Flowers and Fables

The National Gallery of Victoria takes great pride in presenting this comprehensive survey of Chelsea porcelain drawn entirely from Australian collections. Chelsea porcelain represents of the finest flowerings of eighteenth-century English art, reflecting some of the most important styles. In its brief period of production from 1745-69, it moves gracefully from rococo to chinoiserie and even to an anticipation of neo classical interests and themes. Chelsea porcelain focuses precisely for us both an attractive and appealing decorative style and a taste for scientifically accurate observation. In so doing it reflects the eighteenth-century sensibility, a blend of elegance and reason.