Exhibition exploring the genius behind English ceramics
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to present Wedgwood: Artistry and Innovation from June 7, 2008 to July 5, 2009 in the ROM’s Samuel European Galleries. Exploring the genius of Josiah Wedgwood I (1730-1795) through 160 pieces, the exhibition is drawn almost exclusively from the Museum’s outstanding ceramics collection, the finest in Canada, and highlights Wedgwood’s diverse, high quality products and business practices. Epitomizing the Industrial Revolution and modernizing the English ceramics industry into the 21st century, Wedgwood set the standard for a firm that remains one of the most important manufacturers of ceramics in the world.
“Not unlike today’s industrial capitalists, Josiah Wedgwood devoted his energies to innovations in a long-established trade,” says Dr. Peter Kaellgren, European Curator in the ROM’s Department of World Cultures. “The exhibit features many Wedgwood products and designs created in the time of Josiah I as well as innovative contemporary creations, which together continue to influence ceramics today.”
Along with business partner Thomas Bentley (1730-1780), Wedgwood was clever not only in discerning trends but also in marketing his products. He promoted his ceramics through English Ambassadors at European courts and, from 1774, through French and English language catalogues. Sales were further increased through new designs and steady consumer interest maintained by altering products while continuously improving manufacturing methods.
“Wedgwood successfully experimented to improve products and develop new lines of English ceramics, often drawing on the popular taste for antiquity, neoclassicism and vases,” continues Dr.
Kaellgren. “Employing the services of talented contemporary artists and designers, including a number of women, Josiah I created pieces that were both commercially and artistically successful. The Wedgwood factory has continued this tradition for 250 years, as visitors will see from examples in the exhibit.”
Born in 1730, Josiah Wedgwood I, the fourth generation of a family of potters, spent his youth learning the ceramics trade in Staffordshire. He dedicated his inventive energy todeveloping high quality, fashionable products while striving toimprove the manufacturing approach through the use of skilled workers and the latest technology. Opening his first factory, Ivy Works in 1759, he gradually developed his own distinct wares. His marriage to cousin Sarah Wedgwood in 1764 provided funds for Josiah to erect the Etruria Works, a model factory, which by 1769 was the most up-to-date pottery in the world, complete with workers’ houses, a church and a school. Josiah invented three new ceramic bodies: Queen’s Ware (1762), black basalt (1768) and Jasper (1774) – each the result of thousands of experiments.
Five generations of the Wedgwood family continued to guide the factory after the death of Josiah I. A new facility in the village of Barlaston was completed between 1940 and 1949, and Etruria closed in 1950. With its electric tunnel kilns, design studio and workers’ village, the Barlaston Factory was the most advanced pottery in Britain. In 1967, Wedgwood was registered as a public company and its shares quoted on the London Stock Exchange. Subsequently, the Wedgwood Group acquired a number of other British potteries with Waterford Glass purchasing the company in 1987 to form Waterford Wedgwood plc. Waterford Wedgwood has continued many of its original operations but has diversified with major acquisitions including German porcelain factories and the English ceramic manufacturing group Royal Doulton including Royal Albert and Minton.
About the exhibition:
When Queen Charlotte wrote to compliment him on a cream coloured earthenware tea set supplied in 1765, Wedgwood sought and was successfully granted the privilege of calling it Queen’s ware. A dinner plate from the Queen’s ware Husk dinner service ordered by Empress Catherine II of Russia in 1770 is displayed in the exhibit. Visitors to the exhibit will also learn that in 1774, the Empress ordered an exceptional service painted with individual English views and the green frog emblem of her country estate La Grenouillère. The ROM is displaying its rare plate from a similar service painted in full-colour enamels that was likely ordered by an English client inspired by the famous Frog Service.
Wedgwood reproductions of the famous Portland Vase are well-known and explored in the display. The original, an ancient vase of dark blue glass with an outer layer of white cut in cameo and made during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus (27 BC – AD 14), was acquired by the Dowager Duchess of Portland in 1783. With permission to copy the vase, Josiah produced exclusive high quality and limited edition replicas, greatly enhancing his reputation in the process. Wedgwood continued making this model into the 20th century.
