Happy Birthday Wedgwood! 261 Years Old

In 1759 on May 1st, Josiah Wedgwood opened his pottery and he began making his name something recognized around the world.

Wedgwood became synonymous with quality table ware and home decor... and is famous for transferware, majolica, jasperware and Queens Ware...the latter created by them.

This is a tray of sample colours for jasperware created in 1773 by Josiah Wedgwood as he perfected the material. This I took at the Wesgwood museum, called the World Of Wedgwood, in Barlaston just outside of Stoke-on-Trent where the pottery started...

 Here are scenes around the museum...

The Museum collection was almost dispersed in 2012 when undergoing financial difficulties, but saved by public and private donations in 2014.
Wedgwood, which had be joined into WWRD or Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton in 1989. 
in 2015 WWRD was acquired by Fiskars, Finland and is still owned and operated by them. The lines have shrunk, changed and in 2019 word came that the museum was again under threat.
With the virus situation, I have little hope it can survive as it was expected to be able to support itself with visitors.
Sigh...

We used to visit every year when we were in England for a month on a buying trip, and the World Of Wedgwood was always visitied for a day...either by ourselves or with relatives and friends. We loved watching the workers at work.

Queen Elizabeth visiting the pottery in 1953 after her coronation...

Above are some of the various items at Time Was Antiques from Wedgwood over the ages...

I am certainly hoping the Museum, and Wedgwood pottery itself long continues...

Dudson Jasperware Cheese Dome And Pitcher, Antique Valentines

Hi there! I hope your weekend is going well.  I am stoked because it's almost Valentine's Day, our anniversary and I had a great conversation with a customer who is a Dudson jasperware collector. Most people have heard of jasperware, but automatically think of Wedgwood when they do. But...other companies made it as well.


Jasperware is a matte finish stoneware that usually has a contrasting color applied decoration, often referred to as sprigged. The colors are varied from black to white and everything in between. Here is a typical piece of Wedgwood jasperware.

Other companies have made jasperware over it's 200 year history but are not as famous as Wedgwood. These include Adams,Copeland, Castleton and Dudson. I really like them all. But I recently had 2 pieces of Dudson jasperware that I sold to a Dudson collector. She has been collecting for 25 years and we had a great phone discussion about jasperware, Dudson and England. Dudson manufactured jasperware down through the 1960s. But the best made were the older Victorian pieces. Here are the pitcher and cheese dish or cheese dome the collector purchased. Note the lovely work on the applied design. Just as nice as Wedgwood.

the Jasperware category at Time Was Antiques is here:  JASPWEWARE

And this is really the fun part...and doesn't always happen. The collector sent me photos of how the items she purchased fit in with her current collection. 

Can you spot the pitcher and cheese dome on the shelf above the bottom shelf? A lovely collection and I loved seeing where my items will be living. So nice to send them off to a loving home!

Have a great weekend and enjoy Valentine's Day. You might want to visit Sandi on Monday for her Valentine's Day Tea.

And also join Antiques And Teacups on Tuesday for Tuesday Cuppa Tea:

Where there is a great drawing coming up:

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Moorland Heart Mug, Heart Necklaces, Heart Cookies

Happy Tuesday! Time to join Tuesday Cuppa Tea and the other wonderful tea related blogs. Because Valentinr's Day is fast approaching I have a heart theme.

This is a neat ironstone mug from Moorland Potteries in Staffordshire, England, a contemporary English potter. The mug was made in 1988 and I love the stenciled heart design. So simple but cute!

And what about heart necklaces?

 Perhaps a 14kt gold one with 8 diamonds?

Or perhaps a vintage Wedgwood jasperware and sterling silver necklace featuring the cherub Eros? Lots to think of....You can see more of these items and more at Time Was Antiques by clicking on the photos.

Or maybe just a heart cookie...Cardamom Spritz with pistachios from Stylish Cuisine?

Cardamom Spritz Cookies
Recipe by Mary Ellen Rae, printed in the Los Angeles Times

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup sparkling decorative sugar
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for one minute. Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks and beat an additional minute.

Sift together the flour and salt. Spoon the flour mixture into the butter mixture and add the cardamom. Beat on low speed, then increase to medium and mix until the batter is combined.

Spoon the dough into a cookie press and press out onto ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine the sparkling sugar and the pistachio nuts, then sprinkle some on each cookie.

