González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts 2.17

The National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts "González Martí", located in Valencia, Spain, is a museum dedicated to ceramics (with special importance to Valencian ceramics), porcelains and other decorative arts such as textile art, traditional costumes and furniture.Housed in the Marquis de Dos Aguas Palace, it was founded on 7 February 1947, from the donation of Manuel González Martí’s ceramics collection. Seven years later, once that restoration works at the palace were finished, the museum opened to the public on 18 June 1954.BuildingThe 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 the architect Ginés Sánchez Hevia.Ground floorMostly dedicated to temporary exhibitions, in this floor is the remarkable "carriage patio" and the main stairs.First floorThe first floor spans the private rooms of the Marquis de Dos Aguas, decorated with stucco, wall and ceiling paintings made by artists such as Plácido Frances y Pascual, José Felipe Parra and José Brel Guiralt in the 19th century. Marble floors are of different colors, with the initials "MD", corresponding at the Marquis de Dos Aguas.