Concentrations in the Collection: European and American Decorative Arts

10 January–17 March 1985

From the Italian Renaissance, where ceramics and silver embellished royal palaces to turn of the century America where Tiffany vases decorated the homes of high society, the decorative arts have always reflected the aesthetic sensibilities of particular times and places. Concentrations in the Collection: European and American Decorative Arts was drawn exclusively from the Smart Gallery’s permanent collection and featured a glittering array of decorative pieces such as glass, ceramics, metalware, and furniture from the 16th century to the present. The pieces on display include gilded goblets and Rococo earthenware platters exotically adorned with Chinese birds as well as objects by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan. These pieces demonstrate how the decorative arts served as functional objects while embodying the wealth, class, and taste of an era. 

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