Wedgwood Bits & Pieces eNewsletter, 1999

We're hard at work trying to get more inventory and photos added to our website. Should have more added next week and I will advise! Additions of some drabware, black jasper, couple of fantastic blue jasper vases, some old embossed Queen's Ware that is very pretty, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I have another stack of magazines that have a few bits & pieces of interest. Nothing like last summer's great Wedgwood reading in many of the major home/decorating magazines, but a couple interesting things (I try not to duplicate, so forgive me if I have listed these things before!):

Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, CT reopened recently after being closed for repairs. On view now is Self-Portrait; not seen since 1934, this is the self-portrait of Joseph Wright of Derby, one of Paul Mellon's favorite artists. Another favorite was George Stubbs and a show with many of his paintings and drawings will be on view until 9/5/99. Many of you will already know Stubbs was a contemporary of Josiah Wedgwood FRS and painted the Wedgwood family as well as modelling horse reliefs for Jasperware which many of you probably have in your collections. This exhibit would be worth the trip even without the Wedgwood connection! This review was found in the June issue of The Magazine Antiques, where you will also find a well-illustrated article on Dated English delftware and slipware in the Longridge Collection, again, an article well worth the price of the magazine.

June/July 99 issue of Elle Decor just out, has a short but informative article on page 80 about black basalt - that one may not be worth the price of the magazine (it's a short article) unless you want the magazine anyway!

May, 1999 issue of Antiques Journal carried a large article on Wedgwood, a bit of history, information about the factory and Visitor's Centre. You'll like the second page, at top where the title is listed as continued from the previous page, Wedgwood is mispelled in dark black letters! A good article with background for newer collectors or antiquers who just dabble; well illustrated.

House & Garden, July, 1999 issue just received this week -an article on things that we love to touch are equally sensuous when worn, Limoges porcelain, Lalique glass and Jasperware. Shows a current suite of jewelry now available. (p. 38) Also an article about the redecoration of the home to be occupied by Prince Edward and his almost-bride Sophie and a reference to Chippendale and Wedgwood which is interesting. The house article is well worth the price of the magazine if you are interested in wonderful old home redecorations, Royal or NOT!.

If you're into magazines, as am I, and save them, try finding the June, 1991 issue of The Magazine Antiques, another England issue with an article about Painshill Park, a British landscape garden par excellence in Surrey, and the subject of one of the Frog Service platters, which is illustrated in the article. A lavishly illustrated article with interesting insight into the development of the Park. (We have 3 different items in stock from the 1990s Wedgwood Frog Service reproduction series - search Queen's Ware on our website and use FROG as the keyword!) Also on page 1070 of this issue is the announcement of the accession by the Birmingham Museum of Art of Britannia Triumphant, one of the most imposing figures produced by the firm - illustrated one page article. Definitely a back issue well worth the trouble to acquire.

Another older Magazine Antiques, October, 1986, might be worth the trouble also. First for a gorgeously illustrated article on Canton famille-rose porcelain, but my interest was mainly in the article "Americans and the Aesthetic Movement". As a fan of the many wonderful Wedgwood Queen's Ware patterns of this era, the background information in this well-illustrated article is informative and interesting. Page 642 contains Leo kaplan's half page ad, that month illustrating 14 pieces of "mid-18th century English salt-glazed pottery", some of which I bet is Wedgwood! Also of interest is the ad right below Leo's, that of J. Mavec & Co. Miss Mavec is a young and coming jeweler of much notariety. A pair of candlesticks illustrated in her ad is after designs by J. Flaxman, noted modeller for Wedgwood. If you ever have the opportunity to see his sterling version of the Wine and Water ewers at the Huntington Library in California, I highly recommend it! If you think the jasper versions are wonderful, the silver will probably amaze you - they brought tears to my eyes they are so incredibly beautifully executed. This pair of candlesticks in the ad I mention can easily be envisioned executed in jasper!