To create “black basaltes”, Wedgwood added “car”, a residue from the beds of streams flowing out of Staffordshire coal mines, to intensify the clay’s colour. The basalt body was used to produce everything from small medallions and seals to tea and coffee services, which flattered the white hands of well-bred hostesses, to vases of all sizes in imitation of ancient Greek pottery. Wedgwood still makes basalt today but has never created anything more monumental than the black basalt relief from 1927 showcased in the ROM exhibit. Comprised of 43 pieces and weighing 800 lbs (363 kg), it is indisputably the largest piece of black basalt in the world.
Wedgwood products from the Regency period (1811-1820) to the present are also represented. Of particular interest are models inspired by shells, as are the diverse variety of dinnerware patterns from the 1870s to 1910, and Art Deco models designed by Keith Murray and other Wedgwood artists. Two films run in sequence in the exhibition, one describing the history of the company and a second showing production methods at Barlaston.
Other information:
Wedgwood: Artistry and Innovation offers a unique connection to the ROM’s feature exhibition Darwin: The Evolution Revolution, currently on display in the ROM’s Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall. Josiah Wedgwood’s eldest child, Susannah Wedgwood married Dr. Robert Darwin. They were the parents of Charles Darwin. The two grandfathers – Josiah I and Dr. Erasmus Darwin - were also close friends and progressive thinkers with scientific and social interests. A version of Wedgwood’s Portland Vase appears in Darwin, on display until August 4, 2008.
Inspired by Wedgwood: Artistry and Innovation, c5 Restaurant Lounge, the Museum's fine dining destination located atop the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, is offering an elegant and modern take on the traditional tea service. Afternoon Tea takes place Thursday through Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00 pm and features a creative three-course menu served on contemporary Wedgwood fine china. Visit www.c5restaurant.ca or call 416.586.7928 for more information.
Visitors to Wedgwood can enjoy a variety of companion programming. As part of the ROMLife Lunch & Learn Series, exhibition curator Dr. Peter Kaellgren presents Wedgwood: Art and Innovation on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 and Sunday, November 2, 2008 from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the history of Wedgwood ceramics, followed by a catered lunch. Cost is $85 for the public (online $80) and $75 for ROM members (online $70). A ROMLife course, Exploring British Ceramics, will take place on Wednesdays, from October 22, 2008 to November 26, 2008 from 2 pm to 4 pm. Brian Musselwhite, Assistant Curator of the European Collections at the ROM, will explore ceramic decorative techniques including slipware, hand painting, transfer painting and lithographic decals. This hands-on workshop is offered with a guided tour of the current exhibit. Cost for this six-week course is $180 for the public (online $175) and $160 for ROM members (online $155).
Those wishing to expand their knowledge of this modern tableware manufacturer can do so through Contemporary Table Settings, a ROMLife program, on Wednesdays, February 11, 2009 to March 4, 2009 from 2 pm to 4 pm. Martha McKee, décor expert at Waterford Wedgwood Canada will outline the difference between earthenware, bone china and stone ware with visits to William Ashley China and the Wedgwood Showroom. Cost for this four-week course is $120 for the public (online $115) and $110 for ROM members (online $105).
On Wednesday, May 6, 2009 from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm, Piers Anthony Weymouth Wedgwood, fourth Lord Wedgwood of Barlaston (and seventh generation direct descendant of Josiah Wedgwood I) will host high tea in the ROM’s c5 restaurant. Limited to 25 participants, his lordship will highlight some of the milestones of Wedgwood history – past, present and future. Cost of this ROMLife program is $75 for the public (online $70) and $65 for ROM members (online $60).
Next year marks the 250th anniversary of Wedgwood and the ROM celebrates this occasion on Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 7pm to 10pm. Hosted by Lord Wedgwood, the evening will prove elegant, with lectures, displays, music and a remarkable banquet.
For more information to register, please visit www.rom.on.ca, or call ROM Programs at 416.586.5797.