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JOSIAH WEDGWOOD
VOL. II.


-- LONDON
PRINT ED BY S 1 o TT 1 swoo DE AND Co.
NEW-STREET 'SQUARE
|×
§.

THE LIFE
J () SIA H WE I) (; W () ()|)
---
HIS PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE AND FAMILY PAPERS
IN THE POSSESSION --
MISS WEDGWOOD
JOSEPH MAYER, ESQ., F.S.A.
AND OTHER
F. WEDGWOOD, ESQ.
C. DARWIN, ESQ., M.A., F.R.S. ORIGINAL SOURCES
witH
An ºmitmuttory shtitl of the 3rt ºf ºutſtry in Čnglam
BY ELIZA METEYARD
y
w T. H. N. U M E R O U S I L L U S T R AT I O NS
IN TWO VOLUMES_WOL. II.
LONDON
HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS
13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET
1866
The right of translation is reserved

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PREFACE
TO
THE SEC ON D VOIL U M E.
A" length I lay the close of my long and responsible
task before the public. Its appearance at an earlier
date was impossible, as many of the most important
documents did not reach me till a late season. Since
then, nothing but steady and persistent industry could
have mastered their infinite details, shaped these into
sequence, and drawn thence that brevity of facts which
narrative, to be vital and picturesque, requires.
Nothing has been spared, either by my publishers,
Messrs. Hurst and Blackett, or myself, to make the
present edition acceptable to the public—as the volumes
themselves will show.
I have been indebted to no sources whatsoever for the
materials on which the work is based, except such
as I have honestly indicated. With the exception
of Mrs. Howitt's valuable note on Copestake, every
line has been written by myself, and every illustration
has been selected and placed by my own hand. Amongst
the papers intrusted to me is Leslie's Life of Wedgwood ;
vi PREFACE TO
an ill-written, incorrect, prosy pamphlet of 105 pages
quarto MS. Several copies of this, I understand, have
been made at various periods, and one I believe is still
extant in the Potteries. The original in my hands has
served me in no way beyond affording two, or at most
three, cursory facts. It is in Leslie's MS. that we have
the account of the deposit of the three Etruscan painted
vases beneath the foundations of Etruria Hall.
It would be wearisome to catalogue the names of
strangers and friends from whom I have received many
marks of courtesy during the progress of this volume.
I cannot, however, refrain from specifying those of the
Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Mr. Smiles, Dr. Hooker,
Mr. Bohn, the Rev. Lawford T. Dale, Mr. Roger Acton,
Mr. Falcke, Mr. Tulk, Mr. Barlow, and Mrs. Howitt.
Mr. Falcke, amongst other kindnesses, has contributed
the cost of the engraving of his fine bas-relief, ‘Priam
begging the body of Hector, and to Mr. Barlow I owe
the engraving of the busts of Horace and Virgil, as
well as other specimens. This volume will show how
much I have been indebted to the choice and varied
collection of the latter gentleman for its adornment. In
other ways his fine artistic taste has been useful to
me, and will serve me still more, I hope, in subsequent
labours devoted to the same end. I have to thank the
Committee of the Wedgwood Memorial Institute for
various courtesies, and especially the honorary secretary,
Mr. Woodall, to whose energetic able, and disinterested
labours, the movement in behalf of Wedgwood's memory
owes so much. I have also been obliged in several
THE SECONI) VOLUME, - vii
necessary inquiries by the friendly kindness of Mr. J. A.
Bacon, the head-master of the School of Design, Stoke-
upon-Trent.
My staff of artists has been the same as that employed
for the previous volume. Mr. Pearson has been my most
kind and able assistant throughout; visiting each collection
with me, and carrying out my wishes and arrangements
with earnest fidelity. All the illustrations in this volume,
as those in the preceding, have been engraved by him.
Mr. Justyne's beautiful pencil has also effected some
masterpieces; and the exquisite rendering of the bas-reliefs
will, I hope, draw public attention to Mr. Tomlinson's
skill in this delicate and difficult department of figure
drawing. I have also been most fortunate in my staff of
printers. Without their practised and skilful aid, it would
have been impossible to carry this long and arduous task
to a satisfactory close; and Messrs. Spottiswoode will, I
trust, add to their fame by the preparation of these richly
illustrated volumes. In conclusion, I must not forget to
refer to the courtesy with which my publisher, Mr.
Blackett, has waited my time in respect to this work.
But he has been well aware of the lateness at which
many of the documents reached my hand, and he also
knows that it is impossible for me to work, unless in a
spirit of conscientiousness and truth.
I shall be obliged to those who have collections of
Wedgwood ware by any account of the same, or by per-
mission to view them; particularly if such collections
contain choice specimens of encaustic painted or black
bas-relief vases. I should also be obliged to possessors
viii PREFACE TO THE SECOND VOLUME.
of fine specimens of enamelled useful ware by two-inch
sketches of the border edgings of the same. Coloured
slips, either on the curve or the straight, as the case
may be, would reach me through the courtesy of my
publishers.
I now lay down my pen for a brief season. The
success of this crowning work of my long public services
will stimulate me to fresh labours in the same direction.
I shall also feel that my long and self-denying labour
has not been wholly barren of results, either as regards
the improvement of public taste, or the culture necessary
to a true advance in useful and ornamental art.
CONTENTS
T H E S E CON ID V () L U M E.
CHAPTER I.
MATERIALS AND MECHANICAL AIDS,
The Commencement of Artistic Work—Carolina Clay—Earl Gower's
Friendly Aid and Counsel—Advice from the Duke of Bridge-
water—The Engagement of Mr. Griffiths, the Reviewer's Brother
to return to Carolina—Terra Ponderosa—Its export from the
Mines of Anglezark in Lancashire—Exertions of Mr. Wedgwood's
Friends to procure Specimens—Success of his Experiments—Dr.
Turner's Warnishes—Variety of Tools—Mr. Wyke and Mr.
Stamford. of Derby assist in making them—Further Improvements
in the Lathe-Spiral, Fluted, and Columnar Forms—Matthew
Boulton and Soho–Variety of the Articles made at this Date at
Soho —Dr. Darwin's Model of a Windmill—His reference to Watt
and the Steam-engine—Search for a Warehouse in London—Pall
Mall and Scotland Yard—The Houses at the bottom and top of
St. Martin's Lane—Opening of the London Warehouse—Wexatious
Matter relative to the Site of the Canal at Etruria—Set right by
Brindley's Report—Mr. Wedgwood's Illness through Overwork-
ing his disabled Leg—Its Amputation—Peter Swift's Appendix
to an Invoice—Mrs. Wedgwood's and Mr. Bentley's ministrations—
The interest taken in Mr. Wedgwood's Recovery–His Expressions
of gratitude to his Friend—Mr. Wedgwood's Mother—Her
Relatives the Stringers—Mr. and Mrs. Willet—Joseph Wedg-
wood – Young Byerley's departure for America—Mrs. Byerley's
success in hor Newcastle Business . - e PAGE 1.
X CONTENTS OF
CHAPTER II.
ART IN ITS SPRING.
The Invoices—Perfection of the Cream Ware—Universally admired
and Exported to almost every part of the Globe–Variations in
Colour—Complaints relating thereto—Mr. Wedgwood's irrita-
tion—Printing by Sadler—Pastoral Character of the Early
Designs – Mr. Wedgwood supplies most of those used on his own
Ware—His Search for, and the cost of Prints—Sadler enlarges
his range of Art and Colouring by advice of Wedgwood—
Earliest Vases—Advance from those of Cream-colour to Black
and Terra-cotta Bodies—Variety of Vases and their Price—
Sources of Antique Forms—Lord Cathcart and Mr. Hamilton—
The ‘Antiquités Etrusques, Grecques, et Romaines'—The Ar-
tistic excellence of this Work—Early Proofs of its Plates lent to
Wedgwood—Experiments of the Count de Caylus on one Branch
of Encaustic Painting—Those of Mr. Wedgwood in another—
Bronzing in relation to Pottery—Boulton's proposal to decorate
Works in Earthenware with Metal Ornaments—Feelings of
Rivalry—Mr. Wedgwood's Patent—The first pair of Bronze
Vases—Progress at Etruria—Artists—John Voyez—Goes to
Burslem—Extract from his Letter to Cox–His Imprisonment
and subsequent base conduct—Mrs. Landre's Models—Bas-reliefs
by Bacon—Rhodes and Croft—Prices of their Work—Coward,
Tassie, Theodore Parker, Watson, and Pingo—Tassie a great
Artist—The Warehouse in Newport Street—Show Rooms—
Beauty of their arrangement—Visits to London—Mr. Boulton–
A Morning's Employment—Wedgwood's Appearance and Dress—
Sagacity of his Remarks upon Political Affairs and Personal
Character. e tº ge & PAGE 53
CIIAPTER III.
ORNAMENTAL WARE.
Vases and their Varieties—The Dates of the earliest Specimens–
First copies of the Hamilton Vases—Mr. Bentley's frequent
Journeys between Liverpool and Burslem—Opening of the
Etruscan Works at Etruria—Fruits of the first Day's Labour—
Mr. Bentley's expected settlement at Etruria—Sudden Change of
Plans—The first Russian Services—Mr. Bentley becomes a
Resident in London–His Departure a loss to Liverpool—The
Mr.
THE SECONI) VOLUME. xi
Change inimical to his Health—The necessity for larger and more
private Enamelling Works—Chelsea—The Decline and Sale of
its Porcelain Manufactory—M. Spermont—Little Cheyne Row—
Mr. Bentley's House at Etruria—Mr. Wedgwood enters upon its
temporary occupation—His Picture of the ‘Flitting '-Progress
of the Ornamental Works—Admirable adaptations of Means to
Ends—Etruria Hall—Its situation—Improvements effected—Great
demand for Vases—Cream Ware Services for the Quakers—Sir
Watkin Williams Wynne–Lord Bessborough—M. Du Burk—
Enormous Sales—Difficulty of meeting the demand—Newport
Street thronged with Carriages—Early Bas-reliefs—Pirates—
Their unscrupulous Arts—Bronze Encaustic—The Statuettes of
Mars and Venus—Smaller Groups and single Figures—Specimens
of Vases in Black Basaltes—Crystalline terra-cotta—Etruscan
Painted Vases—Outlines of forms—Prices—Light-bearing Orna-
ments—Flowerpots, Boughpots, and Rootpots—Their incredible
Variety—Sphinxes, Tritons, Lions, Tripods, and other Orna-
ments—Figures from Rome–Studies from Antique Gems—Dr.
Maty and the British Museum . - * PAGE 105
CHAPTER IV.
ARTISTIC WORIX AND WORK MIEN.
Wedgwood suffers from a Disorder in his Eyes—Anticipates
Blindness—Illness of Mr. Richard Wedgwood—Bentley's neces-
sary Residence in London—Wedgwood wishes to instruct Bentley
in the Secrets of his Art—Things brighten–Enamel Painters—
The Wilcoxes—Mr. Denby, his Ability—Pleasant domestic Life
at Chelsea—Miss Oates–Miss Stamford–Bentley's Popularity –
Becomes acquainted with many of the Literary and Scientific
Characters of the Day—Titled Visitors to Burslem and Etruria—
Commencement of the Enamelling Works at Chelsea—Painters at
Etruria drafted there—Proposed Classes for improving the Hands—
The Partners find they must train their Painters—The use of
outlines in Vase Painting suggested by Crofts—Bentley objects to
Mechanical Art—The Subjects of some of the Bas-reliefs made
during 1769—William Cox—Annoyances arising from his care-
lessness—Mr. Wedgwood's burst of indignation—Aristocratic
Correspondents—Bentley in the House of Lords—His vivid
description of Chatham's Oratory—A Clerk of Weights and
Measures—Completion of the Minor Russian Services—Removal
to Etruria Hall—Difficulties connected with the Partnership
between Wedgwood and Bentley—A Momentary Cloud between
xii
CONTENTS OF
the Friends—Wedgwood's noble Letter—Its Definition of Utility
and Beauty—The Difficulty settled—Determined Piracy—The
Patent—Palmer and his Partner Neale—A Compromiseproposed—
The Business settled in London—Palmer's later Piracies—Birth
of Wedgwood's youngest and most gifted Son . PAGE 163
CHAPTER V.
WEDGWOOD's FRIENDs.
Mr. Wedgwood's Scientific Friends—James Keir—Dr. Small - James
Mrs.
Watt—Darwin's keen Sagacity—Proposes to cut a narrow Canal
at his own expense—Boulton and Fothergill's Scheme for orna-
menting Earthenware with Metal—Their Rivalry with the Potters—
Wedgwood's Artistic Fruitfulness—Suggestions to Bentley—Shall
Generosity or Prudence weigh the balance 2—Bentley's Decision—
Essential difference in the Character and Genius of Boulton and
Wedgwood—Vases for Boulton—Light-bearing Ornaments—
Athenian Stuart—Show Rooms in the Adelphi proposed—The
Styles of Art to be displayed there—A visit to Christ Church,
Oxford, and to Soho—The Chetwynd Monument—Its Failure as
a Work of Art—The advance of good taste proved by the general
distaste to Gilding on the Pebble Vases—Works in Hand—
Figures—The Somnus or Sleeping Boy—Autumn—The Infant
Hercules and Neptune–Literature made an aid to Art–Chitgua,
the Chinese Modeller—Rooms in Bath and Dublin—The Irish
demand for Ornamental Ware—Burdett the Painter—Wedgwood's
Children—An Organ sent to Etruria—Further completion of the
Works there—The Modelling Room—Mr. Wedgwood's Office—
Brindley's Portrait—Brindley's Illness and Death—Wedgwood
and Darwin's high opinion of his Genius and Character—
Brindley's Death-bed Wish as to his Successor—The Locks at
Runcorn—Another Contest with the Trent and Mersey Navigation
Committee—A Pleasant Voyage and its Festivities . 205
CHAPTER VI.
THE RUSSIAN SERVICE.
Wedgwood's lengthened Illnesses—Her Husband and herself visit
Bath—The Show-rooms there—Their Decoration with Green
Baize and Yellow Paper—Company—Staffordshire People—Mr.
Palmer, Mrs. Chatterley—Mr. Wedgwood's Friendly Kindness to
THE SECOND VOLUME. xiii
Palmer—Boulton's Goods in Bath—His Boast to the Shop-
keeper—Bentley's Marriage—Sir Harbord Harbord and his
Mother—Mr. and Mrs. Wedgwood visit Chelsea—A Wedding
Present—Mrs. Wedgwood's increased Illness—Her Husband's
broken Health—Troubles connected with Newport Street—
Benjamin Mather—The Forbearance of his good Masters—Con-
tests with the Ornamental Hands—Over-production—Household
Conspiracy—Mr. Wedgwood's Children—An Accident on the way
to Liverpool—Lessons in Metallurgy—Mr. Wedgwood's Brothers
—Death of Mr. Thomas Wedgwood of the Overhouse–Bad
state of his affairs—His weak and conscience-stricken Widow—
The eldest Son—The Russian Service–Vast Orders for Narva
and Revel—Wedgwood's Letter to Bentley relative to the Service—
Necessary Precautions—Stringer of Knutsford—His Opinion of
the difficulty of the Work—An Appeal to the Empress—Real
Views—The Camera Obscura—Assistance rendered by the Aris-
tocracy—That of Staffordshire especially—Doubts as to shewing
or non-shewing the Service–Appropriate emblems—Greek Street,
Soho —Part of the Premises hired there originally a Dissecting
Room—The Architects of the Day—Bentley's Energy—Resorts to
Artists, Engravers, and Booksellers—The Painters of the Russian
Service—The Public admitted to see the Service—Visit from the
Queen—Duplicate Pieces—Cup and Saucer in the Mayer Collec-
tion—Improvements in Greek Street—Price of the Service—The
Catalogue—The Empress's Satisfaction . tº PAGE 251
CHAPTER VII.
THE NEW COMPOSITION AND ITS RESULTS.
Change in the Fashionable Taste for Cream Ware—Wedgwood dis-
inclined to favour this Caprice—Improves the ordinary Biscuit
Body—Begins his Experiment for one still finer—The Cornish
Clays—First Trials of the Carbonate of Baryta—His delight in
Chemical Experiment—The Terra Ponderosa or Carbonate of
Baryta—Its Protean Character—A Hint from Priestley–The
Sulphate of Baryta or Cawk—Its use as an Ingredient in the new
Body—Joachim Smith's Portraits in Wax—Cawk found to be
the true material—Portraits and Small Statue Bas-reliefs—
Promise of Larger Compositions—The Terra Ponderosa not wholly
discarded, though reduced to fractional use – Change in Processes—
Cawk on Middleton Moor—Precautions necessary in obtaining it—
Disguised by pounding—Wedgwood overworked—Tablets for
Chimney-pieces—Flaxman–His First Work for Wedgwood—
xiv
The
CONTENTS OF
Modellers' Bills—Stained Relief work—Cameos—Manufacturing
Processes—The term Jasper applied to the new Composition—
Its Ingredients—Difficulties with its Secret—Tablets by Hack-
wood—Cameos—A Cabinet of Gems—A Book of Vases—Subjects
in White Biscuit and uncoloured Jasper—The Choice of Hercules—
Plaque of Pomona—Head of Medusa—That of Minerva—Vase
of exquisite form—Sacrifice to Pan and its Companion—Increase
in Enamelled Ware—Borders—Other patterns—Printing—Shell
and Sea-weed patterns—Further Improvements—Proposed Print-
ing Manufactory on the Banks of the Grand Trunk Canal—
Prices—Tiles—Green's lengthened Services to Wedgwood 307
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CATALOGUES AND THEIR CONTENTS.
Catalogues—Various Editions—Subjects in the First, Second
Fourth, and Fifth Editions—Flaxman's Work—The ‘Genius of
Sculpture’—High and Low Relief—The Muses—Flaxman's Por-
trait in Wax—Tablets for Chimney-pieces—Longton Hall, Sir
William Bagot—No fixed and unvariable Price for fine Works—
A Chimney-piece for Trentham—Brown the Gardener and Archi-
tect—Orthodox Theory in relation to Colour—Opposition of the
Architects—Sir W. Chambers persuades the Queen that Wedg-
wood's Tablets are not fit for Chimney-pieces—A, Bas-relief for
Sir W. Hamilton—His Letter—Wedgwood's Chimney-pieces
widely though sparsely scattered—Slabs for Enamel Painting—
Stubbs—His persistent Character—Black Bas-relief Vases—The
Earl of Warwick—Busts—The De Witts—Great Men of other
Countries—Seals—Polishing—Robert Pollard—Pirates—Palmer
and Voyez again—Voyez's Seals—Travels about the Country—
Forges Wedgwood and Bentley's names—In Trouble at last—
Wedgwood's dignified Silence—Voyez disappears from the Scene—
Palmer's Bankruptcy—Results—Tassie—His Medallion Portraits
—Cameos—Cabinets—Copestake, the Lapidary and Jeweller of
Uttoxeter—Soho-Ground-laying in Water-colours—The decora-
tion of Furniture and Fancy Articles with Cameos—Boulton and
Fothergill's Wares at the Russian Court—Knife and Fork Vases—
Storer and his Patent—Rosso Antico—Cane and Bamboo Wares—
Gold Bronze—Inkstands—Mortar Material introduced —Improve-
ments—Mortars at Apothecaries' Hall—Multifarious Works 353
THE SECONI) VOLUME, XV
CHAPTER IX.
GREEK STREET ANI) BENTLEY.
The IIouses in Greek Street—Bentley's Hospitality—IIis Literary and
Scientific Friends—His Labours as a Politician and Reviewer—
American Affairs—Uselessness of the Contest—Mr. Hodgson—
Cameo Medallion of Dr. Franklin—Bentley's Club at Young
Slaughter's Coffee-house—Mrs. Bentley—Unhealthiness of Greek
Street—Cookworthy's Patent—Wedgwood and his Friend, Mr.
Turner, visit Cornwall—Champion's Application to Parliament—
Proposed Experimental Work—Return of Byerley—His Life in
America—Settles down at Home—His Ability and Energy—Peter
Swift's short-lived Ambition—Birth and Death—The Wedgwoods
of Smallwood and Spen Green—The Death of John Wedgwood—
Richard Wedgwood at Etruria—Death of Mr. Willet—The Bank
House, Newcastle-under-Lyme—The Unitarian Chapel—Wedg-
wood's Children—A Journey to France—Turnham Green—
Bentley's House — Its Decorations — A new Harpsichord—
Study of Shells—Warltire's Lectures on Chemistry—Stubbs—
The Family Picture—Wright of Derby—Lancashire Riots—
Education—M. Potet, a French Tutor—Warrington Academy
and Edinburgh—Dr. Darwin's Windmill Resuscitated—Paul
Elers—His Father's Portrait—Completion of the Grand Trunk
Navigation—Lord Denbigh—Bentley's Death and Burial—His
Memorial Tablet in Chiswick Church . t PAGE 413
CHAPTER X.
PHILOSOPHY AND ART.
Changes at Etruria—Alexander Chisholm and Henry Webber—The
Value of their Services—The Pyrometer—Experimental and
Philosophical Labours connected therewith—Colour as a test of
Degrees of Heat—Its unsuitability—The Instrument described—
Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society—The Field of his Experi-
ments widens—Expansion of Metals and the Theory of Congela-
tion—Dr. Darwin corresponds with Wedgwood on these subjects
—The Originality of some of his Experiments and Suggestions—
Anticipates some portions of the Glacial Theory—Wedgwood's
ultimate Experiments on his Heat Measurer—Highwaymen and
Footpads in the Potteries—Lamentable condition of the Country—
Discontent in the Potteries—Riot at Etruria—Damage to the
xvi.
The
CONTENTS OF
Crate Shop—Made good by the Proprietors of the Trent and
Mersey Navigation—Mr. Wedgwood's Pamphlet–Soundness of
its Views—Emigration of Workmen to foreign Countries—Spies
and Crimps—Mr. Wedgwood's Address—Its Patriotic Spirit—
Derbyshire Black Wadd—Proprietorship of Clay Mines—Visits
Cornwall—Has interest in Mines of another Character–Shares
the product of one with Watt—Foreign Trade—Its extraordinary
Increase—Du Burk of Amsterdam—Ippoliti of Venice–Micali
of Leghorn—Rost of Leipsic—Sale at Christie's—New Clerks—
Flaxman's Bills—His small Bas-reliefs—Lady Templeton—
Specimens of Jasper Ware—Cameo—Medallion of Mrs. Siddons—
That of Sir Joshua Reynolds—Portraits of Wedgwood—The
Chessmen—Herbert Crofts—Arms for the General Chamber of
Manufacturers—Useful Ware in Ornamental Jasper—Wedgwood
to Sir William Hamilton—Flaxman—Inventory of the Goods
sent to Rome—Webber—His first Models—Spends a Year in
Italy—Travels Home with Mr. Wedgwood's eldest Son—Settles
down to work on the Barberini Vase—Lochee—Does Modelling
at Stowe-Wright of Derby—His celebrated Picture of the ‘Maid
of Corinth'—Wedgwood's Criticism . tº . PAGE 463
CHAPTER XI,
THE PERIOD OF A RTISTIC PERFECTION.
Jasper Vases—Their Period of Perfection—Vase with Bas-relief
of Apollo and the Nine Muses–Vase, Falcke Collection—Bridal
Vase—Vase, convoluted Ornaments—Vase, Bas-relief the Dancing
Hours—Vase, Quatrefoil Ornaments and Gilt—Vase-like Cup,
White on Sea-green—Hand Lamp—Personal Ornaments – The
Originality of this section of Wedgwood's Labours—Specimens—
Jasper Tea Ware—Its extreme Beauty—Bust of Mercury—
Medallion of Shakespeare—Prohibition of Ware and Duty on
Exports—Wedgwood desires Free-Trade—The Concessions to
Ireland in 1780 a Dead Letter—Pitt's Irish Propositions—Oppo-
sition of Manufacturers—Wedgwood's Energy—His Evidence
before a Committee of the Privy Council—Suggests a General
Chamber of Manufacturers—Its establishment and Constitution—
Wedgwood's Interviews with Mr. Pitt — Misunderstanding with
Dr. Pretyman—His intimacy with the Chiefs of Opposition—Fox
sends him. Designs from Lady Diana Beauclerk—Mr. Eden—The
Eleven Propositions amended—Supineness of many Delegates—
Boulton wanted elsewhere—Watt grows testy—Wedgwood's
Fidelity to his Trust—His Efforts in Vain—The Bill passes the
The
THE SECONL) VOLUME. xvii
House of Lords—Its Defeat in Ireland–Wedgwood's Recreations—
