Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Arguably the most celebrated of all English ceramics makers, Wedgwood was founded in 1759 by potter Josiah Wedgwood in Staffordshire, which was home at one time to hundreds of pottery workshops.
Wedgwood is famed for its Jasperware — molded neoclassical stoneware vases, plates and other pieces inspired by ancient cameo glass, featuring white figures, scenes and decorative elements set in relief on a matte-colored background. The best-known background hue is light blue, but Wedgwood’s iconic silhouettes also appear on green, lilac, yellow, black and even white grounds. Some antique Wedgwood dinnerware pieces and other items feature three or more colors. The company is also known for its black stoneware, Black Basalt, which imitates the color and shapes of Etruscan vases.
The Wedgwood firm first came to prominence for its tableware, which quickly gained favor in aristocratic households throughout Britain and Europe. In 1765, Wedgwood was commissioned to create a cream-colored earthenware service for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. The queen was so thrilled with her new china that Wedgwood was given permission to call himself “Potter to Her Majesty,” and the decorative style became known as Queen’s Ware.
Not to be outdone, Catherine the Great of Russia commissioned her own set of Wedgwood china in 1773. Nearly 200 years later, the firm created a 1,200-piece service for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In recent years, leading designers including Jasper Conran and Vera Wang have collaborated with Wedgwood — in the tradition of such distinguished 18th-century artists such as the painter George Stubbs and metalsmith Matthew Boulton.
From plates and other dinnerware to decorative items like urns, cachepots and candlesticks, Wedgwood designs lend a traditional air to Anglophile interiors. And even if you have to make your own tea, you may find it comforting to sip it from a delicate cup that was manufactured in the same Stoke-on-Trent kiln that produced Her Majesty’s tea service. Be sure to keep your pinky raised.
Find antique Josiah Wedgwood pottery, dinner plates, serving pieces and other furnishings and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
Mid-19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Ceramic
19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century English Classical Roman Antique Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Ceramic
Late 18th Century British Antique Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Terracotta
20th Century Neoclassical Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Plaster
Early 20th Century Neoclassical Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century English Neoclassical Antique Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century European British Colonial Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Marble
Early 20th Century English Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Ceramic
Early 20th Century European Neoclassical Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century British Antique Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Terracotta
20th Century French Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century American Neoclassical Josiah Wedgwood Furniture
Porcelain
