Pair of soft Blue and White, Jasper Ware Wedgwood circular small dishes with the English Crest, city of London, 4 1/4 " diameter, in good condition. Historically speaking Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), his grandfather and great-grandfather had been potters, and in his early 20's Joseph formed a partnership with the preeminent English potter of the day, Thomas Whieldon. Josiah Wedgwood had practiced with glazing, bodies, shapes, and colours, and in 1759 his dreams came true when two relatives leased him the Ivy House in Burslem to allow him to start his own pottery business. He had marred well and in1766 he bought Etruria, in Staffordshire, as a base for his factory. In 1782 he perfected a tool for measuring heat in kilns. On the basis of his work Wedgwood was elected to the Royal Society in 1783. He had developed durable china called the Queen's Ware, a cream-coloured, lead-glazed earthenware, "Potter to Her Majesty". Queen's Ware became an enormous success spread the name of Wedgwood across all of Europe. In 1768 Wedgwood developed a fine black porcelain called Black Basalt. With this fine-grained stoneware he was able to produce copies of the newly excavated Etruscan pottery from Italy. The new innovation proved another huge commercial success. The surface was lustrous and smooth, with a purple-black sheen. Wedgwood's factory could scarcely keep up with the demand for candlesticks, medallions, tableware, and vases in the material. This particular Bust is reflecting the revival of the classics and interest of the day. Another innovation for which Wedgwood is remembered was Jasper Ware, which has been described as the most important invention in the history of ceramics since the discovery of porcelain. It took Wedgwood years of experimentation to perfect his design for this unglazed stoneware with the uncanny ability to be both durable and delicate, and to take colours so evenly throughout its surface. Jasper can be almost any colour, although the most famous examples are are pale or dark blue and white. Jasper Ware is also famous for the bas relief applied to the sides, often in imitation of classical Greek motifs. This pair of small decorative Jasper Ware dishes are quite nice and good color for any decor.

Antique Porcelain & Pottery
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