![Finger ring with the image of King George III.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/wedgwood-titel-300x225.jpg)
When industry meets arts and crafts…
It's amazing what a finger ring can tell you. For example, the life story of Josiah Wedgwood, who elevated pottery to an art form in the 18th century and did not shy away from industrialisation.
![Finger ring given by Josiah Wedgwood, founder of the porcelain manufactory named after him, to his collaborator and friend, the sculptor J. Flaxman, 1786.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/Ring-Innen-300x180.jpg)
![Portrait of Josiah Wedgwood, 1806.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/wedgwood-240x300.jpg)
![Apotheosis of Homer vase from the Josiah Wedgwood manufactory, designed by John Flaxman, c. 1785.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/vase-203x300.jpg)
![Portrait of John Flaxman, painted by Henry Howard.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/flaxman-245x300.jpg)
![Portrait of Matthew Boulton, 1801.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/boulton-235x300.jpg)
![The shiny side of the cooperation between Boulton and Wedgwood: Noble button made of "Cut-Steel", around 1800.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/schmuck-boulton-300x300.jpg)
![Cameo with a clear message: the abolition of slavery. Made around 1787.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/sklave-261x300.jpg)
The collection
The exhibition showcases more than 7,000 exhibits from the Museum’s own collection, highlighting Swiss artistry and craftsmanship over a period of about 1,000 years. The exhibition spaces themselves are important witnesses to contemporary history, and tie in with the objects displayed to create a historically dense atmosphere that allows visitors to immerse themselves deeply in the past.