| Josiah Wedgwood who was born in 1730 and died | | | | permission to call it Queen's Ware). Queen's Ware |
| in 1795 came from a long line of potters, he | | | | is a cream coloured lead glazed earthenware and |
| himself was the 12th child of potter Thomas | | | | this durable china is made from a mixture of flint |
| Wedgwood, whose own father and grand father | | | | and white clay. After gaining permission from |
| were potters also. | | | | Queen Charlotte to name this product Queen's |
| At the age of 6 Josiah would walk 7 miles to | | | | Ware he began to style himself as "Potter to Her |
| school every day as his mother was determined | | | | Majesty" and Queen's Ware became such an |
| that he would have a good education, but at the | | | | enormous success and the name of Wedgwood |
| age of 9 his father died and he left school to | | | | was spread across all of Europe. |
| become an apprentice at the family business | | | | Then in 1768 Josiah came up with his second |
| under his brother Thomas. | | | | innovation in the pottery field and he developed a |
| Then at the age of 12 he contracted smallpox's | | | | new fine black porcelain which he named Black |
| which unfortunately led to him being confined to | | | | Basalt. He found that by using this fine grained |
| his bed for months and during this time he spent | | | | stoneware he was able to produce copies of the |
| a lot of it reading and improving his mind. Due to | | | | Etruscan pottery that have recently been |
| the smallpox Josiah was left with a weakened | | | | excavated in Italy and yet again as with the |
| knee and this meant he was unable to operate | | | | Queen's Ware this new innovation proved to be a |
| the potter's wheel used for throwing the pots and | | | | huge commercial success. You will find that Black |
| instead he spent his time improving his skills in | | | | Basalt surface is smooth and lustrous and comes |
| relation to modeling the clay used. | | | | with a purple-black sheen to it. In fact the |
| By his early 20's Josiah formed a partnership with | | | | Wedgwood factory was finding it very difficult to |
| one of the most influential English potters of the | | | | keep up with the demand for all things made |
| time, Thomas Whieldon. With Whieldon's help | | | | from this material such as candlesticks, medallions, |
| Josiah was able to practice learning how to use | | | | tableware and vases. |
| glazing, bodies, shapes and colours in his work. | | | | The third real major innovation with which Josiah |
| Then in 1759 his dream came true when 2 | | | | Wedgwood will probably be most remembered |
| relatives of his leased him a property called Ivy | | | | for is the production of Jasper Ware and which |
| House and where he was able to start his own | | | | has been described in the ceramics and pottery |
| pottery business. However, he was lucky to | | | | world as one of the most important inventions in |
| marry a distant cousin, Sarah Wedgwood which | | | | the history of ceramics since the discovery of |
| gave a large boost to his business because of the | | | | porcelain. It took Wedgwood many years of |
| size of the dowry presented by her father at | | | | experimenting to perfect the design of this |
| their wedding. | | | | unglazed stoneware which has the ability to be |
| Unfortunately as the years went by the knee | | | | both delicate and durable and is able to take |
| which had been weakened by smallpox became | | | | colours evenly across its surface. In fact you will |
| ever more troublesome and Josiah was eventually | | | | find that Jasper Ware can be made from almost |
| forced to have it amputated without anesthetic. | | | | any colour, however the most famous ones are |
| Then in 1766 he moved his family to Etruria in | | | | both pale or dark blue and white. With this new |
| Staffordshire and made this the base for his | | | | material the Wedgwood Factory was able to |
| factory and new home. | | | | produce an astonishing amount of objects from |
| In 1782 because Josiah was a keen thinker, | | | | the smallest tea cup to of all things a grand piano. |
| scientist and innovator he perfected an instrument | | | | A good piece of Jasper Ware will usually have a |
| that was able to the measure the heat in the kilns | | | | bas relief applied to the sides, which are often in |
| used by potters and on the basis of this work he | | | | imitation of the classical Greek motifs you seen |
| was elected as a member of the Royal Society in | | | | on early pieces of Greek pottery. |
| 1783. | | | | It certainly seems that Josiah Wedgwood got it |
| One of the first major innovations that | | | | right when he designed the Jasper Ware as it has |
| Wedgwood introduced was his development of | | | | now been in production for over 200 years and |
| Queen's Ware (he presented a tea service to | | | | the methods used to produce have hardly |
| Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III made | | | | changed in all that time. |
| from this new material and she gave him | | | | |