INTERESTING NEW HONOR FOR WEDGWOOD MUSEUM

Here is an interesting article about a great new honor for the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston. Our friend Gaye Blake Roberts is quoted in the article. Thanks to Google for the link to this BBC News article! I love Google! Click the title of this post to go directly to the article.

DEATHS IN THE WORLDWIDE WEDGWOOD COMMUNITY

On a sad note, the Wedgwood world has recently lost four long-time citizens whom we should remember and thank for their important contributions to the knowledge and enjoyment of the ceramics so many of us love to study and collect. May they rest in peace and love. Thank you to Adele Barnett, editor of the Capital Wedgwoodian, newsletter of the Wedgwood Society of Washington, DC, in whose next newsletter these items will also appear. We appreciate the sneak peek since I was working on my blog today.

B. F. (Ben) Sherman, Jr. (1923 - 2011): Ben Sherman of McLean, Virginia, was a founding and active member of the WSWDC and served on its Board as a director for seven years. For decades he attended the Wedgwood International Seminar, participated in WSWDC exhibitions, and was a collector of primarily early 20^th century Wedgwood artists. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, Ben later earned a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Stamford University and spent his long naval career mainly in submarines. He was commander of the USS Alexander Hamilton and a submarine commodore based in Scotland. After retiring from the Navy in 1943, Ben hiked the entire Appalachian Trail before embarking on a career developing educational toys as president of Orbix Corp. Ben leaves two sons and two grandchildren. He was 87 and will be missed by many, especially those of us among the local WSWDC membership.

Ronald H. Zimmerman (1944-2011): Ron Zimmerman of Kingsville, Maryland, was also a founding WSWDC member and very much involved in its activities and exhibitions. His love of Wedgwood was eclectic, but he especially gravitated toward colorful wares of all types and Napoleon Ivy patterns (Ron’s recently deceased partner, Alex Mowery, and also a member of the WSWDC collected Napoleonic memorabilia). Before he retired, Ron’s career was mostly in the publishing business. He enjoyed traveling and was a leader in his Lutheran church. Ron’s health deteriorated rapidly after Alex’s tragic death months prior. He was 66 and left no surviving relatives. Again, another dear friend of the WSWDC who will be sorely missed.

Milton I. (Mickey) Aion (1919 -2011): Mickey Aion of Rydal, Pennsylvania, was well known in Wedgwood circles. In 1969 he founded the first Wedgwood Collectors Society in collaboration with the Wedgwood firm. A jeweler by trade, Mickey created Wedgwood cameo-mounted pieces of which virtually every Wedgwoodian has an example. He also designed for Bing & Grondal porcelain and provided services for Lenox China. Mickey commissioned, among other wares, the blue jasper tray for Philadelphia’s Frank Lloyd Wright’s Beth Shalom Synagogue. He was a long-time member of the English Ceramics Study Group of Philadelphia and in recent years, the WSWDC honored him with complimentary membership for all his generous donations of Wedgwood wares, books, and ephemera. Mickey as 92 and leaves a daughter, Edith Weinstein, a son, Larry, and one grandchild. The WSWDC is grateful for all that Mickey contributed to the Society. Background information provided by Suzanne Rubin

Denbeigh Garrard (1940 -2011): Denbeigh Garrard of Australia was the president of the Wedgwood Society of New South Wales and a collector of Wedgwood jasperware, stamps, and DVDs. A doctor of medicine, he served in a number of capacities to include pathology registrar, general practice, and hospital superintendent, and served as a head deacon, elder, and Sabbath school leader. Denbeigh was 70 and leaves his wife, Bev, WSNSW secretary, two children and five grandchildren. Extracted from WSNSW “The Medallion”

RUSSIAN ELLE DECOR MAGAZINE FEATURES WEDGWOOD

Through our friends Lord Wedgwood, Adele Barnett of the Wedgwood Society of Washington, DC, Judy Jones of New South Wales and Paul Thomas, editor of the Wedgwood Society of New South Wales' newsletter The Medallion, comes this wonderful pdf file of the March issue of the gorgeous Elle Magazine Russian edition. The featured item is gorgeous photos of and commentary on the antiques-filled Philadelphia residence of Lord and Lady Wedgwood. Thank you to all who made the digitized version of this sumptuous article available to on-line Wedgwood aficionados, and of course to those of us who cannot visit Philadelphia or Russia! Enjoy! Be sure to click on the little "sticky note" symbols in the captions, that is where the translations of the text are found.

