The National Ceramics Museum Sèvres, has been housed since 1876 in the classical palace next to the Sèvres porcelain factory. Today it shows a collection of nearly 50,000 works, uniting ceramics from all cultures, masterpieces from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and contemporary creations, notably the manufacturer’s most recent productions.The museum was founded by Alexandre Brongniart, director of the Manufacture de Sèvres during the first half of the 19th century.

Initially, it served to present the most varied examples of ceramic creation through the ages from around the world, offering inspiration to the manufacturer’s artisans and artists, whilst also satisfying researchers, manufacturers and scientists. Benefiting from collections entrusted to the manufacturer since the late 18th century (including the Greek vases of the Vivant Denon collection), the Sèvres Museum soon moved in a new direction to become a museum of decorative arts, with works now selected according to a historic and aesthetic criteria.