With a thriving arts scene at its core, the Georgia college town of Athens beats to an inviting rhythm. The tantalizing restaurants, stately historic architecture, and world-class collection of finery inspired by flora and fauna at the State Botanical Garden only add to the town’s charisma. Enjoy a closer look at the spectacular Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum below and read our full feature of Athens, Georgia, in the July/August 2024 issue.
At the Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum, wander among the handcrafted flowers on display with delicate teapots, rare china, and other finery amassed by a single woman over the course of 45 years. Tea and gardening enthusiast Deen Day Sanders donated her impressive collection to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia in the hopes of sharing her passion for art inspired by the natural world. In addition to Deen’s tea, coffee, and chocolate pots, the gallery showcases her assortment of porcelain birds and blooms by sculptors Diane Lewis and Dorothy Doughty.
An original complete set of Flora Danica tomes and dozens of Royal Copenhagen’s Flora Danica plates are among the gallery’s crown jewels. As museumgoers reach the second floor of the gallery, a wondrous wall of the plates arranged in a tree motif immediately draws attention.
The Georgia Room, which is only open on select occasions, features rarities such as a Meissen porcelain church that dates to 1748, an ornate wooden screen adorned with framed art, and a tea set bearing a motif of Georgia’s state bird and flower: the brown thrasher and Cherokee rose.
Like the surrounding gardens, gallery admission is free year-round. Docent-led tours are available for a small fee, but visitors can explore the two-story, handicap-accessible gallery at their own leisurely pace.
Photography by Jim Bathie
Read our full feature of Athens, Georgia, in our July/August 2024 issue and find more web-exclusive content here.
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