Wedgwood Obsession

image by Lele Fain Photography

I have a true love for Wedgwood Jasperware and am slowly building a great collection. I started with a collection of small plates I found at Scott Antique Market a number of years ago and slowly have added pieces to the collection over the years.  My favorite pieces may be my vases, and I love to add beautiful colorful roses, tulips, and other flowers to them.  I have a pair of them on my bedside table and I keep flowers in them as often as I can. There is something about Wedgwood blue that just makes me so happy ... it seems like the true perfect pale blue. 💙

Wedgwood can be traced back to England in the 1700s, Josiah Wedgwood founded the company in 1759 in after an apprenticeship as a potter. His pottery was made using a potter's wheel and his goal was to create something previously only available to the elite.  He sought to create quality pieces that were affordable to all. Since he created each piece on his potters wheel he focused on each piece and its intricate detail.  Made unglazed vitreous stoneware it comes in a number of different colors, the most famous being blue.

"Wedgwood partnered with Thomas Bentley, a well-traveled merchant from Liverpool, England in an affable way as the two were not only business partners but also great friends. In 1768 the duo opened a showroom in London that catered to the wealthy. Among his clients was Queen Charlotte, whom Wedgwood’s famous “Queens Ware” was named." (via) After delivering a cream-coloured tea and coffee service to the wife of King George III he was known as the "Potter to Her Majesty".  This cream coloured pottery (creamware) was named Queen's Ware.

In 1968 Josiah introduced a black porcelain into production.  This fine black porcelain, known as also created Black Basalt, allowed him to reproduce pieces that were copies of the newly excavated Etruscan pottery from Italy. The first time I ever spotted Black Basalt was an image of Eddie Ross' previous home in Celerie Kemble's book Black & White.  I remember asking him immediately about it and doing much research after to learn more.

The contrast of the white images on the jet black makes my heart skip a beat! I love the pairing of all the pieces together, it is such a classic and clean look, yet at the same time so very elegant. The gold trimmed creamware pedestal bowl in the center of the second image is by far my favorite piece in the photo.

His invention of a new stoneware changed ceramics completely. The new pottery, called Jasper, was made of fine grained texture and was left with a unglazed "biscuit" finish.  Available in a variety of colors, the blue (known as Wedgwood blue) is by far the most popular.  For me the blue is the one I love the most, but I would love to add a few pink pieces to my collection to mix in with the blue ones.  I think the pink is the most precious shade and would be an ideal gift for a mother having a baby girl.  I love the idea of sending a trinket box or a vase for flowers for her room or bathroom.  I will be bookmarking that idea for a friend, or two, of mine.

I gathered up a collection of stunning Jasperware for you, each piece being more beautiful than the last.  I even found a few pieces of creamware that I thought were so very affordable, since this porcelain seems to be pricier when I find it at antique sales.  Snag it quickly, it will go fast ... it is such a beautiful item to add to any collection.

Have the best day ... and happy "virtual" shopping!