Georgia Magazine - June 2021 - 35

SHANNAH MONTGOMERY

Many of the porcelain pieces are so detailed that one can
compare the coloration of male and female birds of the
same species and identify plants found in the birds' habitat.

opened to the public this year, features porcelain,
furniture, books, botanical prints and other pieces
from the private collection of Georgia businesswoman and philanthropist Deen Day Sanders.
The collection reflects her interest in art as well
as her love of nature, history and Georgia. Sanders
has shared her art through group tours and pieces
loaned to museums for decades. Now, with this
museum, her collections reach a larger audience.

chocolate pots and services decorated with botanical and cultural
illustrations. This gallery also illustrates the history of these beverages
through the plants they're sourced from in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Visitors can wander into the garden's conservatory to see cacao and coffee
trees, then visit the tea camellias in the International Garden to complete
the experience.
A display of John Abbot prints in the Georgia room features scientific
illustrations of butterflies and insects shown with their characteristic food
plants. Abbot, an American naturalist and artist, traveled to Georgia in 1775
and lived here for 60 years, producing more than 4,000 scientific illustraArt imitates nature
tions. The book " The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of
The 7,000-square-foot museum comprises eight Georgia... Collected from the Observations of Mr. John Abbot " was printed
galleries that blend conservation, botanicals and art.
in England in 1797 and is still treasured by those fascinated by the flora and
The open gallery of porcelain features coffee, tea and fauna of the New World.
Also in the Georgia room is an assortment of porcelain and art pieces depicting the Cherokee rose and brown
thrasher, Georgia's state flower and state bird. A collection of
irises in porcelain and bone china in the main gallery illustrates how different artists interpret the same subject.
A display of Flora Danica porcelain is mounted on a
wall in the main gallery. Each piece is decorated with an
illustration of a single plant from the Flora Danica botanical
encyclopedia, a series of folio-sized books first published
in the 18th century that features illustrations of Danish
wildflowers and plants. The botanical name of the plant
illustrated is painted on the bottom of each piece.
" The Flora Danica was an encyclopedic effort to
catalog all the plants that occurred in Denmark during the
period between 1761 and 1883. The effort was spearheaded
by Danish botanist C.G. Oeder at the Botanical Garden of
Copenhagen, " Cruse-Sanders says. " Flora Danica porcelain
is still produced by the Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory
in Denmark, and a beautiful collection is on display in our
Georgia's state bird, the brown thrasher, and state flower, the Cherokee
rose, are the focus of a display of porcelain and bone china pieces.
museum. "
SHANNAH MONTGOMERY

SHANNAH MONTGOMERY
CONNIE COTTINGHAM

Every dish in this dinner set features a botanical illustration from the Flora Danica
encyclopedia. The name of the plant illustrated is printed on the bottom of each
piece of porcelain.

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Georgia Magazine - June 2021

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