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Far Eastern Ceramics in the Victoria and Albert Museum

John Ayers

First published in 1975 by Kodansha Ltd, Tokyo, as Oriental Ceramics: The World Great Collections, Volume 6, Victoria and Albert Museum. The collection of oriental ceramics at the Victoria and Albert Museum is among the world's finest.

Numbering over nine thousand items which are for the most part on permanent view to the public, it owes much to a long line of benefactors and to such gifted curator historians as Bernard Rackham, W.B. Honey and Arthur Lane, each of whom contributed to its unique character. The elegant Chinese porcelains so abundantly represented in George Salting's great bequest of 1910 are balanced by a comprehensive range of earlier wares that was notably reinforced in the late '30s by the acquisition of the Eumorfopoulos Collection for the nation. Japanese, Korean and South-east Asian wares are also very fully represented. The selection of ninety-four masterpieces, magnificently photographed in colour, together with an extended series of black-and-white illustrations, here provide an overall view of the collection for the first time. The choice was made by John Ayers, the Keeper and himself a noted authority, who also contributes descriptive notes and an introductory essay on the collection.

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