Daisy Makeig-Jones Vases and Vessels

1977 Carlson blown glass lustre vase. Iridescent dark blue background with green lustre swirls throughout. Etched signature on the underside.

A ruby lustre box with mother-of-pearl lustre interior and decorated with polychrome butterflies in gold, designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones circa 1920. This ...

This gorgeous Wedgewood piece with a mother of pearl interior is enveloped by a powerful golden dragon set against a mottled red exterior. A signature piec...

Extremely unusual and extraordinary boat shaped Ordinary lustre dish by Daisy Makes-Jones for Wedgwood. On a strikingly opulent orange inner, fabulous and glorious gilded filigree butterflies adorn. The outer is a pink and cream sponge effect ground with hand painted and gilded butterflies...

Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre imperial bowl, the exterior decorated in, 'Leapfrogging Elves' design on a sunset sky, flame ground. Mother of pearl ground to the interior, with fairies, e...

Imposing and monumental Wedgwood footed bowl by Daisy Makes-Jones of the Ordinary Lustre Series Superbly vibrant blue mottled ground decorated wi...

A beautiful rich pair of Art Deco Modern marble stone vases, circa mid-20th century. Marble is predominantly a dark espresso brown with red brick, light brown and green hues, polishe...

Exquisite Japanese large contemporary decorative porcelain vase, intricately gilded and hand painted in striking shades of blue on a beautifully shaped porcelain body, a signed maste...

Exquisite pair of Wedgwood Ordinary lustre baluster vases by Daisy Makeig-Jones. Circa 1915. Dominated by dramatic gilded exotic crested birds on an incredibly rich royal blue mottle...

Wedgwood Fairyland lustre octagonal bowl. Dana - Castle on a Road pattern to exterior panels with Trentham Bead borders on black ground. Bird in a hoop pattern to interior with Flami...

Daisy Makeig-Jones for Wedgwood. 'Woodland Elves VIII - Boxing Match. A Large Octagonal Fairyland Lustre Bowl, circa 1920. The interior is decorated with elves engaged in a boxing m...

An exquisite and quite rare pair of 19th century English, Staffordshire, Jasperware blue ground Wedgwood vases with neoclassical subjects on rounded plinths, stylistically attributed...

This extraordinary First Edition Wedgwood rendering of the legendary Portland Vase is one of the rarest masterpieces of Josiah Wedgwood, the most important ceramics manufacturer of the 18th century. A tour de force of ceramic art, the Portland Vase First Editions are regarded as one of the greatest ceramic accomplishments of the 18th century, and they are a testament to the superior skill of Josiah Wedgwood, his extraordinary ambition and his tireless dedication to perfection. One of the very few First Editions still in private hands, this exceptional Wedgwood Portland Vase is one of the most important works of ceramics on the market. The story of Wedgwood and the Portland Vase is legendary. The original Portland Vase is the ancient world's most famous decorative arts masterpiece—a cameo glass vase dating to circa 25 CE with a frieze representing the myth of Peleus and Thetis, initially thought to be carved from stone. When it was first rediscovered around 1582, it captivated the world with its opaque white cameo figures over its rich blue background. After the vase was excavated it was owned by Cardinal Barberini, whose family later sold it to the Duke of Hamilton who eventually sold it to the Duchess of Portland, from whom the famed vase now takes its name. The famed British sculptor John Flaxman was likely the first to have brought the vase to Wedgwood’s attention. In a letter dated February 5, 1784, he wrote: “I wish you may soon come to town to see William Hamilton’s vase, it is the finest production of Art that has been brought to England and seems to be the very apex of perfection to which you are endeavouring to bring your bisque and jasper…” Indeed, the Portland Vase is a masterpiece of cameo-cutting, with a stunning frieze of opaque white cameo glass over its translucent deep blue form. Its beauty and translucence would inspire Wedgwood to undertake his years-long endeavor to precisely replicate the original in porcelain. Upon closer examination, Wedgwood realized the vase was not made of stone or earthenware, but of cameo glass—a technique so advanced it remains the masterpiece of cameo-cutting. Today, the vase is housed in the British Museum, where it is the second most viewed antiquity, only after the Rosetta Stone. It then took Wedgwood several painstaking years to craft his unparalleled copy of the vase, during which he perfected the jasperware technique that would become his crowning achievement. To this day, the renowned porcelain firm regards the vase as its most momentous triumph, so much so that the vessel’s silhouette is incorporated into the Wedgwood logo. The four years it took Wedgwood to complete his vase were not without tribulations. From the start, Wedgwood encountered numerous problems with his copies, from cracking and blistering to the difficulty of replicating the translucent effects of the original. The first acceptable copy was produced in October 1789 and sent to Wedgwood’s physician and friend Erasmus Darwin, the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Wedgwood presented another copy to Queen Charlotte in May 1790 and afterward organized a private exhibition of the vase at the Portland House in London. The viewing proved so popular that Wedgwood was forced to restrict the show to 1,900 visitors. Much of London wished to see Wedgwood’s greatest major achievement. Perhaps the highest praise of Wedgwood’s copy came from the famed artist Sir Joshua Reynolds, the founder of the British Royal Academy: “I can venture to declare it a correct and faithful imitation, both in regard to the general effect, and the most minute detail of the part.” Over the next few years, Wedgwood's oven records listed 43 First Edition copies of the Portland Vase produced between 1791 and 1796, 11 of which were broken during the firing process. In all, it is believed around 30 First Edition vases were completed, though an unknown number of these were somewhat damaged—one of these imperfect examples is currently held by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The perfect examples such as ours have found their way into the most important museum collections in the world. The British Museum (London), Art Institute of Chicago, Birmingham Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge, UK), among others, all hold one of these highly coveted vases in their collections. In terms of technical achievement, the First Edition Portland Vases...

A beautiful 'sage' green and white English Wedgwood Jasperware matte stoneware vase in the Neoclassical style, England, 1973. Vase has Renaissance/Neoc...

This exceptional and rare Wedgwood tri-colored jasper vase exemplifies that renowned firm’s classical artistry. Crafted of jasper, perhaps the greatest of Josiah Wedgwood’s porcelain innovations, in the shape of an ancient Greek calyx krater...