If you are headed to Honolulu for a summertime getaway, head for the Waterford Wedgwood store, but do it soon - they are closing on 7/24/99 - maybe some bargains to be had???? Speaking of Waterford Wedgwood, one of the stores has the current version of the Hercules in the Garden of the Hesperides vase on sale for $5,000, regular price $7,000; also a bough pot and the rum kettle from 1998. Contact me for the phone number if you're interested.

Those of you who collect "Flying Cloud" by Wedgwood might think of it as a more casual pattern, as do I. Check out Architectural Digest, March, 1998 for a glorious double page photo of the dining room in Stonewillow, a Connecticut Colonial home. Crystal chandelier, colonial portrait of a fellow looking not unlike George Washington, sideboard from Christie's and chairs from Sotheby's - the Flying Cloud adds a stunning look! I recently sold a set of Wedgwood Queen's Ware in THE ETRURIA pattern from the 1920s, blue & yellow colors, to be used in a kitchen with the wall paper on page 181 of this same issue. A wonderful mixture of vintage Queen's Ware with an upscale oriental pottery look! There is also a gorgeous article on England's Getty Center at Wormsley in this issue, another back issue well worth the price and trouble to find!

Perhaps this is a duplicate of earlier information, but for you who are new to my little "newsletter" this one might be of interest. An excellent article on "Imported Ceramics in the Colonies" in the May, 1998 issue of Colonial Homes, a magazine frequently showcasing historic homes using Wedgwood as dinnerware and decoration. The April, 1998 issue of The Magazine Antiques has on page 533 another great half page ad for Leo Kaplan entitled "The Many Faces of Wedgwood"...some spectacular 18th and early 19th century examples of Wedgwood wares including a Capri ware Portland Vase and Rosso Antico Egyptian motif Dutch Jug worth looking at!

Blue Willow fans will find a photo of interest in the June/July 1999 issue of Colonial Homes - again a bit more formal than one might normally think of using. Another great issue of this magazine. Johnson Brothers, a Wedgwood Company, currently sells a nice version of Blue Willow, and the pieces of Wedgwood Willow from the 1950s and 60s and also the 1910s and 20s go very well with the Johnson Brothers version!

May, 1999 issue of The Magazine Antiques has another great Kaplan ad on page 709 - a feast for the eyes of Fairyland Lustre - an inexpensive way to get a good view of what it looks like! I meant to get this information out earlier and I just did not get it done...the New Orleans Museum of Art had an exhibit until May 30th entitled "The Enduring Appeal of Wedgwood: The Irving Gerson Bequest." If anyone was lucky enough to see it, I'd love to know your thoughts on the exhibit! Perhaps they have some of the pieces on permanent display now that this exhibit is over.Look at the top of page 718 for a spectacular black Jasper plaque in the exhibit.

Perhaps not worth buying the back issue, but if you have it the November, 1998 Magazine Antiques has two ads of note, page 655 Kaplan's ad showing Whieldon Ware of the third quarter of the 18th century and an ad on page 665 for an antiques shop in CT showing a few good pieces of black basalt.

One of my personal all time favorite back issues of anything is the March-April, 1997 issue of Southern Accents, the cover sporting a gorgeous display of blue and white plates against a pale yellow wall. Inside is a feast of green glaze plates, on page 62 a breakfront full of them, some if not all by Wedgwood (we have a sunflower green glaze compote in stock) and on page 174 an article about a gifted gardner and her home, complete with green glaze leaf shape dessert plates by Wedgwood adorning her beautiful dining room table and on page 181 a display shelf with old Staffordshire including some nice Majolica. (I have several versions of this leaf plate in stock currently, dark green, dysart glaze white, moonstone, white with green lining along the veins an dthe ark green glaze.)

AH HA, as I peruse my stack of things I've been wanting to sort through, a bookmark at page 421 of the October, 1998 issue of The Magazine Antiques is placed at a Phillips Auctioneers full page ad - a color photo of the silver wine ewer by Flaxman mentioned above. If you've never seen it in silver here's a great photo - another great issue of this publication with articles on Grinling Gibbons, Mary Cassatt and other wonderful visual treats! Another article on painting on Chinese export china not to be missed!

