Ceramics from the Permanent Collection

This exhibition is an opportunity to view seldom-seen holdings from belowdecks, organized into five sections that reflect deeply-held heritage: pottery oil lamps from the Roman Empire and the ancient Middle East; 18th- and early 19th-century English "creamware" pitchers and bowls from early New Bedford collections; 19th- and early 20th-century crockery manufactured here and abroad as New Bedford souvenirs; modern Japanese toys and ceremonial objects from the Suwa Shrine, where the whale is the focus of a festival that goes back hundreds of years; and a couple of tile ensembles, from Holland and the Azores, that illustrate vastly different aspects of whaling.