National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts González Martí

The National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts González Martí (Spanish: Museo Nacional de Cerámica y de las Artes Suntuarias González Martí), is a museum in Valencia, Spain, devoted to ceramics –with special importance to Valencian ceramics–, porcelains and other decorative arts such as textile art, traditional costumes, and furniture. It is one of the National Museums of Spain and it is attached to the Ministry of Culture. Housed in the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, it was founded on 7 February 1947, from the donation of Manuel González Martí's ceramics collection. Seven years later, once the restoration of the palace was completed, the museum opened to the. Building The palace, originally a Gothic building, was fully reshaped to Baroque in the mid-18th century, when Hipolito Rovira designed its façade, made by the Valencian sculptor Ignacio Vergara . Nowadays, as the result of several later remodelings, it combines mainly Rococo , Neoclassical and Oriental style. Declared a historical-artistic monument in 1941, the building was bought by state in 1949 to locate Gonzalez Martí ceramics collection. Since then, there have been numerous interventions, including infrastructure improvements and renovation of the museum spaces. The last restoration took place between 1990 and 1998, carried out by. Collections In 1969 the museum increased its collection with numerous pieces of furniture, clothing, paintings, etc., with special interest in Valencian tradition and local artists. Clothing The museum received many valuable donations of ancient costumes since its foundation. In the past, the pieces were presented on wood mannequins with accessories as umbrellas, hats, blankets or fans. As light and the dust accumulated on the costumes caused considerable deterioration over time, it was agreed to withdraw the permanent collection, publishing catalogues and planning temporary exhibitions to show some pieces to the public. Included in the fabrics.