From glass domes to museum cases: Displaying 'old' Sèvres porcelain in 19th-Century Britain

Following the paradigmatic shifts of the French Revolution, Sèvres became an increasingly coveted object on the British antiques and curiosity market, commanding significant prices. This article traces the shifting display practices for Sèvres porcelain over the course of the nineteenth century, from glass domes to museum cases. In doing so, it considers the types of objects which were positioned under glass domes and questions how these modes of display impacted upon the experience of spectatorship, visual and material scrutiny, and connoisseurial knowledge amongst collecting networks during this time. As such, it pays attention to the role of glass cases as containers which mediated the changing value structures for 'old' Sèvres porcelain in nineteenth-century Britain.