An engine lathe which he introduced greatly forwarded his designs; and
the wareroom opened in London for the exhibition of his now famous
Queen's ware, Etruscan vases, and other works, drew attention to the
excellence of his work. He started works besides at Chelsea, supervised
by his partner Bentley, where modellers, enamellers, and artists were
employed, so that the cares of his business, 'pot-making and
navigating'--the latter the carrying through of the Grand Trunk
Canal--entirely filled his mind and time at this period. So busy was he,
that he sometimes wondered whether he was an engineer, a landowner, or a
potter. Meanwhile, a step he had no cause to regret was his marriage in
1764 to Sarah Wedgwood, no relation of his own, a handsome lady of good
education and of some fortune.
Wedgwood had begun to imitate the classic works of the Greeks found in
public and private collections, and produced his unglazed black
porcelain, which he named Basaltes, in 1766. The demand for his vases at
this time was so great that he could have sold fifty or one hundred
pounds' worth a day, if he had been able to produce them fast enough. He
was now patronised by royalty, by the Empress of Russia, and the
nobility generally. A large service for Queen Charlotte took three years
to execute, as part of the commission consisted in painting on the ware,
in black enamel, about twelve hundred views of palaces, seats of the
nobility, and remarkable places. A service for the Empress of Russia
took eight years to complete. It consisted of nine hundred and fifty-two
pieces, of which the cost was believed to have been three thousand
pounds, although this scarcely paid Wedgwood's working expenses.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account