Sends Presents to Mr. Eden's Children—Returns Home–Chisholm
acts as Schoolmaster—Foreign Spies–Commercial Treaty with
France—Wedgwood, through Mr. Eden, gives important informa-
tion to Pitt—Wedgwood-ware in France—Walker of Manchester
—Discussions in the General Chamber—Artistic Business—
Priestley and Darwin–The Charms of Science and Society—Re-
newed Hostilities in the Chamber—Walker and Wedgwood—
Proposals to Remodel the Chamber—Vitality of the Trade with
France—Sykes and Daguerre—Flaxman's Bas-reliefs—Comme-
moration of the Treaty—Abolition of the Slave Trade—Copies
sent to Franklin—Last Contribution to the Philosophical Trans-
actions—Settlement at Sydney Cove—Webber's Medallion—
Darwin's Verses—Wedgwood again ill—Is assisted by his Sons—
His ceaseless Enthusiasm for his Art PAGE 509
CHAPTER XII.
FINAL WORKS.
Barberini Vase—Brought to England by Sir W. Hamilton—Sold
to the Duchess of Portland—Her Secrecy—The Sale of her
Museum—The Vase purchased by her Son, and lent to Wedg-
wood—Sir W. Hamilton—Difficulties—The subject of the Bas-
reliefs—Critical Differences—Death of Mr. Thomas Wedgwood,
Senior—Partnership Changes—Thomas Wedgwood, Junior—An
ardent Scholar—Silvered Ware—The First Germs of Modern
Photography—Flaxman in Rome—Artists employed for Mr.
Wedgwood—Devaere—Bas-reliefs — Dalmazzoni — Subordinate
Modellers—Their Worth—A Fine Copy of the Barberini Vase
effected—Shown to the Queen—Taken abroad by Josiah Wedg-
wood, Junior, and Mr. Byerley—Lord Auckland—Writes in
praise of young Wedgwood—Price—Josiah the younger as a
Potter—Piracies—Wedgwood's Holidays—His Tour in Wales—A
Roman Pavement—His love of Gardening—Hospitality—Passion
for Books—Correspondence—Beneficence—Political Opinions—
Mrs. Bentley—Boulton—Candour with Priestley–His large
Fortune–Dislikes Account-keeping—Characteristics–Simplicity
—Increasing value of his Artistic Works—Modern Plaques—Sir
William Hooker's Monument—Last Labours—Illness and Death—
Monument by Flaxman 573 .
WOL. II. &l
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
TO
THE SECOND VOLUME.
ENGRAVED ON WOOD BY G. PEARSON.
-º-º-º-
Portrait on Steel of Thomas Bentley º º Frontispiece
- PAGE
Coloured Borders. Enamelled Ware . o - 344–5
FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS.
Somnus or Sleeping Boy—De la Rue Collection e . 230
Family Picture . e e o e e . 441
Breakfast-Table Scene . o gº º e . 585
Bas-relief–Achilles and the Daughters of Lycomedes—Falcke
Collection . o ſº te e 4. . 588
Bas-relief–Priam begging the Body of Hector—Falcke Collection 591
Bas-relief–Sacrifice of Iphigenia—De la Rue Collection . 591
Floral Sacrifice–Bohn Collection º e * º } 592
Birth of Achilles—Hooker Collection º e &
Barberini Vase—Wedgwood's Copy . 593
º Cameo Medallion of Dr. Fothergill—Mayer Collection e 7
2. Impression from Tools º º º . 18
3. Ditto º - º s º º . 20
4. Fluted Candlestick—Mayer Collection e e . 24
5. Dr. Darwin's Windmill . & º - . 29
6. Artist Exhibition Room, Pall Mall, 1768 . º . 33
7. Engraving for a Tile—Mayer Collection . º . 59
XX
FIG.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31,
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
ILLUSTRATIONS TO
. Engraving on Tea-ware—Mayer Collection. º
Printed Teapot, Wesley preaching—Mayer Collectio
Engraving for Cream-ware—Mayer Collection & e
Tea Canister—Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Stree
Drinking Mug—Mayer Collection . º & e e
Engraving for a Tile or Plate. An early design of Stothard
for Wedgwood—Mayer Collection †
Outline of a Vase for Soho-Mayer MSS. . * - - -
Jug modelled by Voyez. Coloured Sketch—Mayer MSS .
Cameo Medallion of Lord Mansfield—Mayer Collection
Throwing Room, Ornamental Works, Etruria .
Vase from an Original Painting—Mayer MSS.
Etruria Hall, 1770 . - e º e
Statuette of Mars in Bronze Encaustic—Mayer Collection
Statuette of Venus in Bronze Encaustic—Mayer Collection .
Small Group in Black Basaltes—Order Book, Etruria
Single Figures in Black Basaltes—Order Book, Etruria
Wase—Black Basaltes—Mayer Collection . . . .
Wase—Black Basaltes—Mayer Collection . ſº
Vase—Black Basaltes—Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn
Street . • . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vase–Crystalline Jasper—Mayer Collection . º e
Vase—Crystalline Jasper Gilt Ornaments—Mayer Collection
Vase–Crystalline Agate—South Kensington Museum
Vase–Crystalline Jasper, or Porphyry—South Kensington
Museum. ge . . . ; ſº - s •
32. Etruscan Painted Vases Red on Black—South Kensington
• Museum & • • • . .
Etruscan Painted Vase, Black on Red–South Kensington
Museum • * - •
Saucer-shaped Plate, Red on Black–South Kensington
Museum e e .
Pendant Lamp—Marryat Collection * e g
Sphinx, Black Basaltes—Museum of Practical Geology .
Buckingham House º º . tº
Trentham Hall
Earl Gower. e e - & * tº
Lord Chatham * * 4. . . ... •
Triton Candlestick—Old Order Book . . .
Chimaera—Marryat Collection
James Stuart—Mayer Collection . ,
Monument to Lord Chetwynd
View of Etruria Works . -
Modelling Room, Etruria . e . . . . . .
. 285
PAGE
60
60
61
64
64
65
75
89
102
111
113
129
139
140
141
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
147
148
149
150
151
159.
174.
177
178'
186
. 218
219
220
225
237
FIG. "'
THE SECOND VOLUME,
xxi
PAGE
47. Interior of Works . . . . . . . . •º, . . 238
48. The Duke of Bridgewater—Barlow Collection . . . 245
49. Empress of Russia–Mayer Collection - & . , 281
50. Saucer, Russian Service—Mayer Collection . . . 296
51. Cup and Saucer, Russian Service—Mayer Collection 297
52. Choice of Hercules—Barlow Collection © . , 338
53. Oval Tablet. Pomona–Mayer Collection . • . 339
54. Head of Medusa—Sibson Collection * . . . . . . 340
55. Vase, White Biscuit—Barlow Collection . . . . 341
56. Head of Minerva–Barlow Collection . . 341.
57. Cottage Plate—Hooker Collection . 346
58. Nautilus Dish–De la Rue Collection . 347
59. Shell and Sea-weed Dish—Mayer Collection . 349
60. Cameo Medallion. Marriage of Cupid and Psyche—Mayer
Collection . . . . . . . . . . 358
61. Cameo Medallion. Niobe's Children—Bohn Collection 359
62. Centaur. Plaque, Black Basaltes—De la Rue Collection - 360
63. Tablet. Black Basaltes—De la Rue Collection jº . . .361
64. Bust of Horace—Barlow Collection * . sº . .362
65. Bust of Virgil—Barlow Collection . . . . . 363
66. Bust of Seneca—De la Rue Collection sº . . . .364.
67. Jasper Tablet. Apotheosis of Homer—Mayer Collection .. 365
68. Bas-relief Tablet. Bacchanalian Sacrifice—Bagshawe Col-
* lection . . : e > * - * * ſº ... 368
69. Flaxman. Model in wax—Falcke Collection ... 370
70. Chimney-piece, Longton Hall, Staffordshire . . . . . .373
71. Cameo Medallion. Sir Wm. Hamilton–Mayer Collection .382
72. Black Bas-relief Vase or Cup—De la Rue Collection 386
73. Vase. Triton handle. Modelled by Flaxman–Hooker Col-
lection - “s * * • ' * . . .387
74. Vase. Satyr Handle. Modelled by Flaxman–Hooker
Collection . tº e 4 . . . . . . .387
75. Bust of John or Cornelius De Witt—De la Rue Collection 388
76. Bamboo Triple Vase—De la Rue Collection • . 406
77. Flower Vase, Cane-colour body, white relief—Hooker Col-
lection . . • ' . e * . . . . 406
78. Came-colour and White Flowerpot. De la Rue Collection . 407
79. Cane-colour Flowerstand—De la Rue Collection 407
80. Vase. Gold Bronze. Bohn Collection = 408
81. Inkstand. Black with Red relief–Barlow Collection 408
82. Cameo Medallion. Franklin–Barlow Collection . . . 419
83. Cameo Medallion. Dr. Johnson—Barlow Collection 448
84. Cameo Medallion. Admiral Keppel–Mayer Collection . 449
85. Cameo Medallion. Prince William Henry—Sibson Collection 450
xxii
LPI(#,
ILLUSTRATIONS TO
86. Cameo Medallion of John Philip Elers—Hooker Collection .
87. Bentley's Monument by Scheemakers, in Chiswick Church .
88. Tureen. Pearl-white ware-Italian Order
89. Plate, Pearl-white ware—Italian Order g *
90. Bas-relief. Blindman's Buff. Flowerpot—Falcke C
91. Saltcellar. Cupids at Play–Sibson Collection
92. Teapot—Sibson Collection & tº
93. Curved Cameo—Mayer Collection . Ç
94.
Cameo. Cupids at Play—Barlow Collection
95. Cameo—Barlow Collection g * º
96. Cameo Medallion by Flaxman, of Mrs. Siddons—Mayer
97. Cameo Medallion.
Collection .
98. The Chessmen—Designed by Flaxman . & &
99. Pedestal or Altar. Blue and White Jasper—Mayer Col-
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
lection tº & * tº º ge
Dish or plate. Blue and White Jasper—De la Rue Collection
Tripod and Flower Vase—Mayer Collection ſº e
Cup and Saucer. White and Lilac Jasper—South Kensing-
ton Museum tº © g te &
Cup and Saucer. Blue and White Jasper—South Kensing-
ton Museum gº e we º * *
Slop Basin. Blue and White Jasper—South Kensington
Museum e * * † te º
Sugar Basin. Blue and White Jasper—Falcke Collection
Tureen. Blue and White Jasper—De la Rue Collection
Wine Cooler. Blue and White Jasper—De la Rue Collection
Déjeńner Service. Slate-colour and White Jasper—
Gladstone Collection we º {. ©
Reduced Copy of the Inventory of Goods taken by Flaxman
to Rome. In Flaxman's handwriting—Mayer Collection.
Vase. Blue and White Jasper—Marjoribanks Collection .
Vase and Pedestal. Black and White Jasper—Falcke
Collection ſº gº • º e
Bridal Vase. Black and White Jasper—Barlow Collection
Vase. Black and White Jasper—Tulk Collection
Vase. Blue and White Jasper—Avery Collection tº
Wase. Blue and White Jasper, with Gilding—Bohn Col-
lection se e * tº º &
Vase. Blue and White Jasper—Mayer Collection §
Goblet. Pale Green and White Jasper—Falcke Collection
Hand-lamp. Blue and White Jasper—Mayer Collection .
Brooch. Blue and White Jasper—De la Rue Collection .
Snuff-box. Blue and White Jasper—Barlow Collection
ollection
Sir Joshua Reynolds—Mayer Collection
FAGE
454
460
482
483
487
488
488
489
489
490
491
492
493
498
499
500
501
502
503.
503
503
504
505
109.
110.
111.
112.
113.
114.
115.
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
506
511
513
514
515
515
517
518
519
519
520
521
IFIG.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
127.
128.
129.
130.
131.
132.
133.
134.
135.
136.
137.
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143.
THE SECOND VOLUME, xxiii
PAGE
Locket. Dark Blue and White Jasper. Barlow Collection 522
Watch-case. Blue and White Jasper—Falcke Collection 522
Ear-rings. Blue and White Jasper—Barlow Collection . 522
Queen Charlotte's Opera-glass. Blue and White Jasper—
Barlow Collection º º º º . 523
Buckle to Girdle. Blue and White Jasper—Bohn Collection 523
Ring—Barlow Collection tº º 524
Smelling-bottles. Blue and White Jasper—De la Rue and
Sibson Collections e o e • . 524
Cameo. Blue and White Jasper—Mayer Collection . 525
Meptune borne on the Ocean on a Shell—Sibson Collection 526
Water-God pouring out a River from his Pitcher—Sibson
Collection . te * © º e . 526
Circular Bas-relief. Apotheosis of Virgil–Mayer Col-
lection . tº & tº º e . 527
Cup. Dark Blue and White Jasper—Bohn Collection . 528
Saucer. Dark Blue and White Jasper—Bohn Collection . 528
Covered Cup and Saucer. Blue and White Jasper—Tulk
Collection º & º e Če & 529
Cream Cup. White Jasper with Green wreath—Falcke
Collection e e e e Q . 529
Cup. Blue and White Jasper–Catalogue edit. 1787 . 530
Cup and Saucer. Pale Blue and White Jasper-Mayer
Collection e e º e ſº . 530
Jasper Border Edgings . tº e to . 531
Bust of Mercury—Falcke Collectio e o . 531
Oval Plaque Black Basaltes. Head of Shakespeare—De la
Rue Collection . - 532
Straw-coloured Vase, Red Vine Leaves—Barlow Collection 533
Black Vase, Red Ornaments—Barlow Collection . 533
Cameo Medallion. William Pitt—Mayer Collection . 542
144. Bas-relief. Mercury joining the hands of England and
France. Modelled by Flaxman–Tulk Collection . 564
145. Intaglio. Black Basaltes—Mayer Collection * . 565
146. Oval Medallion. Hope addressing Peace, Labour, and
Plenty. Modelled by Webber—Mayer Collection . 568
147. Cameo Medallion. Sir Joseph Banks—Mayer Collection . 569
148. Silvered ware. Teatray—Falcke Collection e . 585
149. Seal of Josiah Wedgwood º & tº 607
150. Fern Plaques in Jasper-ware forming parts of the Monu-
ment to Sir William Jackson Hooker, Kew Church . 609
151. Wedgwood's Monument. Parish Church, Stoke-upon-Trent 611
152. Grave of Josiah Wedgwood and his Wife . º . 612
153. Bust of Wedgwood. Presented to the Wedgwood Memorial
Institute by Joseph Mayer, F.S.A., Liverpool . . 615
154. The Wedgwood Memorial Institute, Burslem © . 617
xxiv. ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE SECOND VOLUME.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
INTERSPERSED THROUGHOUT THE WORK. -
Cameo. signs of the Zodiac-Mayer Collection . Half-Title
SmaII Bas-relief–Floral Sacrifice—Mayer Collection . Ditto -
Encaustic Painted Vase. e * . • . Title
Intaglio. “Health is Rest”—Mayer Collection . tº . .] 03
Oval Cameo—Mayer Collection. . . ... • . 204
Cameo Medallion—Sibson Collection . • ... ' . 250
Cameo, designed for Germany . . . . . ſº . .306
Cane-éolour Inkstand–Barlow Collection . . . 411
Cameo—Sibson Collection tº e . . . ... 461
Terra-cotta Bracket head—Sibson Collection . g . 508
Commemoration Cameo—Mayer Collection e . 572
Cameo—Barlow Collection . . . . 612
Cameo. Time with his Scythe-Barlow Collection . ." . .619
CHAPTER THE FIRST.
THE COMMENCEMENT OF ARTISTIC WORK–CAROLINA CLAY-EARL
GOWER'S FRIENDLY AID AND COUNSEL–ADVICE FROM THE DUKE
OF BRIDGEWATER—THE ENGAGEMENT OF MR. GRIFFITHS, THE RE-
VIEWER's BROTHER, TO RETURN TO CAROLINA-TERRA PONDEROSA
—ITS EXPORT FROM THE MINES OF ANGLEZARK IN LAN CASHIRE–
EXERTIONS OF MR. WEDGWOOD'S FRIENDS TO PROCURE SPECIMIENs
—SUCCESS OF HIS EXPERIMENTS — DR. TURNER's WARNISHEs—
VARIETY OF TOOLS-MR. WYKE AND MIR. STAMEORD OF DERBY ASSIST
IN MAKING THEM-FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LATHE–
SPIRAL, FLUTED, AND COLUMNAR FORMS–MATTHEW BoulTon AND
SOHO-WARIETY OF THE ARTICLES MADE AT THIS DATE AT SOHO-
DR. DARWIN'S MODEL OF A WINDMILL–HIS REFERENCE To WATT
AND THE STEAM-ENGINE—SEARCH FOR A WAREHOUSE IN LONDON
—PALL MALL AND SCOTLAND YARD–THE HOUSES AT THE BOTTOM
AND TOP OF ST. MARTIN'S LANE–OPENING OF THE LONDON WARE-
HOUSE—WEXATIOUS MATTER RELATIVE TO THE SITE OF THE CANAL
AT ETRURIA—SET RIGHT BY BRINDLEY'S REPORT-MR, WEDGwooD's
ILLNESS THROUGH OWIERWORKING HIS IXISABLED LEG-ITS AMPUTA-
TION.—PETER SWIFT's APPENDIX TO AN INVOICE—MRS, WEDGwooD's
AND MR. BENTLEY’s MINISTRATIONS-THE INTEREST TAKEN IN
MR. WEDGwooD's RECOVERY-HIS EXPRESSIONS OF GRATITUDE To
HIS FRIEND — MR. WEDGWOOD's MOTHER—HER RELATIVES THE
STRINGERS–MR, AND MES. WILLET-JOSEPH WED6FWOOD-YOUNG
BYERLEY's DEPARTURE FOR AMERICA—MRS. BYERLEY'S SUCCESS
IN HER NEWCASTLE BUSINESS.
VOL. II. B
CHAPTER I.
MATERIALS AND MECHANICAL AIDS.
R. WEDGWOOD had now reached a very important
stage in his career; and with the year 1768 a new
one opened to him. Hitherto the fruits had been hardly
commensurate with the toil bestowed; but now, con-
jointly with much anxious preparative work, the realisa-
tion of what had been hitherto mere dreams of the crea-
tive fancy, brought to him an exquisite zest of its own. He
had prepared himself to create, and the world now saw
the impress of the master-hand. The highest ideality in
form—the painter's magic touch in colouring and effect.
Of these preliminary labours the narrative must be
briefly carried on. We have seen that his friend Mr.
Vigor, of Manchester, had, as early as 1766, procured
him some specimens of porcelain clay from South Caro-
lina, and to these had been subsequently added several
varieties of the steatites peculiar to that country. The
latter were probably calcareous and of little value, but
the trials of the former having turned out well, and the
clay exhibiting probably some peculiarities of its own,
Mr. Wedgwood was desirous of ensuring a definite supply.
The place from which it was procured was called Ayoree,"
* In his letter, Mr. Wedgwood spells the word IIyoree. But it stands as
in the text in the patent of 1769.
B 2
4 CHEROKEE CLAY. CHAP. I.
in the country of the Cherokees, lying about 300 miles
from Charlestown. Whilst in London, during the spring
of 1767, he ascertained the correct name and situation of
this place from the map in the House of Commons, and
proceeded, with his usual active vigour, to learn the best
means of communicating with that distant country, and
of securing a right in its rich alluvial deposits.
But many difficulties arose. If he applied for a Par-
liamentary grant, he found that it must pass through
the hands of the Lords of Trades and Plantations, two of
whom were respectively members for Derby and Bristol,
and would naturally resist a monopoly in an article of use
to such of their constituents as were potters. A patent
was equally objectionable, as, from the publicity annexed,
the advantages of such a discovery would soon appear,
and give rise to endless petitions and difficulties; and in
case the patent were not allowed, a swarm of competitors
would be the result. At this stage of the difficulty,
Mr. Wedgwood consulted his unvarying friend Earl
Gower. Just then, the latter had many personal but no
political friends in the Administration, and could render
him no assistance until a change took place. There was
necessarily danger in delay, for several persons had seen
the clay, and an eager competition to secure it might
arise at any moment. His Lordship therefore advised
Wedgwood to send out an agent to South Carolina,
promising to accredit him in every possible way to the
Attorney-General and the Governor; the former being
Lord Gower's personal friend, and under obligation to him,
as through his Lordship's interest he had secured his
post. The Duke of Bridgewater's advice was also to the
same effect. “I have had, he writes to Bentley, “the
honour of a long conference with his Grace of Bridge-
CHAP, I. AN AGENT FOR SOUTH CAROLINA. 5
water on the subject of Cherokee. I laid the whole case
before him without any reserve, & found the confidence
I placed in his honour and advice not disagreeable. He
does not think a Patent will stand for an exclusive right
to the Cherokees, and upon the whole advises to send a
Person over immediately without applying for a grant,
Patent, or anything Else. Chas. Townshend, he says, as
Chancellor of the Excheq', might be apply'd to grant it
me Duty free & to lay a duty upon all imported by
others, but that must be a Parliam" affair, and must be
done another sessions, & very probably wo" not pass, but
wo" inevitably lay the whole affair open. Besides, he says
Mr. Townshend is a frº of Garb—ts, so is L' Shelbourne,
& if it is menti" to the L* of Trade, his Grace says he
knows G–t, who is a Potter in Scotland, is sure to be
advis'd of it. So he gives his advice as above, & I have
some thoughts of following it.”
Curiously enough, Griffiths the reviewer had at this
date a brother staying with him at Turnham Green,
who had just returned from South Carolina after some
years' absence. He was well acquainted with the country,
and seasoned to the climate, as he had held a third share
Brown has promised me the honour
of a visit at Burslem, says he has
often intended it merely from the
character the Ladys had given him
of me. I told him that my life was
devoted to the service of the Ladys,
as his was to that of the noblemen
& gentle" He assured me that they
1 Mr. Garbett, of Birmingham.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, dated
from London, May 23, 1767. From
the same letter we learn that Mr.
Wedgwood had had a previous
interview with the Duke, but that
Brown, the famous landscape gar-
dener, being present, little in refer-
ence to his immediate business could were not ungratefull, and intimated
be said. “The D––’ he adds, that I was nearly as famous amongst
‘rece” & convers'd with me just in the Ladys, as he was amongst the
the same affable, familiar manner as Gen".--we had a good deal of chatt
usual, when he first began to know on various subjects, & are to have
us, by ourselves in Propria Persona, another interview in town. He may
and not from his go betweens. I in- be of much service to me, & I shall
tend to attempt another opportunity not neglect to cultivate what chance
of taking his G 's advice. Mr. has thrown in my way.'
6 GRIFFITHS BROTHER CHOSEN, CHAP, I.
in 3,000 acres of land, and had attempted the manufacture
of maple sugar, after the manner of the Indians. From
want of capital, however, he had to relinquish his partner-
ship, though still retaining an interest in the land—and
he now offered his services to Mr. Wedgwood. But there
were difficulties even here. An agent entrusted with
another man's capital might convert it to his own use,
‘ for I have known instances,’ explained Mr. Wedgwood
to Bentley, of persons changing their sentiments & prin-
ciples with the climate, & totally forgetting their con-
nections with the friend they have left behind them.
Suppose I sho" have his Bro' bound for him, I sho" hardly
take the forfeiture if made.' But these preliminary
difficulties were finally overcome by fixing a credit in
Charlestown with a merchant there, who would also act
as a check upon any proceedings of Griffiths, which
might be disadvantageous to Mr. Wedgwood's interests.
Provided with letters from Lord Gower, which placed him
under the protection of the Attorney-General of South
Carolina, and with an allowance of 50l. per annum and
his maintenance, Mr. Griffiths sailed for North America
in July or August. At the close of the year, Mr. Wedg-
wood heard of him through the agency of the Attorney-
General. He had then set out for the Cherokee country,
accredited to the Indians, and attached to the escort of a
native woman, who, years before, had been stolen from
her nation, but, now redeemed, was returning to them.
We are not told how Mr. Griffiths succeeded in his
mission, or if he was faithful to the trust reposed. The
earliest arrival of a cargo of Carolina clay of which we
have notice is in October, 1768, but from its being ware-
housed for a time in Liverpool, it is probable that it was
only supplementary to others.
Chap. I. - DR. FOTHERGILL. 7
For some time previous to this date, a literary corre-
spondence had sprung up between Dr. Fothergill, the
(Fig. 1.) cAMEo Menarios or on. Formengºut.-MAYER colºriº-
celebrated Quaker physician, and Mr. Wedgwood. The
Doctor, who took great interest in scientific subjects,
seems to have advised with him on this matter of foreign
clays, and to have thought, as did merchants and many
others who had already imported them in small quan-
tities, that unless they were restricted to the manufacture
of highly-prized porcelain, the difficulties and expense

