2026 got off to an excellent start, when Matthew Martin, Senior Lecturer in Art History and Curatorship at the University of Melbourne, spoke to us in February on ‘Sacred Ceramics: Meissen devotional sculptures for the Saxon court’.

 Matthew started by entertaining us with the lives and royal ambitions of the electors of Saxony, as they sought to become King of Poland, and even the Holy Roman Emperor, and explained the tensions between their sturdily reformist subjects and their own Catholicism, which signaled their suitability for royal office. He then took us through some of the superb sacred pieces produced by the Meissen factory as diplomatic gifts or personal devotional objects, ranging from the earliest Böttger porcelain Crucifixion to Kändler’s meticulously molded Death of St Francis Xavier and the magnificent Crucifixion group of 1743, some of the most complex sculptural works ever produced at Meissen.  These pieces have been little covered in the past, perhaps because of their location behind the iron curtain, but they are clearly as outstanding and exquisite as anything the factory ever produced.

 Also in February, the scholarship sub-committee assessed the submissions from RMIT ceramics students for the Circle’s annual scholarship in honour of Patricia Begg OAM and Chris Begg and selected this year’s winner, Elspeth Rowell.  Elspeth will present her delightful work to us in July. 

 At our AGM in March we were able to announce the securing of a new treasurer (thank you Margaret Robinson) and reflect back on a successful year, with an excellent John Kenny Memorial Lecture, another successful Winter Seminar, a solid regular program, a flurry of new members and a continued, happy financial position.   The accompanying Show & Tell on the theme ‘Sacred and Profane’ featured a wonderful variety of interpretations, from a Hellenistic funeral sculpture of roman gods to a 20th century Australian tile of Pan and his pipes, through a late 18th century Mortlake hunting jug with a ‘cider feast’ and a Regency period Derby mug depicting brutal dental surgery, to a 1930’s Orrefors vase portraying an erotic dancer who became a WWII heroine, and a colourful 1970’s Rosenthal plate of the Annunciation; plus many other interesting pieces.

 In April we’ll hear once again from Colin Smith, who will speak on ‘Merric Boyd and Murrumbeena’, where Boyd spent most of his life and created most of his remarkable pottery and sculpture. Colin will provide a history of Murrumbeena and Boyd’s life there, including recollections of the family by their friends and associates through the years.

 In May I will present on ‘Sometsuke: the birth, aesthetics and social meaning of Japanese blue and white porcelain’, looking at the first porcelain produced in Japan, from the early 17th century, to the peak of quality in about 1690, through the time of the great trade with Europe. I will examine the history, iconography and social and ritual meaning of these pieces.   

 Our Winter Seminar at The Johnston Collection will be about ‘Sleuthing, Rarity, Philanthropy: the Great Collector”. Presenters will be Felicity Marno, Danny McOwan, Rob Robertson and myself. 

 This year the seminar will be held on Saturday 27 June.   There are only 33 spaces available, so get in early!

                                                                                                            Genine Wallinga
                                                                                                            President,  March 2026