WEDGWOOD AT VILLA FINALE IN SAN ANTONIO

The National Trust for Historic Preservation owns and runs properties around the country and most are filled with unimaginable treasures. The NTHP publishes a great blog which I follow but I'd forgotten that Villa Finale in San Antonio had been featured there in the past. Click the title of this post to check out the blogpost link. Our late dear friend Gwen Steapp was a Wedgwood "pal" of Walter's and she talked often of his mentoring her and sharing his adventures in his collecting pursuits. The pictures on the Villa Finale website give an amazingly comprehensive glimpse of what is in store when one visits. I can't help but imagine that this will be one of the stops on the Wedgwood trail followed by the attendees of the 2012 Wedgwood International Seminar in San Antonio - slated for April 25 to 28, 2012..

WEDGWOOD MUSEUM TRUST NEWS

GO HERE to see an earlier status update of the Wedgwood Museum Trust pension fiasco and learn how YOU can help. Here is yet another article. PLEASE GO HERE NOW TO SEE HOW YOU CAN DIRECTLY & POSITIVELY IMPACT THE STRUGGLE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WEDGWOOD MUSEUM, AND PLEASE READ DR. TRISTRAM HUNT'S ARTICLE, IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST WELL-WORDED OF ANYTHING RECENTLY PUBLISHED ON THIS VASTLY IMPORTANT SUBJECT. It is not only the Josiah Wedgwood & Sons employees who beseech us to help, but also the family itself. If the Museum's treasures are sold, that will include the FAMILY correspondence and papers also, lost to them and the Wedgwood admiring public, as well as historians of ceramics, Staffordshire, the Industrial Revolution, and so many more subjects! 10/26/10, it appears the Museum is getting a bit more proactive, check out their current court plans here. And WHILE WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A COURT DATE, GO HERE TO READ SOME OF THE PUBLICITY.

SEE SAVE THE WEDGWOOD MUSEUM on FACEBOOK & see another article here. Follow the Save The Museum news blogs. Here is another article, indicating the court date now may have been moved to Spring, which as of 3/22/11 is now untrue, it's been moved again, see blogpost of this date.

Check out one other article. as yet another family member weighs in on the subject, read here what Anne Makeig-Jones has added to the volume of opinion coming forth.

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 IS NOW THE COURT DATE! NOTHING LIKE DRAGGING IT OUT!!!

LORD WEDGWOOD, MARTHA & A GOOD WEDGWOOD HISTORY

Martha Stewart and Piers, Lord Wedgwood have become friends along their way over the years, being a good team of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons advocates. Click the title of this post to read a good and accurate (accuracy often difficult to find on-line) article about the history of the company and various Wedgwood products. If you look through our posts, you'll see other articles about Piers, and photos of him too. At our website, www.alexisantiques.com, in our Featured Items section you'll see another good article about an appearance by His Lordship on Martha's TV show which features a piece of the Frog Service Reproduction Queen's Ware series which we loaned them for the show. Martha is a Wedgwood collector so her interest in the subject is not merely one of having another subject to highlight in her magazine and on her TV show, but also one closer to her heart as a collector. 5/19/11, the Ice Pail has sold, so this featured item frame will be gone, but the link above will take you to any Frog Service items we may have in stock at any one time. Today His Lordship is in Australia at a signing event and word has it that he's with our friends Colin Jones and Lee Bradshaw helping spread the Wedgwood spirit in that part of the world. Have fun fellows!

WEDGWOOD LOOK WEDDING CAKE

Click the title of this post to see some gorgeous wedding cakes on display at Harrod's in London, one of which you should recognize, Wedgwood's interpretation based on the Renaissance Gold pattern of William and Catherine's Royalty Commemorative china - so we have the pattern on a rug, a cake and royalty souvenirs. I have to wonder how popular the Renaissance Gold pattern has become as a table setting! Enjoy these gorgeous photos! ONCE FINISHED WITH THE CAKES, BE SURE TO LOOK AT THE SLIDESHOW LINKS BELOW THE CAKE PHOTOS - THESE ARE PROBABLY THE BEST, MOST SUCCINCT PHOTOS ALL IN ONE PLACE WE'VE SEEN COVERING THE FAMILY HISTORIES, STORY OF THE ROMANCE, ENGAGEMENT AND MARRIAGE OF WILLIAM AND CATHERINE. WELL DOCUMENTED GORGEOUS PHOTOS, AND IF ONE IS INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECT, WORTH THE TIME TO VIEW! AND YOU LADIES INTERESTED IN ALL THINGS DIAMANTE, DON'T MISS THE SLIDESHOW TAB CALLED "CROWN JEWELS" ABOUT THE HISTORIC ROYAL TIARAS, GORGEOUS PHOTOS, ALMOST LIKE BEING RIGHT IN THE TOWER!