8 FOREIGN AND NATIVE CLAYS. CHAP. I.
connected with their transit from so remote a region
would render them too dear to be available, to any
remunerative extent, to either the importer or potter. It
was not then very clearly, if at all, understood, that the
natural law of supply and demand and the exchanges of
commerce would settle this question in a far better way
than patents, agents, or monopolies could do; and this,
in fact, seems to have been the case, for in the year
following Mr. Griffiths' departure, both the Cherokee and
Pensacola clays had evidently become, if as yet in com-
paratively small quantities, an object of general traffic
with merchants trading with North America. The war
with our colonies for a time interrupted this, as it did
almost all the other branches of import and export trade;
but after the Declaration of Independence, the import of
foreign clay was resumed, and with a considerable in-
crease, though comparatively small compared with the
consumption of native clays. Internal navigation had by
this time fully proved its capabilities; more was known of
the Cornish clays; the roads were being sedulously im-
proved in all the more populated districts of the country,
and the spirit of industry animated the body of the
people with a power hitherto unknown. As soon as clay
ranked with other goods as an article of ordinary import,
the potter had the ability to choose that which was best
fitted to his peculiar use. Mr. Wedgwood seems to have
preferred the clay of Florida to that of South Carolina,
and he thus wrote to Bentley respecting it. “It must be
got as clean from soil, or any heterogenous matter, as if
it was to be eat & put into good casks or boxes, & if
they were to get several parcels at different depths, & put
them in separate casks, properly number'd, I could by
that means easily ascertain what depth of the mine is best
CHAP. I. TERRA PONDEROSA. 9
for Our purpose, as it is very probable that there is a
great difference in that respect, if the stratum be a thick
one.” *
Coincident with the steps thus taken to secure clay of
a superior quality from the regions of the Far West, was
a research of infinitely greater account; and one which,
after a series of long extended experiments, resulted in
Mr. Wedgwood's finest discovery, his crowning feat, as a
philosophic chemist, that of the use of the Terra ponderosa,
the Spath fusible of the French chemists, or the carbonate
of baryta, and ultimately its sulphate, in the body of
pottery. There can be no doubt that many prior at-
tempts had been made in this direction, and that others
were contemporary with his own. It was even rumoured
that the Terra ponderosa was one of the ingredients used
by the Count de Lauraguais in the composition of his
porcelain, and Wedgwood, as we shall see presently, was
very uneasy until he saw the Count's patent,” lest it
should restrict his use of the same material; but as he
found that no process was given, or material to be used
specified, he proceeded with his experiments, and the
results were, at no late date, the vehicles of an artistic
perfection, hitherto supposed impossible.
It would naturally occur, even to an uneducated mind,
that those earthy substances, which were at once semi-
opaque and densely hard, would be serviceable to the
potter; but, beyond its occasional use in glazes, we have
no direct evidence that spar, in any of its available
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem- famed Woodfall, the printer, in the
ber 21, 1768. columns of the ‘Morning Chronicle,”
* The patent bears the date of June 24 and 29, 1773. For this he
June 10, 1766. No specification was had to make a public apology, which
enrolled. On the question of his appeared in the ‘Evening Post,
patent, the Count de Lauraguais de- November 26, 1773.
10 THE LEAſ) MINES OF LANCASHIRE, CHAP. T.
formulas, had yet been introduced as a body ingredient.
A few years later, we know very well that certain German
porcelain manufacturers obtained supplies of this fusible
spar in a scant and even surreptitious manner from the
debris lying around the neglected, yet once celebrated,
lead mines of Anglezark in Lancashire. They employed
a small farmer, who lived amidst the moorland wastes
around the mines, to gather the spar which had been
long before thrown out of the shafts as refuse, break it in
pieces, pack it in boxes, convey it to Chorley, the nearest
town, and thence dispatch it to Liverpool to be shipped.
In order to carry out their operations with the greater
secresy, the man and his wife made their gatherings only
on moonlight nights. But at length their movements
raised the curiosity of persons passing across the waste;
rumours got abroad and reached the ear of Sir Frank
Standish, the lord of the manor, and a stop was put to their
proceedings. To enquiries, the man remained silent; and
it was only some years later when, upon his death-bed,
he told a neighbour that, long prior to discovery, he had
carried on the sale of this spar, that it was exported to
some porcelain works in Germany, and that he had sold
it for five guineas per ton.
But beyond his general knowledge of various analyses,
as those of the French chemists, of Pott in his Litho-
geomosia, and his practical acquaintance with felspar as
an ingredient in glazes, Mr. Wedgwood had no guide for
his own experiments. The results of Scheele's researches
into the nature of the Terra ponderosa were not published
till 1774, and Dr. Withering's experiments and discovery
were of a still later date. The great merit therefore un-
doubtedly belongs to Wedgwood, of introducing, through
the discovery of chemical affinities existing in nature,
CHAP, I. THE RESEARCH OF FRIENDS. 11
but previously unknown, of a new porcelaneous substance
of exquisite adaptability and beauty. Of the successive
stages of his analyses and experiments we necessarily
know nothing, as the results were written in cypher, and
55
confided to mone but his wife, to Darwin, or to Bentley.
But all Wedgwood's confidential friends were aware of
these experiments, and assisted, more or less, in supplying
the necessary substances. Dr. Darwin, Dr. Fothergill,
Mr. Bentley, Mr. Brindley, Mr. Whitehurst of Derby,
and Mr. Vigor of Manchester, make up the list; but
there can be no doubt, that to Bentley's untiring zeal is
due the great merit of first supplying his friend with a
spar which was not calcareous, and in sufficient quantities
for his experiments."
We have already seen that, early in 1766, Wedgwood
was experimentalising on various kinds of spar, but all
the specimens supplied turned out calcareous. Undaunted
by failure, he applied to his friend, Mr. Whitehurst of
Derby, a very ingenious man, who combined the trades
of a watchmaker and an engineer, and whose treatise,
at a later day, on the “Theory of the Earth,’ was well
considered. He worked the Derbyshire lead mines on
an extensive scale, and Wedgwood naturally thought
that these would prove legitimate sources of supply;
as ultimately they did, although Whitehurst seems to
have looked somewhat sceptically on his friend's expe-
riments. ‘Mr. Whitehurst & I have settled a sort of
correspondence, he writes to Bentley; ‘He hath set
his miners to work to put by various samples of earths
& clays, & I am to furnish him with all the curious pro-
1 Although, as we shall see, nearer home. It occurs in the beds
Wedgwood drew his ultimate sup- of fine clay at Shelton, is abundant
plies of sulphate of baryta from at Mole Cop, and is found in the
Derbyshire, the substance lay much sandstone at Stoke-upon-Trent.
12 POTTS’ LITHOGEONOSIA. CHAP. I.
ductions or facts I can pick up from the cuting of the
Canal.” A little later he proposed to Bentley a visit to
the lead mines, but a slight return of previous indis-
position made fulfilment impossible. “I have for some
days past been threatened with a return of my bilious
complaint. If it sho" go off, I have some thoughts of
meeting you at Derby, if you can let me know certainly
when you will be there, and that you can stay a few days
there; or, if you will return with me to Burslem, I will
bring a spare Horse with me, & we can make Matlock in
our way, and visit the Lead mines, which I want much
to do, being in the midst of a course of Experiments
which I expect must be perfected by the Spath Fusible,
a substance I cannot at present meet with, but I will bring
Pott” along with me, who will direct us in the pursuit of
it, and I am very certain we sho" neither lose nor repent
our—labour I will not call it, for it wo" be the highest
entertainment to us both. But, as a chemical guide,
Mr. Wedgwood found Pott's work of little use. “I am
making experiments from Pott, but am sorry to find the
heat his experiments were made in was much more
intense than can be made use of for Pottmaking. . His
results, therefore, & mine are widely different, & I labour
under great disadvantage in not being able to read his
reasoning upon the subjects of his experim"; however, I
have made several interesting ones if I had leisure, or
could make it prudent, to pursue them, but my present
business is too good to be neglected for uncertainties, & I
must, so long as that is the case, be content without
arriving at those improvements in my manufacture which
a little application wo" bring within my reach ; however,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, February a Meaning the Lithogeomosia, a
13, 1767. book of which Pott was the author.
CHAP. I. ANTICIPATED IMPROVEMENTS. 13
I have improved bodys enough for vases, & ornaments
are really an inexhaustible field for us to range in.” Yet
even these prudential doubts soon passed away. A month
later, we find Bentley with his own hand translating Pott's
somewhat barbarous and involved Latin for his friend,
and searching his French chemical dictionary” for what
the experimentalists of that country had to say on the
Spath fusible. Thus assisted, Wedgwood carried on his
labours with renewed heart, ‘Many of my experiments,’
he writes, ‘turn out to my wishes, & convince me more
& more of the extensive capability of our manufacture
for further improvement. It is, at present, comparatively
in a rude, uncultivated state, & may easily be polish" & bro"
to much greater perfection. Such a revolution I believe
is at hand, & you must assist in (and) proffitt by it.”
In the following month, Whitehurst spent a week at
Burslem, for the purpose of making experiments with his
friend. At the same time Brindley and his wife were
taking their brief holiday in the Peak, and on his return
the great engineer gave such an account of the refuse
thrown from the lead mines into the adjacent brooks,
where, being soon washed free from dirt, ‘a great variety
of ponderous bodys’ were left behind, as to make Mr.
Wedgwood wish he were “fossiling amongst them.” But
his experiments were succeeding, and his laboratory in a
quiet nook of the ‘Brick House Works’ had still greater
charms than even the crystal brooks and wild hills of
Derbyshire. ‘My tryals, he writes to Bentley, “turn out
admirably, and will enable us to do such things as never
were done before, let Solomon or Whitehurst say what
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 6, or soon after, was very ably trans-
1767. lated by Captain Keir.
* This was without doubt Mac- * Wedgwood to Bentley, August
quer's Dictionary, which at this date, 5, 1767.
14 - WEDGWOOD AS AN ANALYST, CHAP, I,
they may.” From this it is evident, that Whitehurst had
little of the patient faith of the genuine analyst; and that
having been witness of some of Wedgwood's failures, he
had made short-sighted predictions which genius, as it
ever does, held of no account. His knowledge seems to
have been more superficial than profound; for though
constantly dealing with ponderous and other earthy bodies,
he mistook the nature of some clay he forwarded to
Dr. Darwin for experiment."
Any dread from the Count de Lauraguais' patent dis-
posed of, by reason of the absence of all specification of
materials employed, Wedgwood went onwards with his
important work. The trial pieces still remaining, show
how slow were the advances made; how, defeated to-day,
he renewed his efforts on the morrow ; undeterred, un-
doubting, full of the faith of genius in the ultimate
elaboration of the true means to the countless purposes
of those visions of ideal grace and beauty which filled
his mind. The approach to success, the establishment
of a criterion by which he should insure in future an
absolute certainty as to the true variety of the mineral
employed, is thus heralded to Bentley. “I have try’d
all the Fossils you sent me, which had the appearance or
distinguishing quality of S. P.” & they all prove to be S. P.
in reality, and most of them very good, some of them you
may remember had the appearance & not the quality of
S. P., & those have not the effects of S. P. in my experi-
ments. So that I apprehend that we have a criterion by
which this substance may be distinguished from other ap
parently similar substances, when it can be met with.”
It may seem surprising that Bentley, amidst his multi-
1 Darwin to Wedgwood, * Wedgwood to Bentley, January
* Spar ponderosa. | 16, 1768.
CHAP, I. BENTILEY'S VARIED KNOWLEDGE. 15
farious occupations, could find time to enter so far into
these experiments with his friend as to seek for, and be
the first to obtain, the requisite mineral, which, so like
other sparry and ponderous bodies in many of its charac-
teristics, was only distinguishable through the means of
an elaborate chemical disintegration. But no branch of
science or knowledge appears to have come amiss to this
remarkable man. Mining was somewhat a hobby of his;
and he rivalled Dr. Darwin in his enthusiasm for moss
drainage. In the previous year we find him with an
interest in a mine of peculiarly fine cannel-coal, and he
suggests to Wedgwood that a specimen basket of chips
be kept at the pattern rooms in Charles Street for the
nobility to see ; but the project fell to the ground; not so
much, as it would seem, from the incongruity of the two
objects, coal and exquisite specimens of pottery, as from
the fact that Cox was far too busy in selling cream-colour
dinner services, and marbled and gilt vases, to attend to
the matter. A little later he had entered into some nego-
tiations respecting foreign tanning, and Mr. Wedgwood,
in his usual vein of pleasantry, said he might do as he
pleased respecting them, except absent himself from
the kingdom. But the drainage of Swamps and the cul-
tivation of moor land were Bentley's true hobby. He
was an ardent and most unselfish patriot. He thought
the best method of reforming the Government of the
period was by increasing the productive wealth of the
country, and improving the condition of the people.
He saw with concern thousands of acres lying waste,
whilst large masses of the population were unem-
ployed, and corn at a famine price. He wrote an ad-
mirable pamphlet on this subject; as well as contributed
* Like the pamphlets on Canal Navigation, it appeared without the
name of the author.
16 DR. TURNER OF LIVERPOOL. CHAP. I.
several papers of a like character to the meagre and
unsatisfactory periodicals of the day. Some short time
previously to his leaving Liverpool he bought a little
land on the borders of Chat Moss, inclusive of some acres
of the waste itself. Here he tried his plan of drainage on
a small scale; and with such marvellous success, that there
can be no manner of doubt that, had he lived long enough
to realise his share in the splendid fruits of his own
and his partner's industry, he would have taken in hand,
as a recreation, the improvement of this and other dreary
swamps contiguous to Liverpool; and changed them,
through the magic of cultivation, into fruitful fields. As
it was, he left the traces of the hand of a master on his
small estate. Much of it, through neglect, ultimately re-
turned to swamp ; but enough remained, when the great
Stephenson made his surveys for the Liverpool and Man-
chester Railway, to show how Bentley had anticipated in
his methods of operation, this section of the principles
of modern scientific agriculture.
Silently too, in his busy Liverpool surgery, Dr. Turner
was compounding varnishes, fumigations, bronze powders,
and other chemical appliances for his friend at Burslem.
He appears to have excelled in a profound knowledge of
the chemistry of colours, and more especially their appli-
cation to fusible bodies. “Dr. Turner's varnish came safe
to hand, and is too cheap,' writes his generous friend to
Bentley. “One of the Fumigations is a most excellent
Enamel Colour; so fine a yellow, that I have some hopes
of the Great Work being perfected, and that we shall be
able to turn even the dirt under our feet into Gold.' '
So far for some few of the materials necessary to
Mr. Wedgwood's advances in his art, whilst, hand-in-
| Wedgwood to Bentley.
CHAP. I. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE LATHE. 17
hand, went onwards improvements in the lathe, as
respected fresh adjustments and counterpoises of pulleys
and weights, ovals, tudicles, and rosets. His turner's ex-
perience in the bearing of the tool upon their work, soon
did full justice to Plumier's anticipation of the slide-rest;
though two-thirds of another century was to elapse before
this most valuable mechanical invention was to lend a
new hand, as it were, to the arts. Mr. Wedgwood's deli-
cate manipulations in the line of ornamental variation also
required tools of exquisite construction and fineness; as
punches, spatula-like instruments, and gravers." Of these
he invariably drew the outlines with his own hand, and
then consigned the necessary fabrication to the workmen
of his friend Mr. Wyke of Liverpool, and occasionally to
those of Mr. Stamford of Derby. Indeed, there is reason
to think, that the more delicate of these little instruments
were perfected by Mr. Wyke himself.
We have already seen something of this Liverpool
worthy as a member of the Octagon Chapel, and a man
of rare ability in his business of a watchmaker. At this
date, 1767–8, his means were ample, for he manufactured
watches on a great scale both for home and export trade ;
and having lately erected for himself a substantial house
and workshops in a pleasant garden-court off Dale Street,
he married his second wife, and more than heretofore
found leisure for friendly duties, and for association with
the keen and vigorous intelligence around him. A neigh-
bour and intimate friend of Bentley,” he was, as a matter
º
M. Tudot refer to the variety of the
* The Roman potters appear to
potters' tools found on Romano-
have used a great variety of these
little instruments in their art. Gaulish sites.
Many of the most exquisite effects in * Mr. Wyke was ten years older
the Årretine ware were in part pro- than Bentley, having been born in
duced by very small spoon-like in- 1720.
struments. Both M. Brongniart and
WOL. II. - C
18 TOOL WORK, CHAP. I.
of course, Mr. Wedgwood's friend also, and he seems to
have spared no pains in fulfilling the commissions that so
often came to him through the former.
Mr. Wedgwood in his letters to Bentley frequently
mentions Mr. Wyke. On one occasion he says pleasantly,
in referring to his wife, she ‘hath sent you a watch by
way of a love token I suppose, she says it is a little out
of order, but one Dr. Wyke of your Town perfectly
understands its constitution & complaints, & wo" set it
to rights again if you will be kind enough to send it
to him.’
Very frequently Wyke's men were too fully employed
to undertake Wedgwood's commissions; and when that
was the case a Mr. Finney was applied to. We find him
making what Mr. Wedgwood calls “punches of the
leafage _/2 sort, and he stamps the pattern thus on
the back of his letter—

*QPQ=\}'}.
*ś
... + =}===
Mr. Stamford of Derby, another great friend of Mr.
Bentley, also came in for a share of this business. “I have
this day, Mr. Wedgwood tells his friend, “rec" some tools
from Mr. Stamford to whom I am under great obliga-
tions on that & many other accounts, they are much
better done than the last, & I apprehend his man will
make them very well, Mr Wyke too has been here, & he
promises to set about the patterns I sent him before, and
some others I have given him, wº some patt" for runners
to be sunk with frieses, &c., as he says he has a hand for
that purpose, so that if you have not employed a Tool-
CHAP. L. BORDERS AND FRIEZES. 19
maker, I think it will be better to postpone that business
for a little.” A month later Wedgwood again recurs to
this subject. “Instead of Gadroon edges which are now
grown both old and common, I have got some runners
made at Liverpool to make such borders as I have
sketch'd out below, and other patterns in the same
way . . . . . now I think you might find out a dye-
sinker or seal Engraver to do things of that sort, those
I have got done were by an old seal engraver in Liver-
pool; but they are sadly executed. However, such as they
are, I have made sufficient tryals with them to know that
runners of that sort well executed will answer my expec-
tations. Neat little friezes may be done the same way, and
a variety of ornaments which I will explain to you may be
made by means of them. The Lathe is turn’d round once
only. . . . .” Elsewhere he adds, “Of No. 1 & 2 I compose
beads” for various things, they are the best I have, & sho"
be glad to have diff" sizes of them for diff" sized vessels,
but No. 2 is not quite hollowed enough in the runner, the
leaves are bad, there is no drawing or likeness of a leaf
in them, they are too shallow, & the strokes in the leaves
are so like the threads which they cover or bind, that
the whole effect wants that distinctness which makes so
essential a part of the beautifull. My idea of a perfect
runner of this sort is, that the ground work sho" consist
of three twiggs, so hollowed
º
(* aS
at a, the divisions between the twigs pretty acute or
sharp, but not deep, so far will be done upon the lathe.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, October the vases of black basaltes are so
24, 1767. very exquisite as to rival anything of
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem- the kind in ceramic or metallic art.
ber 21, 1767. Examples are to be found in almost
* Some of the bead mouldings on I every collection.
C 2
^.
20 TWIGS AND I,EAVES. CHAP. I.
Then leaves must be cut (not punch'd) thro" this ground
work, at proper and equal distances, to have the appear-
ance of binding the three twiggs together, but these leaves
sho" not have lines running lengthways as in No. 1, but
sho" first be cut plain and then fibred agreeable to nature
with a main one, & the rest branching from that, but if
these fibres could be left rais'd in the runners, I believe
they wo" have a better effect, but am not certain of that,
No. 10 shows something of the manner of the leaf but not
the ground work.’
Even in these minutest forms of Ornamentation, we
find that constant reference to the truth of nature, and
the adaptability of the ornament to the purpose in view,
which were amongst the primary sources of Wedg-
wood's marvellous success in these and other depart-
ments of his art. With the exception of No. 10, thus,
=&=SEs SSSES
E---> g-cº º-
uſ/37-
(ſ
(Fig. 3.) © GG-D G GG=> G GG-3 C
these exquisite little sketches have been torn away and
lost, but enough is preserved to us to prove the wonderful
fertility of his inventive faculties. His mechanical ability
was equally great. If a need arose, he could at once
sketch out a tool for its accomplishment; and such needs
were always arising. Here is his own description of a
mechanical necessity, and the instrument with which he
proposes to supply it. ‘It often happens that a frieze is
wanted when it cannot be imprinted with a runner, in
that case suppose I wanted to put No. 7 there,' I wo"
* One of the reference sketches which are lost.



