Accident involving Chinese porcelain vases

An accident in the Museum on Wednesday 25 January involving a member of the public resulted in damage to three East Asian porcelain vases which had been on display for many decades. The three vases - from a set of five which entered the collections in 1948 - are Chinese, Qing Dynasty, reign of Kangxi (1662-1722) and date from the late 17th or early 18th century. Painted in enamels and decorated with peonies and other flowering plants, phoenixes, pheasants, butterflies and insects, they are currently being evaluated for conservation.

7 February 2006