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Pavilion Spotlight: Pagodas

This pair of magnificent porcelain pagodas was made in Jingdezhen [Jiangxi province, China] (Qing 大清 dynasty) in ca. 1800. They are very similar to the six pagodas acquired and embellished for George IV and placed in the Music Room of the Royal Pavilion in c.1818.

Pagodas like these are rare. They were made specifically for export and are extremely fragile. Only about eighteen porcelain pagodas of this type are known in the UK, and eight of these are the ones in the Royal Collection.

Ours were purchased by the Royal Pavilion Committee (with the help of the National Art Collections Fund) in 1950 from art historian, curator and broadcaster Sir Kenneth Clark (1903-1983). It is not known where or when Clark acquired them, but they were in his possession since at least 1935, and he lent them to the International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy in London (1935 to 1936). After the purchase in 1950 the pagodas were on display in the Royal Pavilion for several decades and in several rooms, including the Music Room Gallery, in the 1950s and 1960s.

Each pagoda stands approx. 260cm tall, has 10 hexagonal sections, 8 roof sections and a finial. Porcelain painted in underglaze blue, famille rose enamels and gilt, with porcelain ornaments of gold lustre. The lustre ornaments on each pagoda are comprised of 56 lions and 48 bells hanging from 48 fish.

Between December 2021 and September 2024, the pagodas underwent a significant restoration project to repair and replace the many missing sections to its main tiers and its missing applied ornaments.

The project provided an incredible opportunity for a group of supervised emerging conservators to test and develop their skills on a significant and complex project.

The result of this project is not only the successful public display of these monumental objects, but also the endowment of critical practical conservation skills to a group of talented conservators.

Read through the restoration story as the project evolved in the following set of project blogs:

Introducing the Pagodas Project

Conservation Continues… Part Two of the Pagodas Project

Pagodas Project Part Three, The Reconstruction

Pagodas Project Part Four, Inpainting

Pagodas Project Part Five, Gilding and Toning