“Demosthenes,” “Eloquence” or “St. Paul Preaching at Athens” Pearlware, Enoch Wood(?), Earthenware (pearlware), Staffordshire, England; 1790-1810, Winterthur, Gift of Thomas N. and A. Pat Bernard 2002.0030.025

Leslie Grigsby, Senior Curator of Ceramics and Glass, Winterthur (retired)

The impact of ancient Greek and Roman design on late European ceramics – whether in terms of vessel shapes, surface ornament, or figural subjects – cannot be overstated.  In this presentation, Leslie Grigsby will analyze a range of classical ceramics, sculptures, and other artworks that influenced English and Continental earthenware, stoneware and porcelain of the 1600s through early 1800s.

Leslie B. Grigsby, Senior Curator of Ceramics and Glass at Winterthur, Emerita, is honored to be at Bayou Bend again, this time for her first formal presentation since her retirement earlier this month. While at Winterthur, Leslie was responsible for 20,000+ ceramic and glass objects.

The daughter of 18th-century decorative arts collectors, Leslie received her BA in Art History from the University of Illinois and her Post-Graduate Diploma in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from the University of Manchester in England. Leslie has published extensively on 17th- and 18th-century ceramics, design sources, and the histories of dining and drinking. She was instrumental in sending online Winterthur’s catalogue of 90,000+ objects and has curated numerous major exhibitions. Leslie has lectured across the USA, Canada, and the UK, as well as in China and Australia.

“La Marrièe à la Grecque” from Mascarade a la Greque by Ennemond A. Petitot, Parma, Italy; 1771.

“Ye Fox Inviteth Ye Stork to Dinner” and “Ye Stork Inviteth Ye Fox to Dinner” from Aesop’s Fables, Earthenware, W.T. Copeland & Sons, Ltd., Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England; March 12, 1881 (registry), Winterthur, Gift of Hyman Myers & Sandra Kittner Myers 2021.0019.001.001

“Romulus & Remus with the Wolf”, Earthenware (pearlware), Staffordshire, England; 1815-25, Winterthur, Gift of Thomas N. and A. Pat Bernard 2002.0030.075