CHAP. I. MECHANICAL DEFECTS. 21
have it cut upon a brass runner, which sho" be a groove
by means of the projecting sides as a & a, so that running
it upon a batt of clay, it sho" make the impression & cut
the frieze out at the same time, which it wo" leave behind
it upon the board.
festoons & ornaments will be made in the same way, so
that here is a wide field for a dye sinker if you can find
a proper one.”
In spite of all which had yet been effected in regard to
the lathe, it was comparatively a rude and imperfect
machine, with many difficulties annexed to its use ; as
those relative to mechanical adjustment, the means and
forms employed to produce variations of effects, and the
connection between the tool-bearing hand and its relative
work. With respect to this last difficulty, even Plumier's
anticipative idea of the slide-rest gave little aid. Extra-
ordinary as it may seem, Bentley, besides translating a
large portion of Plumier's book for his friend, helped
him to a practical solution of many difficulties; as this in
connection with the tool-bearing force upon the work.
We learn this from Mr. Wedgwood himself. “I thank
you for your judicious hints & instructions relative to the
tremulous motion I told you we were often embarrassed
with. I believe a weight would in general be preferable
to a spring, & your ingenious method of adjusting it is a
great improvement, & a very simple one, as real im-
provements & valuable inventions generally are. My
workmen have found out by practice what you say, you
are certain of the reason why it is so. The utility of
* Miscellaneous Papers,

22 A BUSINESS JOURNEY. CHAP. T.
having the rest as near as possible to the work; & if you
consider the tool as a lever, the rest as its centre, & the
work bearing against, or rather upon, the end of the tool
as a weight, the reason I think will be very obvious.
But this is a very sad way of conversing on these subjects,
one half day's conversation face to face, with the work
before us, wo" be more effectual to the purposes we are
aiming at, than an age spent in Writing, & I greatly long
for such an interview on many accounts.” Mr. Wedg-
wood then suggests that they should meet at Knutsford
any day Bentley will appoint, and adds, “I propose this
as a journey of business to myself, from which I have
views of pecuniary advantage from the art you are to
instruct & perfect me in, & therefore I shall expect
that you will permit me to act agreeable to my situation
& expectations in that respect, therefore the first preli-
minary in settling this interview is, that it be no expense
to you. You must be convinced of the reasonableness of
this proposal, & I shall almost think you did not wish to
see me if you object to it. . . . We shall want the book
on Engine Turning with us, & if you have found any-
thing curious in the Pottery branch in the ‘Antiquitys,”
if you brought a volume or two of them along with you
they wo" serve as a diversion from the subject at proper
intervals. But this luggage requires that you sho" bring
a ser' & cloak-bag along with you, or take a chaise &
prevail upon your good sister to fill the other seat. The
last will certainly be most agreeable to us both, if you can
prevail upon Miss Oats to take an airing with you, as you
will have the benefit of such good company, & I shall
have the pleasure of waiting upon two of my worthy
* The work by the Count de Caylus,
CHAP. I. DISCUSSIONS. 23
friends instead of one. Very true. I had forgot the Plans."
They must be talked over & settled upon, & that work
cannot possibly be done without the assistance of a Lady.
But what must become of Miss Oats whilst we are
poreing over our turning & trumpery? I have a wife
& sister at her service, & a good & worthy frº at Knuts-
ford, Doctº Colthurst, to whom we owe a visit. The Doc"
has a sister housekeeper, who is seldom from home if
the Doctº sho" be out.’”
Visits like the one proposed were not unfrequent. The
good people of the quiet country town doubtless little
dreamt that the strangers arriving with their cloak-bags
full of papers and books were amongst the worthiest and
wisest of their countrymen ; or that their discussions over
pipes and ale in the best parlour of the best inn, or around
the hospitable hearth of their good doctor, related to
improvements destined to advance the artistic condition
of an important manufacture, and largely increase its
export to foreign countries. But so it was ; and through
a subsequent period of many months, the friends were
busy with these discussions both personally and by letter.
These referred to the rose and crown motion, both se-
parately and combined; the use of weights instead of
springs; the shake of the rose against the pulley or tudicle;
the double counterpoise; the slope or ramping machine,
by which ovals were turned ; and many other mechanical
adjustments and movements of the engine lathe which it
is unnecessary to enter upon. From the ninth chapter of
Plumier's treatise Wedgwood seems to have derived
* Of his own and Mr. Bentley's thing can now be learned beyond the
house at Etruria. facts that he was a man of eminence
* Wedgwood to Bentley, February, in his profession and a predecessor
1767. Enquiries have been made of the able and well known Peter
respecting Dr. Coulthurst, but no- Holland.
24 COLUMNAR FORMS. CHAP. I.
much valuable assistance in relation to the turning of
columnar forms, in their three variations of plain, fluted,
and twisted. “The twisted columns, he says in one of
his letters, “are very apropos to what I am now attempt-
ing, an elegant pillar or column candlestick, in which the
twisting would, I apprehend, have an excellent effect, &
I sho" be glad to know on this subject, first, whether
you apprehend my lathes can have the apparatus for
twisting fixed to them, or the whole lathe must be formed
for the purpose? How far the mandarin may be, or
requires to be, thrown from the right to the left, and vice
versä for this purpose ! What sort of Rosettes, or Crowns,
or Tudicles are made use of, and how
& when are they fixed ? Does it
require the lathe to be turned back-
ward and forward alternately, or will
the twisted work be made with the
Lathe being turned one way only P
When I tell you that every motion
will be new to me in the Art of
Engine Turning, besides those pro-
duced by the Rosettes & Crowns used
separately & not compounded, you
will have a tolerable idea of what I
do not know in this art. What I wish
to know is every other improvement
which may be applied to Pott-Turn-
ing.' The subsequent use Wedgwood
made of this machinery in the pro-
duction of spiral, fluted, and columnar
gig. 1) ºn easºner forms, is attested by the exceeding
MAYER COLLECTION, beauty of many articlesin which these
effects have a chief prominence, as in the annexed
example of a columnar-fluted candlestick.

CHAP. I. SOHO, 25
These improvements in the engine-lathe introduce us
anew to Matthew Boulton of Soho. Our first glimpse of
him was in connection with the affairs of the Trent and
Mersey Navigation, of which he was one of the committee,
though he appears to have rarely attended any but gene-
ral meetings; his interest connecting itself more with the
Birmingham branch than with the canal generally con-
sidered. But the affairs of the navigation, whether special
or general, necessarily led to a frequent correspondence
with Wedgwood in his official capacity of treasurer; and
business transactions of a more private character soon
led to most friendly intercourse.
Soho had by this time become a great speciality in
the manufacturing world. The solitary rabbit warren of
1757 had given place in 1765 to a noble range of manu-
factories, constructed at a cost of 9,000l., and consisting
of four squares, with connecting workshops sufficiently
extensive for the accommodation of 1,000 workmen.
Everything within was in keeping with this fine exterior.
All the best machines and newest mechanical contrivances
to save labour and perfect workmanship, which were then
extant, had been introduced. Amongst these was a
steam-engine on Savery's principle, and engine lathes of
varying construction to suit the exigencies of metallic
work. England, as yet, had never possessed upon her
soil such a splendid instance of organised industry, in
which the minutest details were made subservient to one
great end—the perfection and accomplishment of work.
Taken as a whole, it was an industrial machine on a vast
scale ; organised by one mind, guided by one hand; in
fact, the noble germ, out of which in that day grew
Etruria, and in our own, the Saltaires, the Silvertowns,
and a thousand other splendidly organised centres of
26 PRODUCTS OF SOHO, CHAP. I.
industry. Organisation was necessary, as the multifa-
rious character of the works produced show. They were
far more varied than would now be considered profitable
to the capitalist, who secures the best effects of power,
whether it be mental or mechanical, through directing it
to uniform and special ends. Till the advent of the philo-
sophic Watt, and the concentration of the working force
at Soho upon the construction and improvement of the
steam-engine, the character of the articles produced were
allied more or less with various branches of the fine arts.
Bronzing, enamelling, inlaying of steel, the fabrication of
silver as well as plated goods, button, snuff-box, and
buckle making, and the production of Ormolu in the shape
of vases, candelabra, tripods, and minuter articles of ex-
quisite form and detail, were all carried on in these well-
governed workshops. Even pottery entered speculatively
into the list of productions; and it is not improbable that
but for his partnership with Watt, and the concentration
of his ardent mind upon the difficulties connected with
the improvement and construction of the steam-engine,
Wedgwood would have found a formidable rival in his
friend Matthew Boulton. Not that the latter could have
ever excelled, or even approached, the former in his own
special walk. Nature had made Wedgwood a great artist.
His was a poet's conception and interpretation of his art.
What his hand touched, what his eye vitalised through
form and colour, thereon was at once seen the impress of
nature herself in delicacy and perfection of truth. The
long advancing labours of his fathers had culminated at
length in that absolute perfection of vision and touch, by
which great artists give tangibility to their conceptions.
At this date, 1767–8, Mr. Boulton had taken for his
partner a Mr. Fothergill, who generally assisted him in
CHAP. I. BOULTON'S LATHES. 27
all the working details of his great establishment. They
opened a correspondence in the chief cities of Europe,
imported thence works of art, sought clever workmen
both at home and abroad, and perfected them in both
design and modelling in a school of their own within the
walls of Soho. The result of this was the attainment of
a degree of perfection in the manufacture of metal orna-
ments hitherto unknown in this country; and instead of
importing articles of this character as heretofore, the
balance of the scale changed hands. -
The various improvements in the engine-lathe naturally
bore reference to the character of the work it was called
upon to execute; and the machine of the potter differed
from that which would be found applicable to the
pewterer, the cabinet-maker, or the worker in hardened
metals. Thus Wedgwood found that the lathes in use at
Soho were somewhat different to his own. “At Birming-
ham, he tells Bentley, ‘I saw a lathe executed upon the
plan of that wºº is full of Rosettes, & every Rosette had a
projection from the edge so J. &c. for a Crown motion;
the whole was most completely finished, & the person for
whom it was made hath at present no use for it. I am to
spend a day or two with him (Mr. Boulton) and intend to
ask him if he wo" like to part with it. He is, I believe,
the first or most complete manufacturer in England in
metal. He is very ingenious, philosophical, & agreeable.
You must be acquainted with him; he has promised to
come to Burslem, & wo" attend our Congress" (we are to
* This was the term applied to Wedgwood was generally present,
the frequent and happy meetings and they were variously enlivened
between Mr. Wedgwood and his by Dr. Darwin, Mr. Whitehurst,
friend. Each one was indeed a con- Brindley, Captain Keir, and others.
gress in the fullest sense ; for Mrs.
28 LATHES FOR ETRURIA. CHAP. I.
have one immediately on my return, remember, on many
accº), but this year he is too much immers'd in business
to indulge, he says, in anything else. There is a vast
difference betwixt the spirit of this man & the great
Taylor, though both of them have behaved exceeding
liberal to me, in offering me every improvement they
could furnish me with.” -
By the spring of 1768 Wedgwood, advised by Bent-
ley, and assisted by the suggestions of his own workmen,
had brought his improvements of the engine-lathe, con-
sidering them as referable to the potter's art, to a con-
siderable degree of perfection. Combining these under
one effective generalisation, he employed a skilful hand
to prepare some new lathes for the furnishing of the
ornamental works then fast progressing at Etruria.
Writing to Bentley on February 22, 1768, he says, “I
wrote to you by the last post, but forgot to desire you
would send the Engine Turning book by Daniel, which I
now want to look at, as I believe we shall have a lathe
or two made here, & can do it better than at Liverpool.
We have an ingenious & indefatigable Smith amongst us,
who, ever since Engine Lathes were first introduced here,
has been constantly employed in that business, & he
promises me faithfully that whatever improvements I
may instruct him in, he will make them for no one else;
but that you know is a superfluous engagement, as we
have renounced those narrow selfish views, & are to let
our improvements take a free course for the benefit of our
Brethren and Country.” From this date till the close of
the century, when Maudslay's invention of the slide-rest
was introduced, but few further improvements in the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, May 23, 1761.
CHAP. I. DR. DARWIN'S WINDMILL. 29
engine-lathe, as applicable to the potter, in all probability
took place; and imperfect as the machine thus necessarily
was, the greater credit is due to those who effected the
exquisite and often absolutely perfect work to be seen in
the vases and other ornamental ware of that period.
Another friend of Wedgwood's was at this date busy in
his behalf. Dr. Darwin was constructing for him the
model of a windmill ‘to grind colours (if it sho"happen
to grind anything, he confides to Bentley a little archly)
“for our intended ornamental works at Hetruria.” But a
personal inspection of the doctor's labours begot more
respect. “I left home, he writes to Bentley, on Wednes-
day, & got to Lichfield that eving, where I spent the next
day in settling matters with Mr. Pickford & surveying
the Doct” Windmill, which I think a very ingenious in-
vention, & have some hopes that it will answer our ex-
pectations. If you can understand anything of it by
the accurate drawing below, well.
L 2. ~.
agº.”
{ &
0 , --> c
^_* ſº ſrºn'ſ *74.
ſºliºl||
*s-sº-
(t. or// Vecſon
(Fig. 5.) DR. DARWIN'S WINDMILL.
s
If not, I believe you must come & see it. The middle
part a, a, is drawn too small, & sho" be bro" with a dome
to the sails, Eolus, too, is mistaken in the direction of
his blast, which sho" have come horizontal to the directing


30 MODEL OF THE WINDMILL. CHAP, I.
boards, b, b, & rebound from thence to the sails, but all
these blunders you will easily set to rights.” At a some-
what earlier date, we have a more philosophical account
from the Doctor himself of his intended windmill. “I
think,’ he says, “it is peculiarly adapted to your kind of
Business, where the motion is slow & horizontal. If the
mixture of Clay or Flint and Water should grow stiff by
the wind ceasing, I think it may be so contrived with
ease as to be put into Motion again gradually, not
suddenly: of this I can not judge quite distinctly, without
seeing the consistence this mass will acquire by a few
Hours rest. I will make you the model if you require it
immediately, which I can do for the expense of 3 or 4
guineas, so as to evince it’s Effects. The advantages are,
1. It's Power may be extended much farther than the
common Wind-mill. 2. It has fewer moving Parts. 3. In
your Business no Tooth and Pinion-work will be necessary.
Plain Countries are preferable to hilly ones for windmils,
because the wind acquires eddies in the latter.” A
lengthened correspondence followed on this subject of
the windmill; the model was made, and met, as we have
seen, with Wedgwood's approval; but at this date he was
busy with his buildings at Etruria, and we hear nothing
further of it till 1779, when Watt and Edgworth assisted
in perfecting it, and it was set up at Etruria.
Meanwhile a mightier power than a changeable and
ungoverned element was about to lend its giant-aid to
the industrial arts under improved conditions, which made
it virtually a new creation or development of latent force;
and Dr. Darwin, generously casting, as it were, his own
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, dated date, but referable to the close of
from Charles Street, Grosvenor 1767, or the beginning of 1768.
Square, London, March 15, 1768. Darwin Correspondence.
* Darwin to Wedgwood, without
CHAP, I. DARWIN RECOMMENDS STEAM. 31
mechanical labours and speculations aside, advised his
friend to look in this direction. Mr. Wedgwood, as a
matter of course, must have seen Savery's steam-engine,
or, as it was then called, fire-engine, at work at Soho,
when there in the spring of 1767, and he may have heard
Mr. Boulton regret its defective condition; but at any
rate it is quite evident that, by the same period of the
year 1769, the name of Watt and his improvements of
the steam-engine were already well known to the philo-
sophers of the midland counties. What follows does the
utmost credit to Darwin's generosity, candour, and the
previsional character of his intellect. “I should long ago
have wrote to you, but waited to learn in what forward-
ness Mr. Watts' Fire-Engine was in. He has taken a
Partner," and I can make no conjecture how soon you
may be accommodated by Him with a Power so much
more convenient than that of Wind. I will make packing
Boxes & send you my model, y' you may consult the
Ingenious. I am of opinion it will be a powerful and
a convenient Windmill, but would recommend steam to
you if you can wait awhile, as it will on many Accº be
preferable I believe for all Purposes.”
Whilst this vast amount of preparative labour of so
varied a character was slowly progressing, a London ware-
house, which should be something more than a pattern-
room, occupied a good deal of Wedgwood's attention. The
chief difficulty connected with this question was the
enormous cost of conveying goods from Staffordshire to
London, it averaging, as we have seen, 9s. per ton by
land carriage. The prices of the ware could not be raised
in proportion; and Wedgwood calculated that if he
* Dr. Roebuck. March 15, 1769, Darwin Corre-
* Darwin to Wedgwood, Lichfield, spondence.
32 A LONDON WAREHOUSE. CHAP. I;
paid the carriage without altering the prices, it would
make a difference of nearly 500l. per annum in his profits.
He was also aware that, if he entered upon the plan of
selling his goods at delivered prices, many of his customers
would expect them to be delivered free, whether the
distance were twenty or three hundred miles.
Undeterred, however, by this prospect of serious pecu-
niary loss, his resolution to open a London warehouse
was sufficiently matured by the spring of 1767 as to in-
duce him to look out for fitting premises. The room in
Charles Street, Grosvenor Square, was rapidly becoming
too small, and would be wholly so when vases were added
to his collection. The first place which offered itself was a
very large room in Pall Mall, with others attached; and
which, lately used as an auction room, was now occu-
pied as an Artists' Exhibition Room. But Mr. Bentley
strongly objected to hiring premises which had been
made a public resort. His reasons were at once accepted
by Wedgwood, and indeed strengthened by an observa-
tion of his own. “At present, he tells his friend, “the no-
bility & gentry recommend one another to my rooms, &
they never meet with any other Company there, but every
body wo" be apt to stroll into an Auction Room—one
that they had ever had free access into—& that wo" be
the most effectual method I could take to keep my pre-
sent sett of Customers out of it. For you well know
that they will not mix with the rest of the World any fur-
ther than their amusements or conveniencys make it
necessary. I find I did not sufficiently explain to you
my reasons for wanting a Large Room. It was not
to show or have a large stock of Ware in Town, but to
enable me to shew various Table and desert services
completely set out on two ranges of Tables, six or eight
Chap. I. ACCOMMODATION FOR THE LADIES. 35
at least; such services are absolutely necessary to be
shewn, in order to do the needfull with the Ladys in
the neatest, genteelest, and best method. The same, or
(Fig. 6.) ARTIST Exhibition Room, PALI, MALL, 1768.
indeed a much greater variety of setts of Wases sho" de-
corate the Walls, and both these articles may, every few
days, be so alter'd, revers'd, & transform'd as to render
the whole a new scene, even to the same Company, every
WOL. II. D

