Porcelain - so exquisite, luxurious and fragile, yet unimaginably different in the hands of inspired artists. The Riga Porcelain Museum is located in the heart of Old Riga, holds the largest collection of industrially manufactured porcelain in Riga, and thus unveils the exciting world of porcelain design development and manufacturing traditions from the middle of the 19th century.
The permanent exhibition is arranged in several rooms and showcases porcelain in the period from the mid-19th century to the present day, revealing the development of porcelain design and manufacturing traditions in Latvia. The collection includes more than 10,000 items – from the pre-war products of the M. S. Kuznetsov Factory (founded in 1841) and J. K. Jessen Factory (founded in 1886) to the mass production of the Riga Porcelain Factory (1940s–1990s).
The exhibition features unique exhibition pieces and unrealized prototypes, as well as items that were once found in almost every Latvian home. A separate exhibition room displays decorative items that were dedicated to various events significant to Soviet-time ideology.
Contemporary porcelain exhibitions are regularly held in the museum's display windows facing the Convent courtyard, as well as in a separate exhibition space, proving that porcelain is still a living and creative material in Latvia.
The museum features educational videos on porcelain making and decoration (with subtitles in Latvian and English), as well as video interviews with artists.
To find out more about the secrets of porcelain production and the people who have shaped this industry, visitors can sign up for a guided tour. From Tuesday to Saturday (by prior arrangement) visitors can take part in creative workshops – painting porcelain dishes with professional paints, decorating them with decals or trying out casting and molding techniques. The items can be collected after few days, when they have been fired in the kiln and are ready for everyday use or as a special gift. High-quality books on the history of porcelain produced in Riga and its artists are also available for purchase at the museum.
