new home at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.

The Thornhill Collection was bequeathed to the North Staffordshire Technical College by Ernest Thornhill for study purposes when he died in 1944. Now it will be available to be seen by the public for the first time since the 1980s.

The collection of more than 270 items contains Chinese wares, along with a small number of Korean and Japanese pieces.

The items range from the simple earthenware of the Shang dynasty (1700-1028BC) to the richly painted porcelains of the Ming (1368-1644AD) and Qing (1644-1912AD) dynasties.

The collection is being loaned to the PMAG for an initial five years, with plans to display the ceramics in a dedicated exhibition space, with teaching and research facilities.

This will follow the completion of the city council’s planned extension of the museum, backed by £5m investment of Arts Council funding.