This exhibition features more than 130 pieces from the finest collection of French faience and soft-paste porcelain on the West Coast. The ideal fusion of the useful and the beautiful found in these French ceramics is the essence of what inspired MaryLou Boone to assemble her outstanding collection from the foremost manufactories of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Originally made to emulate Asian hard-paste porcelain imported into Europe, faience and soft-paste porcelain ultimately became distinctive and sought-after ceramics in their own right. The collection includes wares for dining and taking tea, for storing toiletries, and for preparing mixtures that comforted in time of sickness. These objects emphasize myriad aesthetic influences, chronicle advances in technology, and reflect the rhythms of domestic life, providing a unique view of French customs and culture.

The exhibition and catalogue bring together MaryLou Boone’s discerning acquisitions and recognize a substantial gift to LACMA, where Mrs. Boone’s late husband, Dr. George Boone served as a trustee, and The Huntington Library, Art collection and Botanical Gardens, where Mrs. Boone served as a trustee. In 2010, MaryLou gave approximately twenty-five pieces from her collection to both LACMA and the Huntington.