Josiah Wedgwood Furniture

An English Wedgwood Majolica pitcher, an aesthetic movement mold showing a snail shell against sprays of climbing ivy on a tortoiseshell ground. A branch form handle, yellow ochre ri...

Queens Ware is the mark on this pitcher and basin set made in England in the mid to late 1800s by Wedgwood. It is also known as creamware, a techniqu...

A majolica multi-colored glazed cabbage leaf on basket rim plate, Josiah Wedgwood, circa 1870. Most often found in a solid green glaze, cabbage leaf plates were also made briefly i...

From Wedgwood, an English majolica scallop shell shaped seafood serving dish, date marked 1889. Showing the mottled tortoiseshell glazing of greens, amber, and brown. The mold refl...

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 majolica multi-colored glazed fringed leaf on basket weave handled server, Josiah Wedgwood, Burslem, England – circa 1870. A leaf shaped molded shallow bowl with a pierced twig ha...

From Wedgwood, a Bird and Fan pattern plate in the Aesthetic taste, England, date marked 1878. In the larger dinner plate size, a bird and fan motif with Dogwood tree branches and b...

A majolica multi-colored glazed fringed leaf on basket weave handled server, Josiah Wedgwood, Burslem, England – circa 1870. A leaf shaped molded shallow bowl with a pierced twig ha...

From Wedgwood, an assembled set of eight English majolica scallop shell shaped, mottled tortoiseshell glazed seafood salad plates. Each plate shows a variation of the tortoiseshell ...

From Wedgwood, a delightful set of six majolica glazed Fruit Dishes, in the Strawberry pattern, date marked 1880. On the Argenta white ground, a wide rim...

From Wedgwood, a rustic covered butter server with a cow finial, Staffordshire England – date marked 1875. An extremely rare example of 19th Century Agrarian Nostalgia. Glazed in m...

An English majolica oval serving platter from Josiah Wedgwood, date marked R for the year 1889. The server is edged with a delicate yellow ochre reticulated rim that imitates the ba...

This breakfast set consists of an oval serving bowl and four lidded entire dishes in a mahogany brass handled tray. Creamware is a cream colored re...

From Wedgwood, a Bird and Fan pattern plate in the Aesthetic taste, England, date marked 1878. In the larger dinner plate size, a bird and fan motif with Dogwood tree branches and b...

Rare antique English "Wedgwood" creamware (earthenware) hand painted platter with rare early impressed "WEDGWOOD" mark. Superb condition but for...

This exquisite pair of Wedgwood blue and white Mared pattern soup tureens was made in England circa 1840. The design features a loop of delicate "pearls" encircling the center, compl...

This Wedgwood creamware plate and handled cup were made in England circa 1790. Both pieces feature a hand-painted border of radiating neoclassical design, rendered in striking red an...

This rare set of three creamware plates was made in England by Wedgwood in the 18th century, circa 1780. Each plate is decorated with a finely detailed black transfer-printed landsca...

Pearlware Wedgwood Creamware pottery Orange or Chestnut basket ,cover and stand. Very wall decorated in a underglaze blue Mared design. The basket and stand impressed under base "we...

A Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Majolica green glazed- Seal-Molded Ice-Cream Tray, England – Date code EGH for 1878 A very scarce rectangular tray with the cente...

A rarely seen wedgwood char dish, an Aesthetic Movement mold showing a pair of fish in a deep dish glazed to resemble tortoise shell. Char is a fresh-water m...

A Wedgwood kangaroo in celadon color designed by John Skeaping, circa 1930. Mounted on its original black painted timber base and signed in the clay on the rear of the ceramic plinth...

A stunning and very finely produced antique Georgian framed black basalt portrait bust titled Prince of Wales by Wedgwood and dating from around 1780. The framed bust of oval shape i...

From Wedgwood, a scarce Cobalt blue majolica glazed Pickle Plate, date marked 1879. From the English Aesthetic Movement Era, and in the Japonisme taste, six teardrop shaped wells,...

A Josiah Wedgwood ‘Pembroke Castle’ pattern transferware platter, Burslem, Staffordshire, circa 1820-1840. An earthenware body showing a central image of sailors rowing to and fro...

From Wedgwood, an earthenware majolica glazed plate, signed and date marked 1874. A green, brown and yellow tortoiseshell glazed center is bordered by eight yellow basketweave inn...

The ship is flying the flag of the last German Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Francis II, Circa 1775-1790. The rare Wedgwood creamware plate...