Dear Wedgwood Enthusiast,
We here at Alexis Antiques and CollegePlates.com are excited to bring you a short issue of our enewsletter. A little Wedgwood news to hopefully break the January doldrums.
You are receiving this newsletter because as a customer or visitor of ours, we believe you requested to be included in our mailings. Please be assured that we never share addresses or other private information with other parties, and if you opt out using the links at the bottom of this email, you will be removed. Our "Want List", however, is separate, and will not be affected by your choice regarding our newsletters. Please email us any time you'd like to add a product to your want list.
HINTS OF THINGS TO COME
Valentines Day is coming soon, you can tell from the stuff in the grocery store since the day after Christmas almost! Check out Alexis Antiques' classic cupids and hearts for gift ideas. From our
Browse Inventory page, just enter the single word
HEART or
CUPID or
LOVE and you'll find some fun ideas for loverly gifts!
The 51st Wedgwood International Seminar returns to southern California at the Long Beach Museum near the end of March. Please see the informational links on our website for more information. If you want to attend, be sure to join the WIS and sign up soon! It'll be here before we know it.
PALM BEACH (FL) JEWELRY & ANTIQUES SHOW FEBRUARY 17-21
This always delightful show sports at least one interesting piece of Jasperware, an oval plaque of Urania framed in what appears to be a black and brown wood neo-classical frame.
www.palmbeachshow.com Holly Johnson, dealer
SKINNER, INC., Boston, MA
January Discovery auction will contain some good Wedgwood - check
www.skinnerinc.com for more information. There aren't many lots of Wedgwood, but enough to make taking a look worthwhile.
Already here, well in London, at Dulwich Gallery is a fantastic
Beatrix Potter exhibition which still runs for another month. She's a favorite female of ours, as are her wares for Wedgwood - check out this early Peter Rabbit Nursery Ware (1950s) piece in our inventory by
clicking here. If you are a Beatrix Potter collector, let us know and we'll give you information on the upcoming book which will tell all there is to know about Peter Rabbit merchandise, written by a good friend of ours. We'll have it listed on our website in March when it is published, but we can put you through to the publisher for a copy now!
The
NEW & FEATURED ITEMS section of our website is the place to read all about our newest acquisitions and more descriptive information on many items. Check it out! We've just added some great books! And don't forget to check out our great selection of
LINKS to many websites of interest to Wedgwood collectors of all types! Read our Featured Items frames closely, we have a couple January and February SPECIALS on right now too.
WEDGWOOD in the NEWS
"Martha Stewart Living" January issue should still be on the stands when you read this. Grab a copy or check it out at your grocer, page 94 has a spectacular full page photo of a creamware epergne, probably Wedgwood from Martha's collection, but not necessarily. There was recently a piece on eBay which was PART of an epergne. The seller didn't have a clue, but this photo illustrates what one looks like in all its glory! This issue has some great recipes too, but that's another story…
Also check out "House & Garden" January issue if you love the neo-classical look. There is a gorgeous entry hall with faux stone paint, limestone acorn finials, a wrought iron garden bench and looking through to the next room one sees a white on black jasper vase with grid. The scene is a gorgeous mix of antique and contemporary, neoclassic and refreshing outdoor looks all together! The perfect place for a Wedgwood collector to live (article begins on page 67)!
Staying with the current month's magazines, try "Art & Antiques" for an informative article entitled "National Pride, Masterpieces of Americana on the Market". You'll see a piece of George Washington's Order of the Cincinnati china set, on view at Winterthur in the flesh, some lovely furniture, and a nice photo of the famous Wiliam Greatbatch creamware cauliflower teapot from the mid 1600s.
QUEEN CHARLOTTE's full length portrait will be in Palm Beach at the Art & Antique Fair February 3 - 12. For details check
www.palmbeachfair.com. You know Queen Charlotte, the world's first supershopper, elevating shopping from a chore to an art, much as Josiah elevated pottery from an industry to an art!