The Magazine Antiques has a website but it is currently not available, undergoing reconstruction, but it is www.themagazineantiques.com. I was trying to get the information for purchasing back issues. Perhaps calling 212 941 2800 or faxing 212 941 2897 will bring information on the back issues. I often find them at estate sales and in antiques shops.

For a practical tip, check out the 3/9/99 issue of Family Circle page 78, an article on salvaging a treasured chest - painted jasper blue with white trim and topped with Portland blue jasper vases and some Nantucket Basket pieces- a cute way to decorate a guest room! Speaking of decorating, December, 1998 issue of House & Garden shows a room decorataed in the 18th century style of cutting out prints and gluing on the walls. The prints used, in part, are the Rathbone prints of Wedgwood medallions. Let me know if you're interested in this and I'll send you a copy of the page and information on the Rathbone prints...could be a fun way to decorate with good prints of old pieces of Wedgwood Jasper!

11 February 1999, a Rudyard pattern "Bon Jour" candlestick from the Daniel Brodie Hogg collection of Clarice Cliff wares sold at Christie's South Kensington - presale estimate was 2500 to 3,000 pounds (x l.67 exchange rate to US $$$!) CSK has an auction of Majolica coming up on 2 November and Staffordshire on 15 July and 21 October. One can subscribe to CSK magazine, sale catalogues, etc. by contacting Victoria Wolcough, Client Services, Christie's, 85 Old Brompton Rd., London SW7 3LD, UK or fax 44 171 321 3321. A magazine well worth it's price too if you want to buy in England or just to see what's selling at auction. On October 14, 1998 The Harry Sheldon Collection of Wedgwood was sold at Phillips and a black basalt hedghog from his collection, amassed from his boyhood through his career as manager of Wedgwood's Jasper Warehouse; pre sale estimate was 900 - 1,000 pounds.

November, 1998 Colonial Homes has a good article on dishes with foul and game on them, among them, Wedgwood's Liverpool Birds. Another good article for "dish" lovers!

Veranda, Winter 1999 has a spectacularly illustrated article on a beautiful homeful of Majolica! And House Beautiful for February, 1999 has an interesting living room complete with a pale jasper blue fireplace screen decorated with definite Wedgwood relief type cupids and a dark blue bas relief jasper cachepot on the mantel. It's described as "As a Belle Epoque fireplace screen depicts the seasons" - remember the set of 4 Seasons plates done for the WCS years ago? The same cupids here...cute idea!

And last but hopefully not least, Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion issue for June & July, now on newstands. Page 88 has an article on Pasta, served on Edme and Embossed Queen's Ware in the hard-to-find celadon on cream color. On Page 101 is the list of resources for the issue, including the reference to Alexis Antiques for the Wedgwood - 1 877 WEDGWOOD. Give us a call if you're interested in these old embossed Queen's Ware patterns.

And don't forget, Martha Stewart is a Wedgwood collector and fan and she often refers to Wedgwood in her shows and magazine.

That clears out a complete stack of things I've been wanting to sort through for about 7 months. I apologize, I normally do two or three of these at a time in short little notes. Just had to clean up some clutter from my shop - need to make more room for Wedgwood!

I'll send a prize to the first person who sends in the name of the famous American pottery whose name is based on Wedgwood wares!

Hang in there with us, we have 800 or so more pieces of Wedgwood to add to our inventory which you can access on our website. We normally upload new inventory on Saturday afternoon or evening. More photos coming all the time. Thanks for reading and remember that if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, just send a message with "remove" in the subject. I'll try to keep these notes shorter in the future I promise!!!

Best regards and happy Wedgwooding!
Leslie



http://www.alexisantiques.com/
wedgwood@alexisantiques.com