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8th June 2018 –31st December 2026

Wild Boar and Lettuce – Strasbourg Faiences and Dining Culture

They are among the great treasures of ceramic art: the works from the Strasbourg faience factory of the Hannong family. The presentation shows fascinating terrines in the shape of fruits or animals, as well as tableware with very high quality painting.

A new presentation on the ground floor of the Haus zum Kirschgarten turns the spotlight on these exquisite 18th-century wares and views them in the context of the dining culture of that era.

Strasbourg wares certainly occupy a special place in the Historisches Museum Basel’s impressive collection of pottery and porcelain. Flourishing trade had made Basel very wealthy and prosperous by the 18th century and new houses were shooting up all over town; yet the city had no porcelain production of its own, meaning that all fine tableware had to be imported.

The wares supplied by the Strasbourg manufactory met the high standards of Basel's upper classes in respect of both the fineness of the porcelain and the quality of the painting. For over half a century, from the manufactory’s founding in 1721 to its bankruptcy in 1781, Strasbourg faience was the tableware of choice for Basel’s genteel households. The family coats of arms on many plates and salvers attest to this, as does the provenance of numerous objects from old Basel families. Several magnificent tile stoves, moreover, tell us that Strasbourg was as much the go-to address for Basel households wishing to install an exceptionally fine stove as it was for those seeking fine tableware.

Basel Historical Museum

Publication

Wildsau und Kopfsalat

Strassburger Fayencen des 18. Jahrhunderts in Basel

The new presentation is flanked by a book published by the Christoph Merian Verlag, which with its focus on the highlights of the collection and the most important new acquisitions of the past three decades visibly underscores the importance of Basel’s collection of Strasbourg faience.

This richly illustrated publication provides a glimpse into the most important collection of Strasbourg faiences in Swiss public possession.

Buy book in our online shop

Cabinet exhibition in the Haus zum Kirschgarten

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CH-4001 Basel

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8:30 – 12 AM | 13:30 – 17 PM
Reception: +41 61 205 86 00
historisches.museum(at)bs.ch

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