Rienzi opens its doors at sunset. Treat yourself to a short, engaging lecture followed by a group discussion and reception.

Museum goers tend to associate the term "sculpture" with monumental works of heavy, permanent materials such as marble or bronze. Yet 18th-century Europe saw the proliferation of smaller sculptural works in the fashionable (and expensive) material of porcelain. These objects harmonized with interior decoration of the time and are often categorized only under that heading.

Consider a few isolated porcelain sculptures in the Rienzi Collection — a Meissen swan, a Sèvres portrait of Madame du Barry and others — and explore how they fit into a much broader picture of artistic innovation and exchange favored by this novel and royally privileged, medium.

Presented by Candace Clements of the University of Houston