For those of you who have purchased Wedgwood from
M S RAU in New Orleans over the years and may be wondering about their fate, you will find that they are back in biz on Royal Street but they are also occupying space at Cheriff Galleries in Greenwich Village, New York.
And from our good friend Frances Fines in New York comes a wonderful Wedgwood sighting -- remember last time we were talking about new versions of old patterns finding their way to new Wedgwood dinnerware? Frances spotted in "Time Style & Design" winter 2005 issue a great Jasper Conran Chinoiserie White Wedgwood Mug, $30 from
www.wedgwood.com – a great rendition of an antique look! Thanks Frances for sharing this with us! You could
go here to see a great "Botanical" pattern platter that is the sort of pattern the folks at Wedgwood are now reproducing.
A LIST OF MAGAZINES TO LOOK FOR The Antiques Journal, July, 1952 - Cover Article on Josiah Wedgwood-Master Potter with a great drabware teapot photo on the cover just like
ours.
The Antiques Journal, February 1969 - Great article on Kate Greenaway
The Antiques Journal, September, 1968 - Informative article on Thomas Whieldon
The Antiques Journal, June 1970 - Staffordshire's FIGURE ART including Wedgwood examples
WEDGWOOD SERENDIPITY - Wherein we share with you fun happenings that occur when we are not even thinking about Wedgwood
We stumbled upon a great series of booklets, really bi-monthly magazines, from the 1910s and 20s, called "The Mentor" which were published by The Mentor Association, Inc. in New York. The purpose of the booklets was to give the reader a "quickie" course in one subject or as they say, "Learn One Thing at a Time". The Association provided other services such as Supplementary Reading Courses, Reading Club Programs and book supplies for people who "are not in a location convenient to sources of book supply." Another of their credos is "Make the Spare Moment Count". Each of these intellectual issues has drawings and text on many aspects of a narrow subject, and enclosed are free floating inserts of gravure prints, certainly suitable for framing, but I think most of us would just use them for study. The covers are a wealth of art nouveau design style, many are blue & yellow in color, very eye catching and interesting. Of course once we discovered these, we decided to see what subjects were covered. Here is a representative selection with the great saved for last!
The Story of West Point and The Story of the Naval Academy (we have two copies available;
here and
here).
Historic Spots of America - Jamestown, Plymouth Rock, Ticonderoga, Independence Hall, The Alamo, Gettysburg;
Eagle Condor; Angels in Art; King Tut’s Throne; Life & Art of the Georgians
The Elephant; The Clown in History; Romance and Drama; Art of John Singer Sargent
As you can see, articles of interest in Art, Literature, Music, Science, History, Nature and Travel AND of course Wedgwood. The July 1, 1915 issue is entitled "China & Pottery of our Forefathers" by Esther Singleton, Author and Collector. The inserts include a photo of a light blue and white antique jasper coffee set. The text includes information on various manufacturers, Benjamin Franklin's love of china, china in Dutch New York, Whieldon Ware and Crown Derby items, Delft potters, and other china-related topics. There are also mentions of historic Staffordshire and a bit about the venerated Willow pattern. One really could read this through in a few spare moments and receive a good overall view of pottery. What a find! A lovely library could be assembled on many interesting topics collecting several of these volumes. We have three in inventory right now, but are expecting more soon. We have a volume on
Walter Scott, author of course of IVANHOE, the subject of a favorite Wedgwood dinnerware service, and the aforementioned volume on the Naval Academy and West Point, also of interest to our college china patrons. We also have a volume on
The Golden Age of Greece, of interest to Wedgwood collectors.
That's it for today. We do hope you will let us continue to drop into your email inbox and stay! We welcome your visits to our websites for purchase or information (we're always adding new informational links) or even just a fun browse through the wonderful production of our favorite potter! Mention having read our enewsletter and we'll take half off your shipping via USMAIL on any order.
Thank you for reading and visiting us!
Leslie, Matt, Kathlyn, John and all of us at Alexis Antiques and CollegePlates.com.
http://www.alexisantiques.com/http://www.collegeplates.com/wedgwood@alexisantiques.com 