Washington’s Presidential China Examined Up Close at Winterthur

WILMINGTON, Del. — September, 2025 —

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library will host a rare small-group examination of George Washington’s presidential china service on Sunday, September 13, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The event, titled Curators’ Salon: George Washington’s Presidential China, offers registered guests a firsthand look at one of American history’s most significant surviving ceramic services. Space is strictly limited and advance registration is required.

The 302-piece service, known as the Society of the Cincinnati set, was commissioned in the 1780s and used by Washington during his presidency at the official residences in New York and Philadelphia, as well as during his retirement years at Mount Vernon. Winterthur holds the largest number of surviving pieces from this historic service in any single collection, with founder Henry Francis du Pont having acquired 74 pieces, which are on permanent display at the museum.

Luke Pecoraro, Winterthur’s newly appointed curator of ceramics and glass, will lead the program and share new research into the set, including ongoing investigation into the mystery of its missing pieces. Attendees will have the opportunity to closely examine actual pieces of the service and engage directly with Pecoraro on the collection’s history and significance.

The Curators’ Salon format provides collectors and enthusiasts an unusually intimate access to objects that rarely receive this level of scholarly attention in a public setting. Those interested in attending should register in advance through the Winterthur website, as reservations are required and availability is extremely limited.