Like the ceramics he collected throughout his life, Walter C. Koerner
was a survivor of turbulent times. Born in Moravia in 1889, Koerner fled
his homeland shortly before the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. After
immigrating to Canada and settling in B.C., he prospered in business and
became one of the University of British Columbia's most significant
benefactors.
Today, the gallery in the Museum of Anthropology that bears Koerner's
name is home to one of the most exquisite collections of European
ceramics in North America. The Koerner Ceramics Gallery is a testament
to elegance, craftsmanship, and the beauty of everyday objects. Yet it
is also a reflection of the complex socio-political forces at work
throughout four centuries of European history.
A lavish celebration of this impressive collection, Koerner Ceramics
highlights approximately two hundred functional and decorative wares
from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. From Italian Renaissance
maiolica, still considered by many to be the pinnacle of European
ceramic art; to Haban pottery created by Anabaptist craftsmen, which
carries the history of religious faith and persecution; to delftware
from Holland, which was inspired by the Chinese and Japanese porcelain
that arrived on Dutch shores in the seventeenth century--the pieces
featured in this volume document the evolution of style, technique, and
culture. This book is a fascinating, comprehensive, and visually
stunning tribute.