34 . ARRANGEMENT OF WASES. CHAP. I.
time they shall bring their friends to visit us. I need not
tell you the very good effects this must produce, when
business & amusement can be made to go hand in hand.
Every new show, Exhibition, or rarity soon grows stale
in London, & is no longer regarded after the first sight,
unless utility, or some such variety as I have hinted at
above, continue to recommend it to their notice. A Lady
or Gent" may, out of Complaisance to their friends, come
with them a few times to see a shew wº wºº they them-
selves are satiated, but of this they will soon grow weary
unless they likewise share in the entertainm', & will much
sooner carry their friends to a scene which is new to them
all, than to one where their eyes have allways met with
the same objects & the same arrangment of them. This
may be avoided by us with very little address when we
have a Room proper for the purpose. I have done some-
thing of the sort since I came to Town, & find the imme-
diate good Effects of it. The two first days after the
alteration, we sold three complete setts of Wases, at 2 &
3 Guineas a sett, besides many pairs of them, which Vases
had been in my Rooms 6, 8, and some of them 12 months,
& wanted nothing but arrangment to sell them. And
besides room for my Ware, I must have more room for
my Ladys, for they sometimes come in very large shoals
together, and one party are often obliged to wait till
another have done their business.’" -
These remarks evince that Wedgwood's power in
reading the foibles as well as the virtues of mankind had
no mean share in his commercial success. As yet few, if
any, of his chef d'oeuvres in ornamental art had appeared ;
* Wedgwood to Bentley, written matters mentioned clearly referable
at the Baptist Head Coffee House, to May, 1767. M-
but without date, though from the -
CHAP. I. ST. MARTIN'S LAN.E. 3.5
for as he himself said, his ‘vases were still in a rude state,’
and seem to have been principally confined to those of
marbled and cream-coloured bodies, varied by gilding,
and occasionally by necks coloured to resemble lapis
lazuli; and yet we find that through a little good
management they were eagerly bought up, even where
they had been seen under other arrangement by the same
customers for many previous months. As to the cream
ware table services, their sale by this date was something
most extraordinary, although, as we shall presently see,
comparatively simple in their decoration; line borderings,
and landscapes printed upon the glaze, being the most
customary ornaments of a body so beautiful in colour,
and so transcendant in the fineness of the glaze and the
perfection of its many varied forms, as to be, like nature,
fairest when unadorned.
Previously to leaving London on this occasion, Wedg-
wood entered into negotiations relative to another house
at the corner of Scotland Yard, and opposite to the Admi-
ralty; but from some unassigned reason, the project fell to
the ground; and we hear nothing further of the London
warehouse till the spring of the year following. Again
in London, and writing to Bentley from Charles Street,
he refers to seeking after a house, or rather warehouse,
‘in which I have at last succeeded to my wishes, & quite
beyond my most sanguine expectations. I have a lease
assign'd over to me for forty years of a house near the
bottom of St. Martin's Lane, Charing Cross, which will be
quite convenient for Westminster, & within a 12" ride
from St. Paul’s Ch. Y". I have abo" 20 feet to the Street
by 150 deep, in whº I can have, if necessary, besides a
house & shop to the Street, two rooms, each 120 feet
long by 16, & another 70 fº by 18, with a passage between
D 2
36 DAVID RHODES. CHAP. I.
the two buildings, but as we shall not want so many
long rooms, I think of making habitations for a Colony of
Artists, Modelers, Carvers, &c. I have already agreed with
one very usefull Tennant. A Master Enameler & China
piecer,-he joins old valuable pieces of China, not with
Rivots, but a white glass, & burns them till the glass
vitrifys, & they are as sound as ever they were. I have
long had connections with this Man,” who is sober &
steady; he is just come out of Yorkshire to settle here, &
was engaged, or rather perswaded, by two China Men
here not to advertise or make his business known, & they
wo" find him constant employment ; however, he is dis-
satisfyed with them, & I have secured him, he paints
flowers and Landscapes very prettily, prepares a pretty
good powder gold, & has a tolerable notion of Colours.
He has an Apprentice and another hand. I have set him
to work upon Table & desert ware, & shall get his
rooms ready in St. Martin's Lane immediately. The
having such a Man as this under the same roof with
the warehouse to do Crests, or any other patt" by ord",
to take sketches, &c. is the most convenient thing im-
aginable, & nobody but ourselves will know what he
is doing. A Modeler in the same y” too will be very
clever, to send to any Lady's favourite Antique for a
coppy.” In a week from this date, Wedgwood had
seen another house in the same neighbourhood still more
suited to his purpose. His own account of it is interest-
ing. ‘I have met with another house, he tells Bentley,
‘which pleases me better for situation than that I have
A plan of these premises is * His name was David Rhodes,
amongst Mr. Mayer's MSS. But as and he proved a very valuable and
Mr. Wedgwood never occupied them, faithful servant. Much will appear
the sketch in this instance has no in relation to his duties.
special interest.
CHAP. I. OPENING OF THE LONDON WAREHOUSE. 37
taken. It is at the top of St. Martin's Lane, a Corner
house, 60 feet long, the streets wide which lye to it, &
carriages may come to it either from Westminster or the
City without being incommoded with drays full of
Timber, Coals, &c. which are allways pouring in from the
various wharfs, & making stops in the Strand, very dis-
agreeable & sometimes dangerous. The rent of this last
ment" is 100 Guineas a year. My friends in Town tell
me it is the best situation in all London for my rooms.
I am quite at a loss what to determine, & you can
hardly help me out, without seeing the place.'" Upon
receiving further particulars as to the advantages of the
one house over the other, Bentley probably advised his
friend to take it, as in a letter to William Cox from
Burslem, dated April 30, Wedgwood says, “I hope you
are doing something towards my geting clear of the house
at the bottom of St. Martin's Lane. Every week I keep
it on my hands is near 20° loss. I shall be content to
part with it, not being a loser. Mr. Pickford (my
Architect) will be in Town in about ten days, & will call
upon you & advise both about parting with the one &
fitting up the other. . . . I inclose you my agreem"
with Fairbone, & wish you wo" get him to let you see and
have the lease exam", that I may know what I have to
trust to.' Soon after this workmen were put in to fit up
and prepare the show rooms and premises generally; the
Royal Arms over the door of the house in Charles Street,
Grosvenor Square, were sent to be regilt; and some time
in August, 1768, the warehouse was opened.
After transacting a vast amount of business besides
this just referred to, and which under its artistic relations
| Wedgwood to Bentley, March 31, 1768,
38 CANAL DISSENSIONS. CHAP. I.
will come presently to view, Wedgwood returned to Bur-
slem at the close of March, intending to be in London
again in a fortnight, but a vexatious matter arose in con-
nection with the canal at Etruria. Some of his neighbours,
who were proprietors, considering that he had too
pleasant and valuable a situation by the side of the canal,
reported to the Committee that the cutting ought to take
a shorter course along the meadows. A select party of
the Committee made a survey, and were convinced in
favour of the line laid down; but the matter was referred
to Brindley, who again went over the ground, and made
the necessary calculations. “I am in no fear for the event,’
wrote Wedgwood to his friend; “I know my conscience is
good, & I feel myself a match for them all. I am pre-
paring a little ammunition for the battle, & I know you
will come in full time to assist me to give it full force.
Mr. Brindley's brother is at the head of this affair, but
this circumstance does not alarm me at all, as I know
Brindley the Great to be an honest man, and that he will
give in a true state of the case, let the event be what it
may.” The result proved that Wedgwood's confidence
was well founded. At a meeting of the Navigation Com-
mittee held at Trentham on April 28, Brindley made
his report, and the point was decided in favour of Mr.
Wedgwood.
But the fatigue and anxiety incurred were too much
for mind and body. Only two days later in the letter to
Cox already referred to, he speaks of having “over-walked
and over-worked his leg.” The pain in his knee was
intense, and to relieve it, his surgeon, Mr. Bent of New-
castle, ordered him a vomit. It gave immediate relief
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 10, 1768.
CHAP, I. WEDGWOOD'S II, LNESS. 39
to the affected part, “but whether the absorption was too
sudden, the matter absorb’d too much, or too much
vitiated I know not,’ wrote Mr. Wedgwood at a later date
to his friend, in referring to a case somewhat similar to
his own, “but the pain had no sooner left my knee than I
was very ill in other respects, attended with great heat &
difficulty of Breathing, insomuch that I was glad to feel
the pain return again into the knee, & as the Pain re-
turn'd into that part, the other symptoms left me.”
As there was thus no relieving the pain without im-
periling the patient's life, another surgeon was called in,
with probably Dr. Darwin in consultation, and amputation
of the limb was agreed to ; indeed suggested by Wedg-
wood himself, who had long looked forward to this
necessity with philosophic cheerfulness. His leg was like
a dead branch on a vigorous tree, an incumbrance and
a hindrance in every way; and even apart from this ill-
ness, which hastened the crisis, he had mentally resolved
to have it removed prior to opening the works at Etruria.”
A master-potter is incessantly ascending and descending
ladders and stairs to his various shops and rooms; and if
Wedgwood had felt pain, difficulty, and fatigue in doing
this in old fashioned buildings of no altitude, such as those
of the ‘Brick-House Works, how much more was he
likely to suffer in traversing the ascents and descents of a
vast manufactory. He knew full well that a true master's
eye is everywhere, and must be everywhere if justice is to
be done to his commands; and even into this question of
physical suffering and danger, his calculations had entered,
so that he might give force to the genius which prompted
* Wedgwood to Bentley. Miscel- ceived this information personally
laneous papers. from Mr. Wedgwood. -
* Mrs. Mayer, of Newcastle, re- -
40 AMPUTATION OF HIS LEG. CHAP. I.
him, and the duties which lay before him. It is an ex-
traordinary instance of moral courage and decision of
character, in connection with a power to gather in and
make subservient every effect necessary to a given end.
The amputation took place on May 28, 1768, two
surgeons and Bentley, as is evident, being with him at
the time. He would not be assisted, or have the opera-
tion hidden from his view ; but seated in his chair, bore
the unavoidable pain without a shrink or a groan. This
power of endurance is the more remarkable, as there
existed at that date none of our modern chemical agents
for producing a temporary state of coma, and, conse-
quently, an oblivion of physical suffering; and, what was
more, operative surgery was still carried on with much of
the barbarism of the Middle Ages.
The announcement of this event to the ‘house' in Lon-
don by Peter Swift is, for its prosaicness, about the most
extraordinary ever penned. To think of one human
being writing of another in such a fashion; and this in
relation to a master much beloved, and whilst his life
hung on a thread | The note is addressed to Cox, and is
appended to an invoice of cream ware, ‘piggins, cream
pots, salts, and a long &c. &c. “Burslem, 28th May,
1768. Sir, Your favour of the 26th is just come to
hand, but can make no reply to the contents. Mr. Wedg-
wood has this day had his leg taken of (sic), & is as well as
can be expected after such an execution. The rev" Mr.
Horne's Goods are packed, and one Crate for the ware-
house, the particulars of which I shall insert at foot, or as
much as time will permitt. Mr. Chester's Goods will be
*. According to Wedgwood him- Amputation Day,' thus doubtless
self, the operation took place three | referring to the anniversary of that
days later, for writing to Bentley event.
on May 31, 1770, he styles it ‘St.
CHAP. I. MRS, WEDGWOOD'S MINISTRATIONS. 41
delivered on Thursday next. I am, &c.—Peter Swift.”
Seven days later good Peter is again busy with his wooden
pen; although this time the hand which wields it vibrates
with some touches from the heart within. ‘To Mr. Cox.
Sir-I have now the pleasure to acquaint you that Mr.
Wedgwood Continues in a good way, his Leg was opened
on Thursday for the first time, & both the Surgeons said
it could not possibly be better, & he has every good
Symptom, so that we have the greatest hopes of a perfect
cure. Poor Master Dicky, after being violently sized (sic)
with a Complaint in his Bowels for some time past, ex-
pired on Thursday morning, & was Inter'd Last Evening.
Indeed, I think Mrs. Wedgwood has had severe tryals of
late, but the great hopes of Mr. Wedgwood's perfect
recovery seems to keep her Spirits up in a tollerable
degree.” The merits of this good wife went far beyond
the knowledge of prosaic Peter Swift. Weary with
tending her dying babe, and full of grief that it was taken
from her, she yet, as far as possible, concealed the signs
of weariness and sorrow. She dressed her husband's.
wound, administered his medicines, wrote his letters,
warded off from him every possible business care, was his
right hand in everything, and through her serene cheer-
fulness greatly hastened his recovery. Mr. Bentley re-
turned to Liverpool as soon as all danger was past, for
much business necessitated his presence there; but Wedg-
wood's own words hand down to us what this incom-
parable friend had been to him in his hour of trial,
what also were the services of his wife, and the cour-
tesies and solicitude of the surrounding gentry. For the
1 Mayer MSS. old, instead of surviving, as generally
* Mayer MSS. This was Mr. recorded, till 1782. The Richard
Wedgwood's son Richard, who died Wedgwood who died in that year was
whilst an infant of about ten months probably Mrs. Wedgwood's father.
42. PUBLIC SYMPATHY AND INTEREST. CHAP. I.
interest excited by Wedgwood's situation was extreme.
In London, Lord Cathcart the Russian Ambassador, Lord
Bessborough, the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Marl-
borough, the Hon. Mrs. Chetwynd at Buckingham House,
Sir William Meredith, Sir George Saville, and many
others, called or sent daily to the rooms in Charles Street,
to hear if that day's post had brought good news from
Staffordshire. From Trentham came a daily messenger;
the Duke of Bridgewater had his reports from Gilbert or
Brindley as to Wedgwood's progress; and, as soon as he
could possibly see company, the local gentry made their
calls. Whenever possible Dr. Darwin's chaise made its
way to Burslem. With what difficulty these visits were
often paid we have the Doctor's own words. “I am
heartily vex'd that I could not get to this Place" soon
enough to day to have come to spend the Evening with
you. But I hear you go on well, & y” gives me, I assure
you, much Satisfaction, & I have an engagement to morrow
near Coleshil, which is on the other side of Tichfield,
which prevents me of calling of you tomorrow morning.
Mr. Boulton is gone to Buxton for his Health, and
talk'd of coming by Newcastle on his Return to call
of you and console you, and, adds the philosophic Doctor,
who must have a word on science for the friend who
loves it so well, ‘Mr. Boulton has got a new metal which
rivals Silver both in Lustre, Whiteness, & endures y”
Air with as little Tarnish. Capt. Keir is endeavouring to
unravel this metal. Mr. Edgeworth, a philosophical
Priend of mine in Oxfordshire, writes me word He has
nearly completed a Waggon drawn by Fire, and a walk-
ing Table which will carry 40 men. This is all the news
* Newcastle,
CHAP. I. BENTLEY'S LETTERS. 43
I can think of to amuse you with in the philosophical
Arts.” 1 - .
The day preceding this, viz. June 13, Mr. Wedgwood
was so far recovered as to be able to add a brief postscript
to a letter Mr. Bentley had written for him to Cox. “This
is the first time I have set pen to paper, except to sign
my name, since the Surgeons laid their hands on me, but
I hope I shall be able to continue writº a little now I
have begun again; my surgeon has given me an invitation
to dine with him at N. Castle this day fortnight, which I
hope to be able to accept.”
Bentley returned to Liverpool some time between this
date and June 20; but though absent in body, he was
not in spirit. Every post brought to the sick chamber
one of those letters which were above all price to his
friend; and which, as an expression of a manly breadth
of thought, combined with a tenderness which was almost
womanly, have never been excelled.” The testimony to
* Dr. Darwin to Wedgwood, things. The very feel of them, even
June 14, 1768. Darwin Correspon- before the seal is broke, chears my
dence. heart & does me good, & I am
* Bentley and Wedgwood to Cox, as eager in hunting out a corner to
June 13, 1768. Mayer MSS. hide myself in that I may devour
* The following extracts will my delicious morsel without being
show what consolation and sterling molested as—hem l—ho l—now I
pleasure Mr. Wedgwood derived at have it—as an Alderman of —wo"
all times from his friend's letters. be to find out a vacant seat at a
Such paragraphs are constantly oc- Turtle feast. . . . . . Seriously & sin-
curring. He took the greatest care cerely my good friend, I do from
of the letters, sewed each month's the bottom of my heart thank you
accumulation together, and preserved for your last friendly and enter-
them in a cover. It is a great pity, taining epistle. I have only one
for many reasons, that they have fault to find with it. The subject
not reached our time. Men so gifted matter is good—the Type is tolerable.
as Bentley are rare; and such a But a pl-gue of all little paper say I.
friendship as that which existed be- I think your stationer does not use
tween him and Mr. Wedgwood is you well. If you are disposed to
still rarer. ‘Well now I have read change him I can direct you where
your letter another time or two, I you may buy your paper as large
am more at leisure to thank you for again, and two of those sheets well
it, and to tell my dear friend that I fill'd wo" be a Princely meal, and
like these double letters of his of all fit to meet a Patagonian Appetite,
44 RECOVERY. CHAP. I.
this is worthy of their incomparable friendship. “I did
intend writing to my dear friend by this post to tell him
how thankfull I am for his last most affectionate letter, &
how great—but that is impossible to measure, the obliga-
tions he has laid me und"—is a task I cannot perform,
but I am perfectly easy under them, knowing a gratefull
heart is the most acceptable return I can make him. I
say I purposed to write this morn", but L" & Lady
Vernon & their Son & Daughter, with Mr. & Mrs. Sneyd
& Miss Sneyd, wº other matters & things have prevent"
me, & I must send this to Talk o' th' Hill just to let
my good frº know that I proceed in the good way he
left me. Have been at the Workhouse, & had two
Airings in a Chaise—have left off my Laudanum and
do better without it. The skin on the upper part of
the wound is healed & got down to the bone, which
I tell you to confute all those who deny the present to
be an Age of Miracles.’” In another letter of later
date, in which are still more ardent expressions of pro-
found gratitude and affection, and in which he begs his
friend not to be distressed if he does not hear so fre-
quently as heretofore, as much necessary correspondence
such an one as I have got for every- strong upon me to deny the charge,
thing which falls from your pen.’—
Wedgwood to Bentley, August 10,
1767. ‘How much I am indebted
to my dear friend for his affection-
ate & sympathising epistles, & the
interest I know he takes in all that
concerns me, more—much more—
than I shall ever be able to pay, un-
less he will, as usual, accept of a
gratefull heart to ballance all defici-
encies. But notwithstanding I owe
so much, would you believe me so
void of shame, grace, or discretion,
that I am every day wishing to owe
more. I wo" scarcely believe it of
myself, but the symptoms are too
for every post day I catch myself
greedily runing over the direction of
my letters, and if a well known
hand does not appear, Sally is ready
to ask what hath so suddenly alter'd
my countenance. I am too pettish
(for you know I am subject to be
cholerick on a disappointment) to
give her any answer, but read my
letters, and unless a good order, or
some such circumstance intervenes,
few things go right with me that
day.”—Wedgwood to Bentley, Feb-
ruary 14, 1767.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June
20, 1768.
CHAP. I. . VISITS ETRURIA. 45
begins to weigh heavily upon him, he thus cheerfully
paints his rapid progress towards convalescence, and just
lifts the veil for us to see the wisdom and affection of his
faithful wife. “At present I am well, even beyond my
most sanguine expectations. My leg is almost healed, the
wound is not quite 2 inches by one & !. I measur'd it
with the compasses this morn” when I dress'd it. Yes!
when I dress'd it, for I have turn'd my surgeon adrift, &
Sally and I are sole managers now, only we give him
leave to peep at it now & then, when he lifts up his hands
& eyes & will scarcely believe it to be the wound he
dress'd before. I have many things to say to you from
the good folks at Newcastle &c., & something of the en-
clos'd Nav"C", but Sally says ‘give over, Joss, and tell our
frº B. that I command it.’ So I have done, only I must
just add that if Mr. Hastlet is well assur’d of his estimate
& a 200,000l. subscrip" I sho" vote for the larger boats.”
We see by this how, whether ill or well, Navigation affairs
had necessarily to occupy his mind; and how, under such
judicious control as this of his wife, his convalescence was
more rapidly insured than it otherwise would have been.
By the end of June he was enabled to visit Etruria; and
we find him going thither in his chaise with his father-in-
law, Mr. Richard Wedgwood of Spen Green, who had
come to Burslem to spend some days with his daughter
on this happy occasion of her husband's advancing re-
covery.
Meanwhile, many other changes had taken place.
Sometime during the autumn of 1768, there is reason to
think Mr. Wedgwood's aged mother died. But if buried
at Burslem, the parish register gives no certain informa-
tion on the point; as not a year is without one or more
entries of the name of Mary Wedgwood, and this without
46 RATHERINE WILLET. CHAP. I.
specification of age, condition, or place of residence." The
original branches of the Wedgwood family had spread in
every direction in Burslem and its surrounding neigh-
bourhood; so that to choose the precise ‘Mary,’ ‘John,'
or ‘Thomas,' is sometimes wholly impossible out of parish
registers so loosely kept as were those of the eighteenth
century. There is reason to think that Josiah Wedgwood's
mother passed the remnant of her days at the Bank-house,
Newcastle, with her daughter Katherine Willet; died
and was buried there. With his mother's relations, the
Stringers, Mr. Wedgwood long kept up a pleasant in-
timacy. One of her nephews, a Dr. Stringer, had settled
at Wattleton, near Oxford; and on their way to and fro
to London, Mr. and Mrs. Wedgwood occasionally rested
at his house. His young daughters in return paid visits
to Burslem ; and in 1769 we find cheery letters and pre-
sents of cream ware sent on their way into pleasant
Oxfordshire. -
Mr. Wedgwood's favourite sister was Katherine Willet.
They had been companions in childhood, and her after-
marriage with a man of superior attainments was in itself
an education, and raised her general understanding more
on a level with that of her gifted brother. She was the
constant companion of his wife, and we find the ladies
paying visits together to Mr. Bentley and Miss Oates in
Liverpool at various periods between 1766 and 1768; and
so soon as the warehouse in Newport Street was opened,
Mrs. Willet occupied part of Mr. and Mrs. Wedgwood's
chaise to London, and shared with them all that was
1 The constant recurrence of the gists. The Wedgwood descent ex-
same Christian names in lines of
descent without the addition of age,
place, occupation, and often date, has
long been a cause of grave com-
plaint with our jurists and genealo-
emplifies this to the full, as in many
cases it is wholly impossible to dis-
tinguish one individual from an-
other of the same name.
CHAP. I. TEV. W. WILLET, 47.
worth seeing there in those days. This must have
been a great treat to the country lady, who, unlike Mrs.
Wedgwood, had been no frequent visitor to London ;
and the pleasure thus afforded was frequently renewed.
Mr. Willet at this period was a comparatively young
man, though seventy years of age. His mind retained
much of its early vigour; and he still occasionally pub-
lished pamphlets on controversial points of theology,"
and gave much of his time to scientific pursuits. The
honour had been his of first inspiring the illustrious
Priestley with a taste for philosophical investigation. He
had supplied, as we have seen, mental food through books
and instruction to the untilled field of his young kinsman's
vigorous mind when the latter lay confined for months
by weary illness at Stoke; and they were now more
than ever congenial and attached friends. Throughout
the long struggle connected with the Trent and Mersey
Navigation, Mr. Willet received and dispatched Wedg-
wood's most private letters; if the latter was weary or
benighted there at ‘sister Willet's, he had a bed and
a home. Very, very often in his letters to Bentley
Wedgwood says, “we spent yesterday at Newcastle;’ and
when his little children were stricken down with con-
tagious disorders such as come in childhood, they were
sent to Newcastle to be nursed. Early in 1767 he had
the two eldest inoculated for the small-pox; they were
very ill, so much so that he half repented the step which
had been taken; but presently they were sent away for
change of air and nursing to their good aunt Willet, and
health returned. It is interesting to catch glimpses of the
1 Mr. Wedgwood refers to a re- was still contributing to the pages
cently published pamphlet in 1768, of the Theological Repository.
and three years later Mr. Willet
48. A TENDER FATHER. CHAP. I.
tender father shining through the graver aspect of the
concise, determined, and austere man of business. The
heavy duties of the day over, the occasionally long vigils
of the night in chemical experiments, modelling, or letter-
writing not begun, he rides away to see these little babes.
How dearly he loves them How throughout his life he
loves his children How in years to come we shall see
him taking pride in the handsome presence and polished
manners of his son Josiah, and in the great intellectual
gifts of his son Tom ; indeed, in all his children, for he
had no favourites; and yet for the little maid “Sukey,’
his firstborn, there is a something not expressed in words,
and yet apparent to us, that she was gathered up in the
innermost folds of his deep affections. As after life
showed, there was something very much akin in their
respective natures, though gentleness and consideration
for others were perhaps intensified in their feminine
expression. - -
Though never very intimate, for their natures were so
different, it is yet pleasant to observe, that as years wore
by, kind and friendly relations were still maintained
between Josiah Wedgwood and his eldest brother at the
Overhouse, or as it was sometimes called the Upperhouse.
In an old bill headed ‘Broº Josiah Wedgwood Bout of
Tho' Wedgwood, and of which the items run through the
years 1766, 1767, and 1768, we find the former buying
oats, straw, and ware of his elder brother; and there are
various charges for the “lay of a horse, and for ‘the
carriage of coals from Snead.’” The description of the
ware, principally consisting of ‘plates, baking-dishes, mugs,
and bowls, proves that Thomas Wedgwood still kept
true to his old maxim of non movere; and whilst his
1 Mayer MSS.
CHAP. I. TH()MAS WEL)(; W ()OD. 49
brother-potters were outvying each other in the race of
improvement, and the least observant mind must have
been conscious that great social changes were taking
place in respect to productive labour, he went on in the
way of his fathers—making the common white ware of
thirty years previously, with occasionally an ovenful of
‘flint ware, as this distinction is given in the bill. He
probably farmed as much as he potted ; although he still
carried on the ‘Churchyard Works, and had added to
those about the Overhouse; which from this reason and
the rapid growth of the surrounding town, was fast losing
its ancient character of a country house amidst fields and
gardens. Thomas Wedgwood had married a second time,
but neither added, as we shall see, to his peace or pros-
perity thereby. And now in 1768–9, he was a man of
broken health and hopes, only too glad to occasionally
consult the brother he had so weakly despised.
Otherwise mindful of his kinsmen, for he had found in
his cousin Thomas Wedgwood a most able coadjutor
and friend, Josiah Wedgwood, about 1768, took into his
employ Joseph Wedgwood, a young man descended from
one of the elder branches of the Wedgwood family. In
his relation's service Joseph remained for some years.
The ‘Churchyard Works’ being then to let, Josiah as-
sisted him to take them, and employed him in the fabri-
cation of a certain class of goods which were chiefly
consumed for the export trade at Etruria. From some
cause or another he was not a prosperous man, and ulti-
mately became bankrupt. With another of his relations
Wedgwood was not more fortunate. The ‘new books’ had
not induced young Byerley to settle down for long. The
roving impetus was strong within him ; and without such
an outlet for fiery passions as the Byerleys of the northern
VOL. II. E -
50 THOMAS BYERLEY. CHAP. I.
shires had had, in heading troopers, or defending manor-
houses in the Civil Wars, he ran off to play soldier or
citizen on the Dublin stage; but he was encountered at
Chester and brought back. Again he disappeared, and
joined a company of strolling players. A little practical
experience sickened him of the stage. He soon quitted
it ‘from a conviction of his inability to succeed in any
tolerable degree.’ He then besought his uncle to “get
him a writer's place, or some place in the service of the
East India Company.” Mr. Bentley as usual gave good
advice; and counselled leniency towards follies, which no-
thing but sharp encounter with the stern realities of life
could cure. Eventually it was settled that young Byerley
should be sent out to Philadelphia; and we find Mr.
Wedgwood in the summer of 1768 arranging a credit of
70l. for the young man to receive when he reached that
place; and through the introduction of Dr. Fothergill,
commending him by letter to the good offices of a resi-
dent, Mr. Logan. “If he has a mind to take a few pieces,
or 3 or 4 pounds worth of my ware with him, adds
Mr. Wedgwood to Bentley, “you may let him have so
much on his own accº, & pray advise him to ship himself
in the cheapest way for America, as he may there come
to want a crown, or even a shilling, & know not where to
have it.” But Mr. Bentley described the objections to a
cheap passage so forcibly that it was not insisted on.” “I
am very glad Tom does not go in the steerage, was
Mr. Wedgwood's reply, ‘I had no idea of its being so
disagreeable a berth, & tho' the difference, according to
the Captain's letter, as 5l. to 201. I suppose Tom will
have sailed before this reaches you. I have a very sensible
Wedgwood to Bentley, March * Wedgwood to Bentley, June,
2, 1767. | 1768.
Chap. I. GOES TO AMERICA. 51
letter from him, in which he expresses his obligations to
you with that warmth wºº he ought to do, & must retain
as long as he has a spark of gratitude left; he promises
to be very good, & I hope for his own sake, as well as
his friends, that he will at last perform his repeated
promises. My best wishes attend him, & that is all I can
now do for him. * *
Young Byerley liked America greatly, but for all that
he did not settle down; and the succeeding year brought
tidings of a renewal of his old follies and wanderings.
The generous uncle kept the relation of these from his
mother; and very wisely, for her life had been one of
care, and she was only now beginning to reap some of
the peaceful fruits of her industry and good management.
Her business had grown; she journeyed to London to
buy goods and to select fashions for her customers; her
daughters aided her; and when her boy had suffered, and
thus learnt that folly in any shape can have no other
reward than pain and misery, he was to come back to
her to be a dutiful son, and to repay his generous uncle
through long and faithful service.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 6, 1768,

