The Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum is the newest world-class facility at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Its extensive collection of artwork visualizes and celebrates the connection between art and nature. The museum contains objects dating from the 16th to the 21st centuries, including works by noted artists Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Dorothy Doughty, Diane Lewis and Trailer McQuilkin.
Tea, coffee and chocolate pots produced by historically significant porcelain manufacturers like Meissen, Royal Copenhagen and Herend emphasize that nature and porcelain objects have always been intertwined. Other collections in the expansive museum further highlight the museum’s mission to nurture a lasting connection to nature through decorative arts.
The Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum is made possible through the generosity of longtime patron Deen Day Sanders, and its collection represents nearly half a century of her avid interest in fine porcelain and her lifetime love of gardens and nature.
Examples of Chinese Export Porcelain, 18th century.
Examples of Chinese Export Porcelain, 18th century.
Staff photo.
Dorothy Doughty (1892–1962) for Royal Worcester, Northern Cardinals and Orange Blossoms, 1937, bone china.
Dorothy Doughty (1892–1962) for Royal Worcester, Northern Cardinals and Orange Blossoms, 1937, bone china.
Staff photo.
Royal Copenhagen, Flora Danica Dinner, Luncheon, and Bread and Butter Plates, ca. 1870–1991, porcelain.
Royal Copenhagen, Flora Danica Dinner, Luncheon, and Bread and Butter Plates, ca. 1870–1991, porcelain.
Staff photo.
Chris Ashenden for Connoisseur of Malvern, Royal Bengal Tiger, 20th century, bone china.
Chris Ashenden for Connoisseur of Malvern, Royal Bengal Tiger, 20th century, bone china.
Staff photo.
Aileen Burton for Connoisseur of Malvern, Aster, c. 1990, bone china.
Aileen Burton for Connoisseur of Malvern, Aster, c. 1990, bone china.
Staff photo.
Trailer McQuilkin (b. 1947), Detail of White-mouth Dayflower, 1986, copper, paint, and natural materials.
Trailer McQuilkin (b. 1947), Detail of White-mouth Dayflower, 1986, copper, paint, and natural materials.
Staff photo.
Connoisseur of Malvern, Examples of Brown Thrasher and Cherokee Rose from the Georgia Room, 20th century, bone china.
Connoisseur of Malvern, Examples of Brown Thrasher and Cherokee Rose from the Georgia Room, 20th century, bone china.
Staff photo.
Imari Tea Cup with Geisha Lithophane, 19th century, Nigoshide Japanese porcelain.
Imari Tea Cup with Geisha Lithophane, 19th century, Nigoshide Japanese porcelain.
Staff photo.
Deen Day Sanders Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum Lecture Series
The Deen Day Sanders Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum Lecture Series was launched at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia on Friday, April 14, 2023.
“Women, Power and Intellectual Pursuits: Catherine the Great’s Collection of Porcelain” was the inaugural lecture in this series and featured Asen Kirin, a UGA Professor of Art History and the Parker Curator of Russian Art at the Georgia Museum of Art. Click below to watch the lecture.