ROYALTY COMMEMORATIVES ENJOY POPULARITY

As a person involved in many things British, I am frequently asked about Royalty Souvenir items, especially, obviously, ceramics. If you check out our other blog posts, you will see some articles about the current flurry of new Royal Wedding commemoratives. There are many collectors around the world, especially in the Commonwealth countries, for all things Royal. We normally say that any time there is a change in the Royal Family, interest in royalty souvenir china spikes up. The current Royal Wedding craze is no different. We therefore are highlighting some of our royal items in inventory, and will be bringing out more in the next day or so. The thimble pictured here came out in 1983, when Diana was pregnant with Prince Harry. It is styled Charles & Diana Royal Birth Thimble. Additionally we have a great plate featuring the Duke of Windsor as Edward 8th, his face shown from the right side. This plate is well executed, with thick enamel paint, but most importantly not only rare because much of the Edward VIIIth items were broken and discarded, but because The Duke disliked his own right side profile thus seldom allowed items with these images. We also have available a Keith Murray Queensware tankard featuring The Duke of Windsor as King and a very nice tricolour jasper Trojan upright rope-handled jug featuring Prince Charles & Lady Diana at the time of their marriage. Also from the era of Charles & Diana's wedding, 30 years ago now, we have a Richard Guyatt design Queensware plate featuring Diana, Charles and the Prince of Wales feathers. Click the links for a good selection of royalty commemorative items. And watch those royal happenings to see the upswing in availability and popularity of Royal Commemorative ceramics, a great time for collectors!

WEDGWOOD ON TV

I have always loved the PBS program "Upstairs, Downstairs" so was delighted to learn a new version is now airing. On a recent episode the staff is below stairs eating sweets and listening to the wireless, an orchestral concert at the Palm Court. My mind goes directly to the Palm Court room at the London Ritz, a gorgeous place to find oneself. Someone comments that a background sound is probably the tinkling of china cups and saucers as refreshments are served during the concert; Rose says it is probably glass, and the butler, in his infinite wisdom, says, "Bone china makes a very fine sound and it would be bone china at an establishment like that, Wedgwood possibly, or even Spode". I loved the reference. If one watches these episodes one will see that at least one of the family's fine bone china patterns is 'Colonnade Black' by Wedgwood...I've seen it in the first two episodes. I believe the next episode is this coming Sunday evening, Easter Sunday. Enjoy!

ROYAL WEDDING CAN'T BE IGNORED - HELPING CERAMIC INDUSTRY

Click this post title for an informative article from UK Sentinel letting us know various ways in which many Brits are celebrating the upcoming wedding. Lots of fun activities are planned. I haven't been keeping track of what folks are doing on this side of the pond, but I have bought my fascinator to wear with my pj's as I drink tea with the ladies of Daughters of the British Empire at a 5am Wedding Watch party here in St. Louis.

On another note it appears that the ceramics industry in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding pottery areas is on the upswing. Some of this success is being attributed to the healthy sales of Royal Wedding wares. Wedgwood & Sons has produced a plate, mug, covered box and megabuck commemorative urn for the occasion. The other potteries are also producing beautiful wares. The Wedgwood Museum [see older post below] commissioned a mug which, while not made by Wedgwood, was made in Stoke and the backstamp bears this out. You can go here to see a short video and read an article about the subject of increasing profits, something we all want to hear about! You might have to wait a few seconds for the right video to be visible at the top but the text is located right below the video screen. And you can always go to www.wedgwood.com to see Royal Wedding, Mothers Day and regular wedding merchandise. They have a set of 3 top banners, if you want the Royal Wedding just wait a few seconds until it shows up at the top of the page.

The Royal Wedding Collection design is based on the Wedgwood bone china pattern Renaissance Gold. If you scroll through the entries on the right side of our blog, you'll see Piers, Lord Wedgwood, standing on a rug also inspired by this same china pattern. Take a look!