CHAPTER THE SECOND.
THE IN WOICES–PERFECTION OF THE CREAM WARE–UNIVERSALLY
ADMIRED AND EXPORTED TO ALMOST EVERY PART OF THE GLOBE–
VARIATIONS IN COLOUR-COMPLAINTS RELATING THERET0–MR.
WEDGWOOD's IRRITATION – PRINTING BY SADLER — PASTORAL
CHARACTER OF THE EARLY DESIGNS-MR, WEDGWOOD STUPPLIES
Most of THose USED ON HIS own WARE-HIS SEARCH FOR, AND
THE COST OF, PRINTS-SADLER ENLARGES HIS RANGE OF ART AND
COLOURING BY ADVICE OF WEDGWOOD — EARLIEST W ASES —AD-
VANCE FROM THOSE OF CREAM-COLOUR TO BLACK AND TERRA-
COTTA BODIES-VARIETY OF WASES AND THEIR PRICE—SOURCES
OF ANTIQUE FORMS-LORD CATHCART AND MIR. HAMILTON.—THE
‘ANTIQUITÉs ETRUSQUES, GRECQUES, ET ROMAINEs –THE AR-
TISTIC EXCELLENCE OF THIS WORK–EARLY PROOES OF ITS PLATES
LENT TO WIEDGWOOD-EXPERIMIENTS OF THE COUNT DE CAYLUS
ON ONE BRANCH OF ENCATUSTIC PAINTING — THOSE OF MIR, WEDGWOOD
IN ANOTHER—BRONZING IN RELATION TO POTTERY-BOULTON's
PROPOSAL TO DECORATE WORKS IN EARTHENWARE WITH METAL
ORNAMENTS—FEELINGS OF RIVALRY-MR. WEDGWOOD's PATENT—
THE FIRST PAIR OF BRONZE WASES-PROGRESS AT TETRURIA—ARTISTS
—JOHN VOYEZ—GOES TO BURSLEM-EXTRACT FROM BIIS LETTER TO
COX-HIS IMPRISONMENT AND SUBSEQUENT BASE CONDUCT-MRS.
LANDRE'S MODELS-BAS-RELIEFS BY BACON.—RHODES AND CROFT
—PRICES OF THEIR WORK–CowARD, TASSIE, THEODORE PARKER,
WATSON, AND PINGO—TASSIE A GREAT ARTIST-THE WAREHOUSE
IN NEWPORT STREET-SHOW ROOMS-BEAUTY OF THEIR ARRANGE-
MENT—VISITS TO LONDON.—MR. BOULTON.—A MORNING's EMPLOY-
MENT—WEDGWOOD's APPEARANCE AND DRESS—sAGACITY OF HIS
REMARKS UPON POLITICAL AFFAIRS AND PERSONAL CHARACTER.
CHAPTER II.
ART IN IT'S SPRING.
ROM the beginning of the year 1768 a regular series
of invoices furnish an elaborate and authentic
history of the successive stages of improvement, and of
creative effects in ornamental ware. In the useful ware,
so far as related to the cream-colour body and its brilliant
glaze, further perfection was impossible; and beyond
Occasional changes in form, variations in engine work, as
in the edges, and after the establishment of the works at
Chelsea of a preponderance of enamelling over printing,
and of borderings chiefly derived from the antique for
dinner and dessert services of the best quality, the cream
ware continued much the same through a long subsequent
period; although, as we shall see, a whiter ware was
brought into the market about 1778. Its sale was always
increasing. It was exported to France and Germany, to
Russia, Holland, Spain, the West India islands, the East
Indies; and, in spite of interruptions occasioned by war, to
the ports of North America. In the trade with Russia,
Boulton and Fothergill began at this date to take a con-
siderable share." They bought largely from Etruria, and
exported the ware on their own account to their consignees
* Invoices of cream-colour ware, June 1, 1768, and subsequent dates.
Mayer MSS.
56 CREAM-WARE UNIVERSALLY USEI). CHAP. II.
at Cadiz, and in the ports of the Baltic. Of this universal
taste for cream-ware, we have Mr. Wedgwood's own most
interesting testimony. “The demand for the s” Cream.
colour, alias Queen's Ware, alias Ivory, still increases, he
tells his friend. ‘It is really amazing how rapidly the
use has spread allmost over the whole globe, & how
universally it is liked. How much of this general use &
estimation is owing to the mode of its introduction, & how
much to its real utility and beauty, are questions in which
we may be a good deal interested for the Governm" of
our future conduct. The reasons are too obvious to be
longer dwelt upon. For instance, if a Royal or Noble
introduction be as necessary to the sales of an article of
Luaury as real Elegance & beauty, then the Manufacturer,
if he consults his own inter", will bestow as much pains &
expence too, if necessary, in gaining the favour of these
advantages as he wo" in bestowing the latter. I had with
me yesterday an East Indian Captain, & another Gent" &
Lady from those parts, who ordered a good deal of my
ware, some of it printed and gilt, to take with them for
presents to their frº, & for their own use. They told me
it was allready in use there, & in much higher estimation
than the present Porcellain, the Capt" said he had dined
off a very complete service just before he left India.
Don't you think we shall have some Chinese Missionaries
come here soon to learn the art of making creamcolour P”
A little consideration would have shown Mr. Wedgwood
the fallacy of the question he thus asks Bentley. Some
portion of this far-reaching favour was undoubtedly due
to a Royal name; but it rested on the foundation of his
own intrinsic merits in having met, through the results of
* Wedgwood to Bentley, some date during 1767.
CHAP. II. CRITICISM OF SQUIRES AND HOUSEKEEPERS. 57
patient labour and great natural genius, a universal want
of the day for moderate priced, cleanly looking, and
tasteful table ware. Without these conditions had been first
fulfilled, Royal favour would have been bestowed in vain.
This universal cry for cream-colour had, however, its
shady points of view as most other things. It was not
always possible to obtain the same exact creamy tint
or hue. A thousand trifling contingencies, which the
potter cannot govern, make these shades of difference.
But old dowagers, rubicund squires, and their fat house-
keepers, who knew nothing of the varying qualities of clay,
differences of temperature, or the results of momentary
errors in firing, made occasionally loud lament. ‘Sur,
writes the fat housekeeper, sometimes addressing Mr.
Wedgwood as ‘Mr. Wegwood, or ‘Mr. Wagwood, at the
house of Mr. a shoomaker, Charles Street,” “the
yallow pye-dyshes ain’t likes the last, Sur—they are more
yallower.’ The politer dowager informs Mr. Wedg-
wood that the cream cups, or compotiers in the crate
just sent have not the true tint; and the red-nosed
squire, whose writing has been chiefly confined to signing
commitments for vagrancy or poaching, growls forth in
an ill-spelt epistle his opinions respecting his last punch
bowl or venison dishes. In answer to these sort of
complaints, Mr. Wedgwood's equable temper is a little
stirred sometimes. “With respect to the colour of my
ware, he writes to Cox in the postScript of an invoice, ‘I
endeavour to make it as pale as possible to continue it
creamcolour, & find my customers in general, though not
every individual of them, think the alteration I have
made in that respect a great improvem', but it is impos-
sible that any one colour, even though it were to come
down from Heaven, sho" please every taste; & I cannot
58 PRINTED WARE, CHAP. II.
regularly make two creamcolours, a deep and light shade,
without having two works for that purpose. Nor have I
any clay to make with certainty a very light colour for
Teaware.’"
Mr. Wedgwood had availed himself from an early date,
as already seen, of the printer's art for the ornamentation
of his cream-colour body. Each week Daniel Morriss,
the Lawton carrier, conveyed a cargo of ware to Sadler's
works in Liverpool; whence it was returned a fortnight
after to Burslem, and at a later date to Etruria, to be
finished. If the ware was for export from Liverpool,
the engravings were burnt in on Sadler's premises, and
dispatched thence; but the great majority was returned
to Mr. Wedgwood's works, impressed principally with
small landscapes, of a historical or Watteau-like character,
domestic scenes, others slightly comic, or with simple
groups of foliage and flowers. The colour used at first
was chiefly black; but as Mr. Sadler's experience increased,
he enlarged the number of his decorative agents, and we
find him employing brown, red, yellow, and a dull green
in addition to black, with excellent effect. The annexed
representation of a tile (fig. 7) engraved for him by
Richard Walker of the Harrington Street Pottery, shows
one of these early attempts to introduce a variety of
colours; as the ruins to the right are tinted ruddy brown,
the wall or rock beyond a gray white, the foliage a dull
red, whilst in the distance is the blue of the sea.
Sadler's engravings were all remarkable for their depth
and clearness; thus standing out in marked distinction to
the blotty, half-effaced impressions that afterwards be-
came so general on all the ordinary descriptions of ware.
* Invoice of cream-colour ware, Burslem, January 27, 1768. Mayer MSS.
Chap. II. EXCELLENCE OF THE ENGRAVINGS. 59
As his business and that of his partner Guy Green in-
creased, they employed a large number of excellent work-
men, some of whom were trained by Mr. Sadler himself;
whilst others were procured from London, York, and New-
castle-upon-Tyne; the two latter places being at this time
famous for their engravers. To these northern towns we
owe Bewick and Robert Pollard, the latter so largely em-
ployed, as we shall see, by Mr. Wedgwood at a subsequent
(Fig. 7.) ENGRAVING Fort A TILE.-MAYER collection.
date; and whose facility of touch and taste in combining
outlines, secured him such renown as a die-sinker and letter
engraver. Probably for cheapness-sake, some of Sadler's
early decorations were copied from designs in use in other
pottery and porcelain works, as those of Worcester. The
originals of these were painted enamels, made at York
House, Battersea, by a Frenchman named Roquet.' The
* Catalogue of Temporary Museum at Worcester, 1852, by Albert Way,
Esq., p. 112. -

60 PASTORAL DESIGNS. Chap. II.
works there, which seemed to have been carried on more
as the recreation of a wealthy amateur than for purposes
of profit, were the property of Sir Stephen Theodore
(Fig. 8-) ENGRAVING ON TEA-wa-nº-MAYER Co.LECTION.
Jansen, Bart., Lord Mayor of London in 1754. He was
a man of much erudition and artistic taste; but he be-
came bankrupt in the succeeding year, and everything
connected with his Battersea manufactory was disposed of
(Fig. 9...) *RINTED TEAPOT, wººl-ºw PREACHIN----L--R co-ºrrow.
Engravers and enamellers thus became possessors of the
engraved plates, and used them as originally designed.


Chap. II. POPULAR SUBJECTS. 61
But Sadler and Green, in the spirit of superior artists, re-
engraved many of those which fell into their possession;
and made them, as in the case of this scene of a shepherd
watching his flock (fig. 8), pictures more worthy of
Boucher than the first designers of them had con-
ceived. They used these and similar engravings very
largely for the ornamentation of tea-ware; and their
keenness in choosing popular subjects, in order to in-
(Fig. 10.) ENG-I-A-N-G -- Cº-º-º-M.--------MAYER COLLECTION--
crease their business, is shown on the accompanying tea-
pot (fig. 9), on which we have Wesley preaching. A scene
in which appeared a milkmaid and her swain, or a group
of cows feeding, as in this little print coloured green
(fig. 10), generally ornamented the butter jar or pot:
and a gentleman kissing a lady's hand was a favourite
pattern for bread-and-butter plates. For export, and
to suit the maritime tastes of their townsmen, they en-
graved ships and sea scenes; and as they enlarged their

62 IMPROVED CHARACTER OF ENGRAVINGS. CHAP. II.
range of colours, they seem to have ventured upon subjects
that were Oriental in their type, as scenes decorated with
Chinese pagodas, or umbrella-carrying mandarins.
At the beginning of his business with Sadler and Green,
Wedgwood may have permitted the use of such designs;
but he was not one who would long submit to an orna-
mentation which was hackneyed or commonplace. As
the cream-colour body advanced towards perfection, we
therefore find him bestowing unwearied pains on this
branch of his art; and, instead of permitting Sadler and
Green to furnish the necessary designs for the pottery
which he sent in to be printed, he incurred a large
annual expense for original subjects. The usual rule seems
to have been a fresh design for every dozen plates of a
dinner service; and distinct ones for each dish, tureen,
and centre-piece. Engravings were made from the prints
or drawings thus furnished by Mr. Wedgwood, and the
printers retained the plates for future use. In this case
the designs must have been copyright to the supplier, had
rights in this case and many analogous ones been at all
considered by the potters of the day; but, unfortunately, a
decoration or an Ornament no Sooner appeared than it was
copied or imitated; so that the only safeguard lay in con-
stant variation or production of new effects. Heavy as was
the expense thus incurred, Mr. Wedgwood cheerfully met
it; and nothing is more striking than his incessant energy
to make the decoration of his ware like nature, fresh and
unhackneyed; and at the same time to create and foster
a wider and better public taste for those essentials of pure
and true art simplicity of effects and chastity in colour.
Many of the charming prints, coloured and otherwise, of
flowers, shells, fruits, birds, butterflies, and country scenes,
so generously sent by Sir William Meredith and other
CHAP. II. WEDGWOOD'S ORIGINALITY OF TASTE. 63
friends, supplied, there can be little doubt, not only Mr.
Wedgwood's enamellers, but also Sadler's engravers, with
a wide field for copy as well as composition ; and between
1765 and 1767 are various indications that Mr. Wedgwood
never visited London without a search in the print shops.
Amongst the bills of 1768 is a receipt for 13!., signed by
“Celeste Taylor, ‘for prints and all demands.”
Sadler did not escape a hint now and then from Mr.
Wedgwood as to efforts for further improvement; and like
a wise man he seems to have bestirred himself accordingly.
After a brief visit to Liverpool, at a date when Bentley had
become a resident in London, Mr. Wedgwood thus wrote.
‘I have had a good deal of talk with Mr. Sadler, & find
him very willing to do anything to improve his patterns.
He has just completed a sett of Landskips for the inside
of dishes &c., with childish, scrawling sprigs of flowers for
the rims, all which he thinks very clever, but they will
not do for us. He is trying the purple, and thinks he
shall manage it, & is willing to have a sett of the red
chalk stile, or Mezotinto flowers, but thinks they can do
them at Liverpool best. I am afraid of trusting too much
to their taste, but they have promis'd to offtrace & coppy
any prints I shall send them without attempting to mend
or alter them. I have promis'd to send him the red chalk
plates & a few prints of flowers immediately, & beg you
will send him the plates, & pick out some prints of differ-
ent size flowers to send along with them by the coach to
Liverpool.” As specimens of Sadler and Green's early and
later printed ware we give this canister (fig. 11)" from the
Jermyn Street Museum ; and the others from Mr. Mayer's
* Dated October 1, 1768. Mayer * The tea-drinking scene upon it
MISS. is from one of Jansen's printed
* Wedgwood to Bentley, May 12, enamels.
1770.
64 EARLY WASES. Chap. II.
unique collection. The last (fig. 13) belongs to a far later
day, and is from a design by Stothard, who in his youth
worked for Wedgwood.
As already noticed, the
earliest vases were chiefly
cream-colour, gilt, or other-
wise ornamented. Next to
these came vases with
white or cream-coloured
bodies, and necks coloured
with cobalt to resemble
lapis lazuli; and probably
commingled were vases in
- the black Egyptian body,
(Fig. º: rºc modelled after the antique,
and ornamented with small
medallions or festoons in the same colour. The advance
thus made was considerable; but it no way satisfied
Mr. Wedgwood's desire for
excellence. ‘Vases sell,
he writes to Bentley, “even
in the rude state they are
now, for such they appear
to me when I take a view
of what may be done.'
Again, at intervals during
the succeeding fortnight,
he adds, “I am picking up
every design and improve-
ment for a vase work, and
every day more and more
(Fig. 12.) Dunking Mug.-Mayen collectros.
convinced that it will an-
swer to our wishes.” “I am preparing designs, models.



