Floral Prints as Sources for Patterns on Porcelain and Transferware; the Botanical and Gardening Obsession

Lecturer: Patricia (Pat) Knight

In her talk she discusses the role of botany in the 18th century, the research at botanical centers and the popular interest in horticulture that led to books illustrated with botanical prints by Georg Ehret and to the Botanical Magazine published by William Curtis. As a result there was a profusion of botanical decoration on porcelain in the late 18th century. The second half of the lecture concentrated on the botanical and floral prints of the 19th century that were seen on transferware pottery inspired by various garden magazines and books on horticulture.

About the speaker: Patricia Darrell Knight was born in England, studied English and European history at Southampton University and emigrated to the USA with her husband in 1960. Always a keen gardener she gained a landscape certificate in Boston. In 1984 she founded Patrician Antiques in Los Altos specializing in 18th and 19th century porcelain, pottery, and silver. She continues to operate her business on the web. She is a long time member of the Transferware Collectors Club and the San Francisco Ceramic Circle. Her ceramic collecting interests include Staffordshire figures and wares, Regency period porcelains, Jugendstil and modern ceramics. As an enthusiastic gardener she has served on the Boards of the Western Horticulture Society and the Los Altos Garden club.