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There is more to Thanksgiving than how many hours it takes to cook a turkey or what is the perfect ratio of flour to fat for the flakiest pie crust. This year think beyond the menu and express your gratitude with style and panache befitting the bounty of the season.

Majolica, the colorful, wildly imaginative, and technically innovative ceramic ware inspired by Italian Renaissance maiolica and French Palissy ware, debuted at London’s Great Exhibition of 1851 and became an immediate sensation. This molded earthenware capitalized on new production techniques and brightly colored lead-based glazes and allowed for a diversity of forms, from historical to practical to whimsical. Nineteenth-century innovations in transportation as well as the advent of refrigeration and canning technology introduced new foods, culinary practices, and fashions to the Victorian table. This dessert plate, designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin for Minton & Co., is a lovely example produced in 1862.

We hope this image inspires you to set your own modern table with trimmings that suit the moment. All of us at Bard Graduate Center wish you a happy Thanksgiving, and we want to THANK YOU for joining us in our exploration of all the objects and “things” that enhance and give meaning to our lives. As we reflect on all that we cherish this holiday season, we are grateful that you share with us a passion for decorative arts, design history, and material culture.

Have a great holiday!

Upcoming at BGC!
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Get a jump on holiday shopping at BGC with beautiful, award-winning exhibition catalogues and books. Free shipping November 25–30 at store.bgc.bard.edu. Learn More Button
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Majolica Mania
Majolica Mania: Transatlantic Pottery in England and the United States, 1850–1915 will be on view at BGC Gallery September 24, 2021–January 9, 2022. Learn More Button
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