Chap. II. CRYSTALLINE JASPER BODIES. 65
moulds, clays, colours, &c. for the vase work, by such
means we shall be able to do business effectually
12 months sooner than we could without these prepa-
ratory steps, and I have no fear but it will answer our
utmost wishes.” Simultaneously with the preparations
thus recorded, were various experiments with terra-cotta
bodies, some of which, by the aid of the enameller, were
º
/ ºl
gº º
º," º
º
-
º-
-
º
(Fig. 13.) Exºn-Avivº Fon. A TLE on PLATE.
AN EARLY DESIGN or storianº Fon wrºng-woon.--MAYER colºrox.
converted into a resemblance of different coloured
marbles, and modelled after antique forms principally
derived from the work of Count de Caylus.” Two of the
hand of the enameller, who veined
the different coloured bodies in imi-
tation of nature. “I have reserved
* Wedgwood, in London, to Bent-
ley, May 27, June 1, and June 12,
1767.
* We find from Mr. Wedgwood's
letters to Bentley during 1769, that
his marbled bodies were not pro-
duced by the old method of mixing,
or, as it was technically termed,
‘slapping, but portionally by the
VOL. II.
º
my house at Burslem for Mr. Rhodes
and his men, it is quite ready for
him, and when he comes you shall
have Mr. Bakewell, but we must
have some one here to vein & finish
the vases, & if Bakewell goes before




66 - MARBLED WASES. CHAP. II.
first vases produced were forwarded to Bentley. “To-mor-
row the Liverpool Coach goes through Newcastle, and takes
up there two Antique vases, one is of the Holy Door
marble & the other Jaune Antique. . . . You'l see the polish
is not complete, but you will form from them as they are
some idea of their capabilitys, and I could not bear that
you sho" wait another day before you feasted your eyes
with such fine things. But you’l please to remember that
none of these can be made for sale for some time. Ergo,
no man, woman, or child but your own household, nor
scarcely them, sho" see these things at present. Pray
return them by Dan', & return yourself assoon as possible
to help me (to) get all things ready to proceed with these
vases. It is with the greatest difficulty imaginable that I
restrain from indulging my fancy in making more of them,
& if I am not indued with the Continence of a Scipio, or
you do not come & prevent me in my doings, I shall
never hold out another week.’ For some time previously
to this Mr. Wedgwood had been experimentalising on
marbled bodies in terra-cotta, as we find him even as late
Mr. Rhodes comes, we have nobody,
ness & extravaganza in the Pebble, if
and that business must stand still the
the workman gives the batts a twist
while.”—Wedgwood to Bentley, No-
vember 19, 1769. At a later day
the crystalline bodies were again
produced by the mixture of colour
in the mass. Thus the former
writes, ‘I observe what you say
about Pebble vases in general, &
take the benefit of them as I proceed
in this branch ; but the mixtures &
colours too, after all the attention
we give them, are liable to so many
accidents and alterations from the
workmen's unhandiness & want of
ideas. From the uncertainty in
firing &c. &c., which accidents we
cannot command, that much will at
last depend on the Chapter of Acci-
dents. Eor instance, when the Clays
are perfectly mixt to produce a wild-
edgeways, instead of keeping them
jlatt when he puts them into the
mould, a line of stringiness is
produced, which shows the Pott
instead of finely variegated. Again
—If we mean the general complexion
of the pebble to be light, & they
meet with a heavy fire in the biskit
oven, the stronger colours & middle
tints will be many shades darker
than intended, & the light colours in
the mixtures rather lighter, which
annihilates all the middle tints, and
produces a disgusting tawdry harsh-
ness. I could mention many more
accidents we poor potters are liable
to.’—Wedgwood to Bentley, January
27, 1776. */
O'HAP. II. VAST I) EMANI) FOR WASES. (37
as January, 1768, sending trial pieces of this nature to
Bentley in Liverpool, and, whilst bidding him observe the
great variety of effects to be derived therefrom, he pre-
pares him for some necessary sacrifice by saying, ‘Lord
have Mercy on our old stock say I.” But there was in
reality no sacrifice after all. By the end of 1768, through-
out 1769, and several subsequent years, the fashionable
admiration for this class of ornamental ware, stimulated
by the more exquisite products of the bronzed and
Etruscan vases, became such as to include in it almost
everything which bore the shape or name of a vase or
jar; and to meet this demand, vases of the old stocks were
mounted on different plinths—sometimes even wooden
ones—stopped, retouched, polished, or changed from
cream-colour into marble by various processes of var-
nishing, veining, and enamelling. The connoisseur has,
therefore, in respect to this class of ornamental ware, to
heed well whether the body be a true terra-cotta from in-
corporation in the mass, or has received its surface polish,
glaze, or veined effects from subsequent applications.
The difference is precisely that which exists between true
marble and its enamelled or merely painted imitations.
Till somewhere towards the close of 1769, when Mr.
Bentley was fairly embarked in the London business with
Mr. Wedgwood, the invoices give no distinction between
useful and ornamental ware. The whole is consigned to
the London warehouse under the one head of ‘cream
colour, and thus, without some special signification, it is
often difficult to judge if vases with ‘goats' heads, festooned
and gilt, or otherwise ornamented, belong to the older
class of bodies, as white glaze-ware or cream-colour; or to
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 3, 1768.
F $)
68 OXFORD AND CHETWYND WASES. CHAP. II.
more recent, and in all respects more exquisite, productions.
Thus in an invoice of May 23, 1768, we have an entry
under the general head of ‘cream colour' of two “three
handled vases, gilt, at 3s, each, and six “least ditto’ at
2s. 6d. each. From this all that we can infer is that they
were of the Ordinary and old class of bodies. In an
invoice of March in the same year, we have “a gilt vase
with festoons’ specified at the price of 6s., which had
probably the same body as those just referred to, only
with a larger amount of gilding. A month later we find
“I blue neck bottle festooned, & gilt and shot w” gold,
at 7/6,’ ‘2 blue neck largest vases with striped necks,
heads, & horns, gilt, no festoons, at 6/ each, and ‘3 largest
superb gilt at 5/ each.' All these were without doubt
cream-colour.
As numbers do not seem to have been yet introduced
to distinguish one pattern or form from another, the more
choice and elaborate of these early vases passed by special
names, as the “Bedford, the ‘Oxford, the ‘Chetwynd,
the “Pope's, and some others. These were no vulgar
appellations given to flatter a patron, or to insure sales;
but simply showed that the vases from which these copies
had been modelled were derived from the cabinets of
those whose names were thus specified. The ‘Chetwynd'
vases may have been an exception to this rule, for Mr.
Wedgwood felt he could never sufficiently honour the
Staffordshire lady, who had been his first, as, since then,
his most generous ‘patroness.’
Towards the close of July, 1768, some black marble
vases of extraordinary beauty are set down in an invoice;
and with these are four antique vases of two sizes, “with
serpent handles twisted and plinths gilt, in relation to
which Peter Swift has a message from Mr. Wedgwood to
CHAP. II. ANTIQUE FORMS. 69
Cox. “In said Crate there are some serpent handled
antique vases, part of which have the handles twisted &
are finished in a more elegant manner than the others,
these Mr. Wedgwood begs you’l not let be seen till the
others are all sold, & then raise the price of them 1/
each for being higher finished.’ To this Mr. Wedgwood
himself adds in a foot-note, ‘If there is any amongst the
above with plinths square they must be 18" or 2/ more
each, & the black (say Etruscan) vases sent the 27th ult,
those charg’d 9/ must be 10/6, and those 7/6 be 9/,
never mind their being thought dear, do not keep them
open in the rooms, shew them only to People of Fashion.”
We have already seen that for a considerable period
Mr. Wedgwood had been modelling from antique forms,
either indirectly from casts or prints, or directly, though
more rarely, from antique vases themselves. In some
few instances the latter had been supplied by a choice
but small collection already to be found in the British
Museum,” but more largely in the cabinets of the nobility,
who at this period, and through the previous forty years,
had greatly advanced artistic taste, and given vitality to
classical learning by foreign travel. But books and prints
had been Mr. Wedgwood's chief resource. We have seen
a copy of the Count de Caylus' great work carried in his
or Mr. Bentley's cloak-bag, like so many precious jewels,
to and fro between Burslem and Liverpool; and for the
loan of this they seem to have been indebted to Lord
* Invoice sent to Cox, Newport am to see at the Museum, &c. &c.’
Street, London, September 3, 1768. There is every reason to infer that
Mayer MSS. both Bentley and his friend were
* He also referred to books there. well acquainted with the works of
Writing to Bentley on the 3rd of La Chausse, Laurent, Beger, Mont-
March, 1768, he says, in anticipation faucon, Dempster, Gori, and Winc-
of a journey to London, ‘I shall , kelmann, as well as those of Count
expect written instructions what de Caylus,
books I am to buy and what Bº I
70 MR. HAMILTON. CHAP. II.
Cathcart, who, through the introduction of Earl Gower,
or the Duke of Bedford, had been for some time a most
His services now were to be still more
important. His family connections, his frequent residence
on the continent, and a great natural taste for the fine
arts, led to his extensive acquaintance with the various
kindly patron."
discoveries.which at this date were lending such aid to a
knowledge of antiquity, as also with those who promoted
them. He was the friend of Mr. Hamilton, afterwards
Sir William, who was appointed envoy to the Court of
Naples in 1764, and when the former bought the Porcinari
collection of antique vases in the previous year, Lord
Cathcart was the first to applaud his friend's excellent
taste and judgment. Mr. Hamilton was a man of genius,
an enthusiast in his love of antique art, and through
judicious purchases and excavations carried on at his own
cost, after he became a resident in Italy, on various sites,
but more particularly on that of Herculaneum, his collec-
tion of vases and other antiquities rapidly increased, and
* Wedgwood's first acquaintance
with Lord Cathcart may be dated
as early as 1766. Afterwards, upon
the appointment of that nobleman
as Ambassador to the Court of Rus-
sia in January 1768, the former, who
had just visited Soho, wrote from
London to Boulton thus. “I have
waited upon L" Cathcart, the Am-
bassador appointed for Russia, to
bring about the plan we settled of
introducing my manufacture at the
Court of Russia. I laid before his
L"ship in the best manner I could
the great advantages which wo"
arise from such an introduction to a
manufacture which might be ren-
dered much more important than
it had hitherto been thought capable
The Ambassador,
of attaining to.
but particularly his Lady, came into
my measures with the utmost readi-
ness, and I am to get done a plate by
way of specimen with the Russian
Arms & an edging round the plate,
both in gold burnt in, & this I must
get done in town. His L'ship has
now ordered a large service, plain, to
take with him, and I must now de-
sire you will by return of post let
me know at what other courts in
Germany or Europe you sh" be most
solicitous to have this manufacture
introduced, & I will endeavour to get
it done, & at the same time it sho"
be made known to the Introducer
where the princes of the several
states may be supplied with the
same goods. Lº Gower will send a
large Table and desert service, I be-
lieve, to Paris next week.’—Wedg-
wood to Boulton. March 19, 1768.
Boulton Correspondence.
CHAP. II. HIS COLLECTION OF VASES. 71
was indeed soon unrivalled. With a generosity worthy
of his taste and genius, he resolved to make it something
more then a mere cabinet for connoisseurs and savants.
In order to open it to the world, to constitute it a fountain
of true inspiration to the artist and man of letters, to
increase general knowledge as to the extent modern
civilisation is indebted to older civilisations, and to show
that between the past and present runs a chain of causative
effects, which the philosophic thinker cannot overlook, he
employed the finest Italian and French artists to copy the
masterpieces in his possession, and consigned the necessary
letterpress to a Frenchman of the name of D'Hancarville,
who for that period was a sound scholar, and had already
written well on antique art. The combined result was
masterly. Two volumes in folio were published at Naples
in 1766, two others in the following year; and it is much
to say, considering what engraving at that date was,
that these splendid volumes have never been surpassed.
Nothing but that lavish pains and patience which often
accompany our idolatries could have achieved so much.
Portions of D'Hancarville's treatise are admirable. His
explanations of ancient artistic methods are of great value,
and he wrote his own language well; but its translation
in opposite columns through the two first volumes wanted
the correcting pen of an Englishman. Mr. Hamilton
could have never read the proofs; and Mr. Wedgwood
considered that the merits of the original vases and other
antiquities represented were exaggerated in their copies.
Allowing this much, these splendid folios stand unrivalled."
That they have been what they were intended to
* “Mr. Hambleton you know has designs from the very, best Vases
flattered the old pot-painters very extant. – Wedgwood to Bentley,
much, and has no doubt taken his May 19, 1770.
72 LORI) ("ATH(AIRT. CHAP. II.
be, there can be no doubt, sources of valuable in-
formation to the artist and scholar; and at the period
of their publication, when our private collections of antique
art were but few and difficult of access, our national one
in its infancy, and Our manufacturing products needing
every facility which should raise them out of absolute
barbarism, so far as colour, form, and decoration were
concerned, their value was great; and we can scarcely
over-estimate the liberality of spirit and breadth of culture
which thus anticipated one of the public virtues of our
own time."
As proofs of the plates were struck off, Mr. Hamilton
seems to have scattered a few amongst his friends. Lord
Cathcart was a recipient; and he in turn, during various
periods in 1766 and 1767, entrusted some of these to
Mr. Wedgwood. They seem to have inspired him at
once with new ideas; and from thenceforward we can
trace, not merely a recurrence to antique forms, but an
elaborate preparation to copy, if not to rival, the master-
pieces of Etruscan and Grecian ceramic art. Early in
1768 Tord Cathcart, who was a lieutenant-general and
first Commissioner of Police in Scotland, was ap-
pointed Ambassador Extraordinary to the Empress of
Russia in the room of Sir George Macartney; and in
consequence Mr. Wedgwood was called upon to supply a
large order for his lordship's outfit. A portion was to
consist of printed as well as enamelled dinner and dessert
services, each piece to be marked by a crest. In reference
to this and other business, Mr. Wedgwood writes to
Mr. Bentley, ‘I have spent several hours with Lº
* Applauding Sir Wm. Hamilton and the British Museum, and passed
Gibbon says, “He wisely, diverted his time in elucidating a country of
his correspondence from the Secre- inestimable value to the naturalist
tary of State to the Royal Society and antiquarian.”
CHAP. II. PAINTING IN EN CAUSTIC COLOURS. 73
Cathcart, our Ambassador to Russia, & we are to do
great things for each other.” A few weeks later we come
upon a reference to the services in hand, as also to one
relative to Mr. Hamilton's work. “This plate for L'
Cathcart's inspection, with my duty & thanks to his L'ship
for his kind concern for my health, & pray inquire
where I may get the Etruscan antiquitys when they are
published, if you have not done it already. I do not
know the price of the Arms at present till more are done.’
Subsequently in July we hear further on this matter. “A
long time ago I wrote to desire you wo" ask L' or Lady
Cathcart if I sho" return the prints I had from them, &
to learn how I could be supply'd with the three Volumes
of them wº" are publishing abroad, but as you have not
given me any answer, I fear you have forgot, & I suppose
his Lºsh" has not left England.’ At this date the Duke of
Northumberland had enriched his cabinet by a purchase
of Etruscan vases, procured for him probably by Mr.
Hamilton; and Cox describing them added still more to
Mr. Wedgwood's eagerness to begin what he very cor-
rectly styled his ‘great work.’ º
Some twenty years previously the Count de Caylus,
after many experiments in which he was assisted by
the extensive chemical knowledge of M. Magault, a
physician, had succeeded in discovering one branch of
the ancient method of encaustic painting; that which
related to covering canvas, wood, and similar surfaces
with wax incorporated with various tints and colours. He
published a work on the subject, which there is reason to
think Bentley translated for Mr. Wedgwood's use at a
time when what the latter had observed relative to the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March 24, 1768. Lord Cathcart received his
appointment January 24, 1768.
74 EXPERIMIENTS WITH COLOURS. CHAP. II.
ancient vases was leading him to attempt encaustic paint-
ing in the direction of his own art; with this difference,
that, as D'Hancarville tells us, the Etruscans, and per-
haps the Greeks, undoubtedly painted their vases in
fresco, his own experiments would, from the superior
qualities of the modern over the ancient ceramic bodies,
necessarily relate for the most part, though not in all
instances, to ware already fired biscuit. Thus stimulated,
if not taught, by the researches of the illustrious antiquary,
Mr. Wedgwood entered upon a long and, to one less an
enthusiast in his art, weary experiment. Deriving his
various colours from the oxides of iron,' he grasped, it
would seem at the beginning, the true and masterly
conception of their use ; the one which in fact marked the
essential difference between encaustic and other methods
of painting ; namely, that the vehicles incorporated with
these colours to serve as a flux must not be such as
would leave an enamel or glassy surface. They must,
whilst passing through the enamel kiln, sink into the
body to which they were applied, and there incorporate
and harden without vitrifying. Coincident with this
important class of experiments was another relative to
the application of a bronze coating or varnish to earthen-
ware; thus imitating, as also had the ancients, in another
body the bronze vases of their own era. Mr. Wedg-
wood was probably led to undertake this new trial
of his artistic and chemical skill from observations made
at Soho, where Boulton was now carrying on processes
connected with the fabrication of articles in bronze,
ormolu, and steel, separate as well as in conjunction,
1 : I remember,’ says Dr. Bancroft | nearly all the fine diversified colours
when treating of iron in his Philoso- applied to his pottery were produced
phy of Permanent Colours,’ ‘having only by the oxides of this metal.’
been told by Mr. Wedgwood, that
CHAP. II. EARTHENWARE AND METAL,
7
5
which were creating a revolution in ornamental metallic
art; and changing, as we have already seen, our trade in
these articles from one of import into export. But
Boulton's vases, though good as to polish and metal, seem
from the annexed example in outline to have been very
far inferior in form to the antique; and thus to Wedgwood's
subsequent reproductions." --
It is a remarkable fact that, in ancient as in modern
times, any great advance in ceramic art has been con-
temporaneous with that in orna- - - •.
mental metals. The bronzes of
the age of Phidias surpassed those
of former and subsequent periods;
and the same date is assigned to
the masterpieces of the Greek
potters. In a like manner, though
of course in a far less degree,
the advance of one ornamental
art in this country ran parallel
with others soon after the middle
of the last century. This law, if
it be one, probably depends not
so much upon any necessary con- T Sl
(Fig. 14.) outlix E of A VASE FOR
SOHO. —MAYER MISS.
nection between the arts them-
selves, as upon the general pro-
gress of intelligence, wealth, and competitive industry.
In Walpole's letters is a passage which curiously enough
shows that the respective arts at Etruria and Soho had
already gained sufficient eminence to excite alike public
patronage and attention. After speaking of the great
1 The outlines are signed with the ment at Soho. The vases are to be
name of Francis Mayne, a manager earthenware, and the plinths, pedes-
or clerk in the ornamental depart- tal, and ornaments, steel or omolu,

