The Room of Shards
For generations the earls Piatti collected porcelain produced by prestigious manufacturers from all over the world
Even though the owners hid the valuable pieces in the basement towards the end of the Second World War, the majority of the collection was destroyed during the riots of the occupation period. The castle was the base of the Russian occupation troops that shattered the porcelain in search of valuable items. The shards that were found in the buildings and in the park have been arranged according to manufactories. The collection of shards, the fragments of furniture and the signs in Cyrillic that are all exhibited in the former state room, which has been unaltered since 1945, reveal the senseless violence of wars.
Thanks to the initiative of Ms Machiko Soshin Hoshina, a Japanese research team – Professor Masaaki Arakawa MR (History of porcelains, Gakushuin University, former Sotheby’s Senior Fellow) and Professor Kaori Hidaka MR (History of Lacquer crafts, National Museum of Japanese History) – found their way to Loosdorf in March 2018.
In a first investigation of the room of shards they found that the collection started with Japanese (old
mari) and Chinese porcelain from between 1670 and 1750. In the course of the world exhibition more Japanese items were added between 1870 and 1880. The European exhibits originate from the period between 1750 and 1870.
The pieces from Asian manufactories were mainly produced for the European market. Especially beautiful and valuable objects were used ornamentally: they decorated houses and castles. Additionally, a number of ‘normal’ utensils like bowls, pots and more are part of the collection. The skilful hands and the expertise of the two professors made it possible to reconnect some of the shards. In November 2020 an Exhibition about the shards and their history will be held in Okura Museum, Tokio. Learn more: