More about porcelain. Wedgwood
24.05.2018, 11:34 /
Posted by: Admin /
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Under: Design,Art,Porcelain
I continue writing about porcelain and its creators whom I admire and whom I consider models of taste. Today we are speaking about Wedgwood porcelain. English porcelain. Classic but diverse. And certainly elite.
The year of the foundation of the Wedgwood brand is 1759, a year when Josiah Wedgwood rented a manufactory in Burslem, Staffordshire county. So the brand is already 258 years old, of which more than 200 years the British porcelain factory Wedgwood has been supplying porcelain for the English royal court, as well as for the best houses all over the world. In the list of buyers, for example, appear the Empress Catherine II, Queen Charlotte of England, US President Theodore Roosevelt. Nowadays, none of official dinners of the Queen of Great Britain is without a classic Wedgwood set for 47 000 items.
Speaking of variety. Almost immediately after the opening, in 1765, the manufactory created «creamy» porcelain (named after its color) covered with the finest glaze, its second name is «royal». Three years later, «black basalt» was invented, unglazed porcelain which is so firm that might be polished and cut. And in 1775 — «jasperware» porcelain. By the end of the 20th century, the main products of Wedgwood are made of bone china.
Kitchenware with a blue «W» stamp is faaar from cheap but, according to the manufacturer, it is surprisingly durable. To show its firmness, at the opening of one of Wedgwood boutiques in London a multi-toned car was put on four coffee cups, the cups held the weight without a single crack.
It is interesting that, despite its traditional image, the brand keeps pace with the times: in addition to classic dishes it produces avant-garde lines including non-traditional profile products. For example, even a bowl for a cat is included in one of the last collections. Maybe, I’ll buy it one day for my three «kitties» — one for all.
English