Bake just until the edges of the cookies start to turn a pale golden color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet immediately and cool on a wire rack. The cookies will firm up as they cool. When they are completely cool, store in an airtight container. They may be kept frozen up to two months.

Yield:  ~ 5 dozen cookies

Hearts are definitely the thing! Enjoy visiting the tea related blogs I am joining below3 and have a great day!

 

Ruth ~ http://antiquesandteacups.blogspot.com/
Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday

Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday

Sandi  ~  http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com

Teatime Tuesday

Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness

Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday 

Bernideen’s ~ http://bernideensteatimeblog.blogspot.com

Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday

Angela  http://teawithfriends.blogspot.com/

Tea With Friends

Miss Kathy http://thewritersreverie.blogspot.com

http://www.attitudeivlife.blogspot.com/p/afternoon-tea.html   Afternoon Tea

Pink Saturday Wedgwood With Wedgwood News

I am joining Pink Saturday with Beverley at How Sweet The Sound...late today, as life has intervened with a technology problems. I got a new data phone, had to wait for my phone number to get ported, and then kept waiting for the phone to kick in...to no avail. Finally, after 1 hour on the phone with techs, they told me I had to get get a new SIM card, mine was defective. Oh joy...and that meant another 2 hours at Costco...so the time I was going to do the blog post...poof!

Psalm 31:15a says My Times Are in His hands! So...

I am sure you are all familiar with Wedgwood, England jasperware, but for Pink Saturday...taa daa...pink jasper! Jasperware has always been a favorite. I was broken hearted when Wedgwood moved production in 1992 to Indonesia, and more saddened when it went into bankruptcy as part of Waterford Wedgwood. But the Museum in Barlaston, a district of Stoke-on-Trent with the fabulous Wedgwood collection would continue to be open. 

But fast forward to 2010, hard economic times, and a group sued the company to get money for the failed pension scheme from 2009. A judge ruled in early 2011 that the museum and contents would have to be auctioned off piece by piece to replace the failed pension scheme. And while I appreciate and sympathize with those who had their pensions ended, the thought of that wonderful place being closed or the items being dispersed and never possible be available for people to see was devastating.  But...

Enter a hero on Christmas Eve! A Birmingham, England millionaire, John Caudwell, has agreed to buy the museum and contents and keep it together and open. Birmingham is where my husband and my family are from and we couldn't be happier. Whenever we are in England and are up by the family we take the 2 hour drive to Stoke and Barlaston and spend part of the day at the museum. The collection is fabulous, there are workmen there who demonstrate the process and the tea room is fab!

John Caudwell said "Selling the off the collection would be a tragedy" and we certainly agree! Thank you John, for saving a National treasure! 

To read the article in the Telegraph Online click here:
Wedgwood saved

To see Wedgwood jasperware at Time Was Antiques, click on the pink Jasperware plate photos.

Prince Charles Releases his Christmas Card Photo, Buckingham Palace Wedgwood Christmas Plate

There was a great article in the Daily Mail online  yesterday because Prince Charles released the photo he and Camilla will be using for their Christmas cards.

The image was taken on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the wedding of his son Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The is holding his step grand daughter. I think that's such a great photo. The Daily Mail headline is Greetings From Grandpapa Charles.! The article also includes some great past Royal Family Christmas cards which are really interesting. Have a look.

In the Christmas and Buck House theme, here is a Wedgwood annual Christmas 1979 jasperware plate of Buckingham Palace that we have. I love Wedgwood blue jasperware and have quite a bit of it. It is no longer being made in the UK which is such a shame!

There are still a few items made at the Wedgwood (now Wedgwood Waterford) Museum and Visitor Centre in Barlaston by Stoke-on-Trent. I had a whole photo essay of the process taken last time we were there, down loaded to my travel laptop, which then crashed in the hotel the night we docked back in the US after a week's crossing on Queen Mary 2 back from England. I lost all the photos! I was devastated! Sigh... But this is from a Wedgwood book I have, Wedgwood, A Collector's Guide by Peter Williams. 

The body of the item is a cream to buff color, whatever color it will be when fired. Then, when it is still damp, the motif his hand applied by an artist. The figures are about 2mm thick and are easily broken unless, like these artists, you know what you are doing! Then the process is quickly and deftly done. I love jasperware!

For more info on the Christmas Buckingham Palace plate or other items of Wedgwood jasperware at Time Was Antiques, click on the photos.