76 ILLUSTRATED PRICE-LISTS. CHAP. II.
increase of luxury and the rage for exhibitions, he says,
‘Then we have Etruscan vases made of earthenware from
two to five guineas, and Ormolu, and never made here
before, which succeeds So well, that a tea-kettle which the
inventor offered for one hundred guineas sold by auction
for one hundred and thirty. In short, we are at the height
of extravagance and luxury, for we do improve rapidly in
taste as well as in the former.”
Soon after the business connected with improvements
in tools and the engine-lathe was at an end, Boulton and
Wedgwood entered upon a lengthened correspondence
as to the best way of extending a knowledge of their
respective manufactures on the continent; and Boulton
advised the method afterwards put so fully into force
by Mr. Wedgwood, that of distributing printed sheets
containing engraved examples of various articles, to
which should be added price lists and other particulars.
This correspondence seems to have suggested to Boulton
a union of their productions in certain branches, and
in reference to this Wedgwood writes thus to Bentley:
‘We have an order from Mr. Boulton for some bodys
of vases for mounting, w” I must either comply with or
affront him, & set him a-trying to get them elsewhere,
& they are so simple, the drawing he has sent me, that
he may get them done. He desires you will be so
good as to do four things for him, 1* to learn wº
quantity of Tortoiseshell is imported into Liverpool,
2" if there is now any to be sold, 3" w” qu" & price,
& fourthly & lastly, that you will come to see him
at Soho.” Wedgwood, who at all times writes as to his
own heart to Bentley, appears to indicate by this a feel-
* Walpole's Letters, Cunning- * Wedgwood to Bentley, January
ham's edit. vol. v. p. 236. 3, 1768.
CHAP. II. GENEROUS RIVALRY.
7.
7
ing that Boulton is treading beyond his own domain. But
this slight feeling of rivalry, if rivalry it was, was soon
over-mastered by more generous emotions, joined to
which was a good share of prudence and common
sense; although, as we shall see, there arose a far stronger
recurrence of the same feeling at a later date. Mr. Wedg-
wood was conscious that he was a great master of his
art, that he had reached excellence through laborious
pains and self-denials innumerable; and there was naturally
a little soreness, that a friend, great in his own speciality,
should enter into a competitive struggle with him on
ground which genius and industry had made Wedgwood's
own. But his nature was too frank and generous to
harbour enmity against any man. His sterling common
sense led him to see that it is from rivalries great efforts
spring ; and honouring Boulton for his intelligence and
energy of purpose, he confided his little chagrins to the
ear that never heard them without that sympathy which
heals and dissipates all ordinary cares; and thus it does
not seem that there was a day's interruption to the friend-
ship existing between the chiefs of Etruria and Soho. It
might have been different, had not Watt appeared and
turned anew Boulton's peculiar talent for metallurgic art
into its legitimate channel.
On his way to London in March, 1768, Mr. Wedgwood
paid his friend a visit, and from its relation we gather
how short-lived had been the feeling referred to. “I
arriv'd at Soho, & spent that day, Saturday, & half of
Sunday with Mr. Boulton, where we settled many impor-
tant matters, & laid the foundation for improving Our
manufactures, & extending the sale of it to every corner
of Europe; many of our ornamental articles will be
finished to great advantage with works of metal, printing
78 WEDGWOOD'S PATENT. CHAP. II.
upon them with purple & gold, &c. &c., which he will
undertake to execute, & shew'd me some specimens of
his printing with gold, which are really admirable, upon
creamcolour as well as Enamel. He prepares the gold
himself, & lays it on without the loss of a grain, in the
very mode I recommended to Sadler. This improvem'
will certainly be of importance to us, but it sho" not be
mention’d at present. . . . . Mr. Boulton tells me I
sho" be surprised to know wº a trade has lately been
made out of Wases at Paris. The artists have even come
over to London, picked up all the old whimsical ugly
things they could meet with, Carried them to Paris, where
they have mounted & ornamented them with metal, &
sold them to the virtuosi of every Nation, & Particularly
to Millords D'Anglaise, for the greatest raritys, & if you
remember we saw many such things at L" Bolingbroke's,
which he bro" over with him from France. Of this sort
I have seen two or three old China bowles, for want of
better things, stuct rim to rim, which have had no bad
effect, but looked whimsical and droll enough. This
alone [the combination of Clay and Metal] is a field, to
the further end of which we shall never be able to travel.”
From the Patent which Mr. Wedgwood took out in
November,1769, for ‘The purpose of ornamenting Earthen
and Porcelaine Ware with an Encaustic Gold Bronze,
together with a peculiar Species of Encaustic Painting in
various Colours, in imitation of the Antient Etruscan and
Roman Earthenware,” we see in some measure the
processes and materials he employed in these two resus-
citated branches of ornamental art. No doubt there were
chemical methods and additions, as well as a manipulative
1 wedgwood to Bentley, dated from Charles Street, Grosvenor Square,
March 15, 1768. * Specification, No. 939.
CIIAP. II. PIRACIES. 74)
dexterity required, which made the specification a dead
letter to all but those well acquainted with potting and
ornamental metallic art; and even such must have been
greatly baffled, by their ignorance of a practical minutiae
of which the specification made no mention; yet for all
this, no sooner were the bronze and Etruscan vases
brought into the field than competitors arose; the most
formidable of whom was a clever potter of the name of
Palmer, of Hanley. His imitations of the Etruscan vases
never reached the excellence of those of Mr. Wedgwood,
but they were passable in the market, and led, as we shall
subsequently see, to the overthrow of the Patent, not
through the verdict of a Court of Law—though there is
reason to think that had the matter been brought to
trial, the adjudication would have been in favour of
Palmer—but by the generous relinquishment of the
patentee. As soon as he saw the whole bearings of the
question, and that Palmer's imitations, even though infe-
rior to his own, and suspiciously indicative of processes
surreptitiously obtained, evinced the ability and industry
of an experienced potter, he resolved to throw up the
Patent, very wisely considering that he could hold his
own; and still more rightly judging that he, least of all
men, who had such true opinions respecting art and its
tendencies relative to civilisation, should not attempt to
curtail its advance by an impossible monopoly, and stultify,
as it were, the growing influence of recovered antiquity.
To his lasting honour he ceased to contend, as soon as
his strong understanding pointed out to him that conten-
tion was unworthy.
The Patent, which in portion we annex, gives in detail
the materials and processes employed both relatively to
bronzing and encaustic painting. In a letter to Bentley
º:*
80 PROCESSES. ('HAP. II.
are some further interesting particulars as to bronzing,
the secret of which Mr. Wedgwood had acquired in
London. ‘The man,’ he says, “who taught me & shew’d
me the whole operation by doing the Glaz'd Vases here,
declar'd he wo" not shew the Artists here so much for
ten pounds.’" The brown varnish, used prior to the
* First Process, or, Preparation of . , Orange.—C. Two ounces No 1,
the Ingredients. i fourteen ounces No. 3, half-an-ounce
No. 1. A white earth from Ayoree, No.5, fºur ounces No. 6.
in North America. Calcine this in Dry Black.-D. One ounce No. 4,
a red heat about half-an-hour. twº ounces No. 8.
No. 2. Bronze powder. Dissolve White.—E. Two ounces No. 1,
one ounce of puré gold in aquregº, tW9 ounces No. 6. -Y-
precipitate it with copper, then wash Green—F. One ounce No. 1, two
the precipitate with hot water till it ounges No.3, five ounces No 4. *
is sweet or clean from the acid, dry Blue-G. One ounce No. 1, five
it, and lay it up for use. ounces No. 4.
No. 3. Take two ounces of crude Yellow.—H. No. 3 alone.
antimony livigated, two ounces of
tin ashes, and six ounces of white
lead, mix them well together, and
calcine them in a potter's furnace
along with gloss cream-coloured I. When the vessels are finished
Ware. ready for burning, and before they
No. 4. Take eight ounces of good are quite dry, ground some of the
smalts, one ounce of roasted borax, powder No. 2 in oyl of turpentine,
four ounces of red lead, one ounce of and apply it to the vessels or figures
nitre; mix the ingredients well to- with a spunge or pencil to imitate
gether and fire them in a crucible bronze in such manner as your fancy
in a potter's bisket oven. directs; polish this powder upon the
No. 5. Take English copperas or vessel or figure, and burn it in such
vitriol of iron, calcine it in a moder- a furnace, and to such a degree of
ate red heat about two hours, then heat, as is necessary for the ware.
wash it in hot water till it is sweet, After it is burnt, burnish the bronze
Third Process, or Application of the
Phcaustic Bronze and Colours.
Application of the Bronze.
dry it, and lay it up for use. upon the vessels to what degree you
No. 6. White lead. please, and the process is finished.
Nº. § ſº and ground. Another method of applying the
No. 5 ź.i. *** - e. Bronze after the ware is fired Biscuit,
N. in Tº......... .......: ael. as some Figures or Wessels may be too
No. 10. Copper calcined to black delicate to bear the Process I.
IlêSS. t -
K. Take four ounces No. 6, and
Second Process, or Compounding and ounce No. 7, grind them well to-
Miving of Colours. gether, spread this very thin with a
Shineing Black. —A. Three ounces spunge or pencil over the ware to be
No. 8, three ounces No. 9, three bronzed, and fire it till this layer of
ounces No. 10, eleven ounces No. 6, size is fluxed, which may be done in
six ounces of the green F. a potter's furnace; then take the
Red.—B. Two ounces No 1, two powder No. 2, and apply it to the
ounces No. 3, one ounce No. 5, three vessel as before directed; then burn
ounces No. 6. the ware over again, till the powder
CHAP. II. BRONZE ANTIQUE WASES. 8]
application of the bronze powder, was one supplied by
his old friend Dr. Turner."
The first pair of bronze antique vases, which, from
what we shall see hereafter, were certainly not en-
caustic, were finished and sent towards the close of
August, 1768, as a propitiatory offering to the sister or
daughter of Mr. Tarleton, a merchant, and one of the
members for Liverpool; it being desirable to use that
gentleman's interest with the Corporation in order to
adheres to the size; burnish &c. as on (the w” is not so good) the same
before. as for gilding, then mix some of yr
tº a º e - bronze in a saucer with a large pro-
Ap"..."; % º jº, * | portion of Lamp black, both dry, wº
- .” S. 2/ t m . . . . " ºx'}- c º */
upon Red Wessels in the manner of the size is of , proper dryness for
the Antique Etruscan Vases. gilding, lay this powd" on plentifully
L. Take the colour A, grind it very w” with a large camel hair, or soft
fine with oyl of turpentine, and with pencil, the pencil sho" be abo" as
it trace the outlines of the design large as the end of yº finger, after
you intend to have upon the vessel, this, warm the vases, but they must
then fill up the vacant spaces very not be much warmer than a blood
even, and shade the drapery &c. heat, when dry, rub them well with
Fire the vessels in a heat sufficient a hard brush, dry them with a gen-
to flux the black, and they are finished. the heat, and they are finish’d. This
M. Another method to produce a is the fine Antique Bronze, if you
different effect with the same colour, wo" have any part seem as if it was
in the manner of the Etruscans, is to rubb'd off to the brass, lay a very
paint the design with black, laid on little of the bronze powder alone
as dead colouring upon red bisket upon a prominent part before you
ware, and to cut up or finish the de- lay on the mix’d powder. The
signs with red and other colours, for powders require no nicety in the
which purpose the above-mentioned mixing, the finger and thumb is suf-
ones are prepared; they must also ficient, & it sho" not be mix’d too
be ground in oyl of turpentine, and | fine. . . . I think you sho" mix the
burnt upon the vessels in a muffle powders before you give them out.
or enamel kiln. A fire-side is heat sufficient, if
N. Another method to produce | you use the stove they are sure to
in a more expeditious way nearly the be made too hot, the man never let
effect of the Process L. Take the them come within a y” or two of the
red B, or the orange C, and lay in fire. . . . . The bluish cast in the
your design with it, as a dead colour mixture of No. 3 will be a great ad-
upon black bisket vessels, and shade dition to their beauty, at least to
it with the black D, with or with- their antiqueness. Nobody will now
out the addition of any of the other buy the single polished vases, they
colours, fireing them upon the ves. have too much the appearance of a
sels as before directed. varnish, but so much of the polish as
* In his letter to Bentley, I apprehend your No. 3 will give,
Mr. Wedgwood gives this further will do them good & not have that
account of the bronzing process. oily appearance.”
“Lay Dr. Turner's brown varnish
V () L. II. (?
82 PROGRESS IN BUILDING. CHAP. II:
push the scheme of the Runcorn aqueduct. Mr. Wedg-
wood, in this case as in many others, making his art an
instrument whereby to promote general well-being. ‘I
believe, he writes to Bentley, “Dan' will have D'yº 12
Crates before you receive this, & along with them a
basket containing 2 Etruscan bronze vases, full of my
compliments to Miss Tarleton, which you will be kind
enough to deliver along with the vases to that ingenious
Lady, & beg her acceptance of them as an offering of
first fruits. There are 3 other imperfect ones to shew
you a little into the light of our imperfections in the
manufacturing of these delicate compositions, & the dis-
appointments you must expect to meet with when you
become a Potter; so that if you can be picking up a little
patience, and storeing it against a time of need, there
may be no sort of harm in it. Every Vaze in the last
kiln were spoil'd, & that only by such a degree of variation
in the fire as scarcely affected our cream-colour bisket at
all.” Miss Tarleton's vases were of the largest size,
finished with satyrs’ heads, and sold at 18s, a pair. Such
would probably now fetch the price of Sl. or 10l.
Whilst such was the progress of the ornamental ware,
the work of building at Etruria was not at a stand-still.
By January, 1768, Mr. Bentley's house was tiled, and a
portion of the works ready for furnishing. But during
the Summer and autumn, various hindrances arose from
the want of timber, bricks proper for Mr. Wedgwood's
house, and the cupidity and shortcomings of the archi-
tect Mr. Pickford. In August the Etruscan works were
nearly ready for roofing, and in November Mr. Wedgwood
writes thus to Bentley, ‘The works are covered in, &
| Wedgwood to Bentley, August 30, 1768.
CHAP. II. ETRU RIA. 83
they are beginning upon the Cellar Arches, & the chamber
& ground floors, as soon as any of them are finished I
shall order them to be fitted up, & put some men into
them to make Saggars, prepare Clay, build ovens, &c.
&c., that we may begin to do something in earnest as
soon as possible. The Partnership books should be opened
on Monday the 14th inst., as some hands (Potters) will
begin there at that time, & if you can leave home, Liver-
pool I wo" say, for I must now consider Etruria as your
home, I think it will be absolutely necessary for you to
be here the preceding Saturday at farthest; & we have
put off our journey to the 16", that we may have a few
days to settle matters together before we part, concerning
fitting up the works, employing the hands hired for
Etruria, &c.”
As here intimated, Mr. and Mrs. Wedgwood and Mrs.
Willet spent a month in London at this date ; and, as re-
garded Mr. Wedgwood, in a manner most advantageous
to his art, as we shall see presently. Meanwhile, Mr.
Bentley was his representative at Burslem and Etruria;
and we find hiºn performing the same duty during the
month of February in the succeeding year, when Mr.
Wedgwood was again in town. From thence the latter
writes urgent letters relative to the completion of the
Etruscan works. In April the slip and clay houses
were finished, two mills in progress, & your house, adds
Mr. Wedgwood to his friend, “is going on as fast as the
Works. The Joyners have left mine to finish yours,
which Mr. Pickford assures me shall be completed in
seven weeks at farthest.’ In May everything relating
to vases was removed from Burslem to Etruria; and
Wedgwood to Bentley, November 6, 1768.
G 2
84 A COLONY OF ARTISTS. CHAP. II.
between June 2 and June 25, when he was again in
Liverpool, Mr. Bentley was present at the opening of
the Etruscan works.
As a beginning to his long matured scheme of gather-
ing around him a colony of artists, who, perfected by his
instruction and inspired by his example, would carry out
to the full his splendid visions in relation to ornamental
art, Mr. Wedgwood, as we have shown, had, upon the
engagement of his London warehouse in Newport Street,
entered into an agreement with an enameller named David
Rhodes, who for some time previously had been working
for him. A few days later we hear of another of these
artists, and One who became as famous for his rascality as
for his cleverness. His name was John Voyez. Writing
to Bentley, Mr. Wedgwood says, “I have hired a modeler
for three years, the best I am told in London, he serv'd
his time with a silversmith, has work'd several years at a
China work, has been two or three years carving in wood
& marble for Mr. Adams, the famous Architect, is a
perfect Master of the Antique stile in ornaments, vases,
&c. &c., & works with equal facility in Clay, wax, wood,
or stone.” The first articles which Voyez modelled for
Mr. Wedgwood were a candlestick and an antique
sauce boat; but the first proved clumsy,” and it was soon
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March wou'd not choose to sell it, but
31, 1768. where it is particularly ordered. Mr.
* “The Box with the Leaf Moulds, Wedgwood would be glad to know
&c., is come to hand, & by this when it would suit Mr. Voyez to
Specimen Mr. Wedgwood perceives come down, that he might have a
that Mr. Voyes cannot execute any- house ready for him.”—Mr. Bentley
thing that will suit his Business to Cox, dated Burslem, May 18, 1768.
without he had him here to receive This is an extract from one of the
particular Instructions, as those sent few letters extant of Mr. Bentley.
are of no Use, & are unfortunately . It is the more interesting from being
all of the same Pattern. With respect written a few days prior to the am-
to the Sauce Boat he does not know putation of Mr. Wedgwood's leg, and
what passing Orders you might have whilst he was in attendance upon
for it; but it is so very ugly, that he his invalided friend, Mayer MSS.
CHAP. II. VOYEZ.
8
5
seen that to make his services available he must work
under his master's eye. It was therefore arranged that
he should go into Staffordshire; and to facilitate this, as
he was greatly in debt, Mr. Wedgwood advanced him 20/.,
and sufficient besides to pay his and his wife's expenses
by coach. They left London in July, and in August
Voyez himself gives this account to Cox of Mr. Wedg-
wood's generous kindness. “I beg leave to inform you
of Mr. Wedgwood's Exceeding Genteel behaviour to me,
who on my Arrivall here entertain'd us in his own house
for some time untill our house was gotten ready, which
wos by the usiall Diligence, or rather delays of Joiner
Show, kept back longer than it otherwise might have
been ; however, we are now altogether mighty happy,
rather more so than one Would imagine might be for
persons usually residing in London. I wou'd have you
to know, friend Cox, I Live in the Grandee part of the
City of Burslem, even in the new building of Mr. Smith,
near honover Square there's for ye!" After giving Cox
sundry directions as to a few miserable articles of furni-
ture to be sent by waggon, ‘a p" of black stocking
breeches, for which Mr. Wedgwood is to pay, and the
purchase of sundry tools for gilding, Voyez winds up by
saying, ‘if it suits you to send me a Stone bottle full of
Good porter and Charge it as above you cannot oblige
me more, for I am just dead for want of it.” Sending
porter into the land of good ale, was like sending coals
to Newcastle; but the request probably unfolds to us one
of the causes of the fellow's graceless conduct—an idle
love of sotting. However, for some months he settled
down to work; and under his master's tutelage proved
* John Voyez to William Cox, Great Newport Street, London, August
19, 1768. Mayer MISS.
86 HIS RASCALITY. CHAP. II,
himself an admirable hand, not only in carrying out in-
structions, but in instructing others. Late in the autumn
we find him employed upon some bas-reliefs, the models
of which were supplied by Mrs. Landre, a famous hand
in her peculiar walk; and when we hear of him again in
the spring of the following year, he has just received his
sentence at the Stafford Lent Assizes | He is to be whipped
with ‘a cat-o'-nine-tails,’ and imprisoned three months.
What his crime was it is impossible now to say. It was
probably not theft; and yet it must have been an offence
of a grave character to incur a sentence which combined
whipping and imprisonment. Whilst he was yet in prison,
the partners gravely discussed their own difficulties in
relation to this man. “I agree with you in most of your
sentiments respecting V-, & do not intend to have any
thing further to do with him on any accº, writes Mr.
Wedgwood to his friend ; but he still considered that
there were points in dealing with him which required
some caution, for this was his train of reasoning, “I have
got the start of my Brethren in the article of v-s,
farther than I ever did in anything else, and it is by much
the most profitable I ever launched into ; ’tis a pity to lose
it soon—there is no danger—true, not of losing the busi-
ness, but the prices may be lower'd by competition, & if
the imitations are tolerable, the demand from us may be
diminish'd, for all our buyers are not, though many of
them are, qualified to discern nice differences in forms
and ornaments. What then do our competitors stand in
most need of to enable them to rival us the most effectu-
ally P. Some Person to instruct them to compose good
forms, & to ornament them with tolerable propriety.
V can do this much more effectually than all the
Potters in the Country put together, and without much
('HAP. II, WORKS FOR PALMER. 87
Personal labour, as the ornam” may be bo' or model'd
by others.’ Mr. Wedgwood then proposes to pay him his
wages of 36s. per week, for doing nothing for his unexpired
term of two years; thus preventing competition for so long
by restraining him from taking service elsewhere. ‘I
know he is vicious, & everything that is bad, & all my
feelings are up in Arms against even so much as naming
him. But to live in this world as matters & things are
constituted, it is sometimes necessary to make a truce with
these sensations, whilst we manage a Rascal, Our evil stars
have thrown in our way, to prevent repeated injuries
which he might otherwise do us. I know too that he is
Lazy & fickle, & not likely to stay long in any one
place. But revenge may be an antidote to the first, & he
may stay long enough wº" a Master to give him a relish
for such a business as v- making ; & depend upon it,
my good friend, whoever tastes a little of the sweets of it,
will afterwards spare no pains or cost to have a full meal;
at least I am sure he must be both very dull and very
idle who does.' The result of these deliberations does
not appear. In all probability Voyez received his wages,
and did just what he would have done without them. In
September of this same year he was working both for
himself and for Palmer of Hanley, and scattering so far as
he could the secrets of Mr. Wedgwood's manufactory.
A few weeks later he is in Tondon, and on the track, as
it is supposed, of the latest Etruscan vases; and the next
fact recorded sums up his villany so far. He is again in
Staffordshire, and raising reports that the generous master
who had paid his debts and sheltered him beneath his
roof had become bankrupt, and run away from his
creditors' These lies were traced home to the vindictive
wretch ; but Mr. Wedgwood was too wise and magna-
88 FEMALE ARTISTS. CHAP. II.
nimous to punish so contemptible a rascal; and finally,
after working off and on with Palmer and other masters,
he set up in business for himself, and we shall see him at
a later date copying Wedgwood and Bentley's seals and
intaglios in a wretched body, and literally forcing them
on the Birmingham mounters. Yet, with all his sins,
Voyez was, without doubt, guiltless of the one usually
assigned to him; and that which, false as it is, has handed
down his name to our own day. Shaw' and others in-
sinuate that it was Voyez who betrayed the use of the
carbonate of baryta in the jasper body; deriving his
knowledge from the perusal of a bill of parcels en-
closed in a pocket-book Mr. Wedgwood had dropped.
But in 1769 the jasper body was still in its experimental
stage; and Voyez had long quitted Mr. Wedgwood's ser-
vice, when the cameos and other specimens of ornamental
ware were displaying, through their exquisite effects,
the value of a new porcellaneous mixture, and its adapt-
ability to the highest purposes of the arts. The only
known work of Voyez's is the accompanying jug, in
the Original 9% inches high. It is modelled after the rustic
taste then so much in vogue; and, neither remarkable for
its form nor ornament, certainly proves that Voyez was
only a true artist when working under the guidance of a
master-hand.
Despising no source which might contribute to the
beautiful, Mr. Wedgwood entrusted some of his best
work to female hands. We shall see presently a group
of young and clever women busy enamel-painting in the
rooms at Chelsea ; and prior to, and at the same date,
Mrs. Landre was modelling subjects that afterwards, in
IIistory of Staffordshire Potteries, p. 186.
Chap. II. BACON THE SCULPTOR. 84)
the black Egyptian and jasper bas-reliefs, became very
popular. A greater artist still was working for Mr.
Wedgwood in 1769. This was John Bacon. He had
(Fig. 15.) Jug Monrºll, ºn By voyºz. coloured skºTCH-
------ Miss.
already acquired considerable fame by a figure of Peace.
modelled after the antique, and exhibited by the Society
London: Jan. 21, 1769. £ s. d.
Mr. Bentley. 3 pieces of Vintage . . 5 0.
Boº. of Mary Lands. Apolow & Dafnee . . . 10 0
E. s. d. A Baccus & Boys . . . 5 0.
4 quarters of the Earth 1 1 0 || Antique figures . . . . 8 0
History of Apolow. 1 1 0 || 6 Fryers . . . . . . . 6 0.
6. Passions or Vices 2 2 0 || Antique heads the 12
4 Groops of Boys 1 1 0 Cesers & 6 Empresses. 18 0
3 Female Virtues 1 1 0 || A large Horse . . . . 5 0
Antique Baccanalians. 7 6 Sylenus . . . . . . 3 0.
The Drunken Sylenus 5 0 | A Magdalen . 0.
The English Poets . . . 1 1 0 Tº
4. scripture ieces . . . S 6 A packing case 16 º !
Moses and the Serpents 1 1 0 A p * * * a Hi-
Joseph . . . . . . . 1 1 0 - 16 11 9
The Lord's Supper & Com- 25 Mar, 1769, Rec", the above
pai. . . . . . . . 2 2 0 Contents in full.
A Battle piece 7 0. Mary LANDRE.

90 HIS WORK FOR WEDGWOOD, CHAP. II,
of Arts in 1758; but his circumstances were yet humble,
for in one of Mr. Wedgwood’s letters is a reference to his
living in the George Yard, Holborn. He had just taken
work at Coade's Artificial Stone Manufactory in Lambeth,
then newly established, and it is not improbable that he
was recommended to Mr. Wedgwood by the proprietor,
as some project of this sort is on several occasions glanced
at in his correspondence with Bentley. The subject or
subjects modelled by Bacon are not stated," but one may
have been, as it was to be a companion to the Sacrifice, a
reduced copy of his bas-relief of Æneas bearing Anchises
from the burning of Troy, for which, in the December of
this year, 1769, he received from the hands of Sir Joshua
Reynolds the first gold medal ever given for sculpture
by the Royal Academy. Bacon had served his ap-
prenticeship with a porcelain maker, and had been
accustomed to model as well as to paint in enamel; he
therefore well knew the amount of relief a potter can
afford to his designs. He was also a man well qualified
to fulfil any mission of this character by his enthusiasm
for his art, his honesty of purpose, and his painstaking
love of excellence.
An enameller, named Joseph Simon, was at work for
Mr. Wedgwood in London in 1767, and so continued for
a long period, as we find him amongst those who con-
tributed so ably to the completion of the Russian service
in 1774. David Rhodes was, however, Mr. Wedgwood's
principal enameller; at first combining his work with that
of others, and as this increased taking a partner of the
name of Craft or Croft to aid him ; but eventually he
relinquished all extraneous business, and remained literally
July 28th, 1769.
1 Rec" of Mr. Wedgwood by the Hands of Mr. Cox nine ºmis fifteen
shillings in full, for modelling Work done and all demands.
PME JN0, BACON,
£9 15 Mayer MSS.
CHAP. II. RTIODES, CROFT, AND COWARD. 91
his master's right hand in this department till his death,
in 1777. “I have had a letter from Mr. Rhodes, writes
Mr. Wedgwood to Cox," “acquaintº me he has got a
partner who has Enam" at Paris &c., & does it with great
Elegance &c., & wants to begin upon some small plates
immediately, w” you'l please to furnish them with.” The
work of Rhodes and his partner was very exquisite and
comparatively highly paid; no patterns are specified
except feather edge and bead edge ; and no colours but
rose and green. For painting an Octagon covered dish,
they charge 2s. 6d. ; sauce boats, 18, each ; for a basket
and stand, 2s. 9d. ; for a large dish, 38. 6d. ; table plates,
8.0. ; and dessert plates, 7% each ; flower-pots according to
size, and candlesticks 6d, each. Teapots and sugar dishes
are painted for 1s, each ; a large tray is charged 7s. 6d. ;
and four pierced sugar bowls, painted black, 1s. 3d. each.
Two ‘Black Vases, Etruscan Satyr Heads, are painted for
5s. each ; and other Etruscan vases, painted ‘red, blue,
white, and green, are variously charged from 12s. to 6s.”
John Coward was another of Mr. Wedgwood's modellers
in 1768,” and in the year succeeding he took the head of
1 June 20, 1768. Mayer MSS. and November, 1769–sum total,
* Five bills of D. Rhodes and £97 10s. 84d. Mayer MSS.
Co., for work done between January
Mr. Wedgwood.
# S. d.
For 2 coloured sketches of Candlesticks g , () 5 (5
For various Drawings of Vauzes, baskets, Dishes after
the Duke of Richmond's, &c. &c. e tº 0 19 (5
For Drawing of Do. after Mons. De Mello's, &c. () 1(; ()
For Drawing of baskets sent to Burslem, &c. () 3 (5
Remains of a Bill Delivered for Queen's Armes . 2 6 ()
#4 10 (5
Recd. 4th NOV r. 1768
of Mr. Cox on Accº this Bill for Jno Coward
1769. PME DAWSON COWARD.
Mr. Wedgewood
To John Coward.
January 12.
For wood work carveing and modeling the x Ribbons
to a meat small tea tray, &c, in mahogany. & , () 17 O
92 PARKER, TASSIE AND PINGO, CHAP. II.
this department at a salary of 200l. per annum; a high
premium in those days, and only given to men of un-
doubted ability. Coward's work appears to have been
excellent; and though a coxcomb, and presuming on
the kindly deference paid to him by his employers, he
remained in their service for some time. In addition to
the work thus effected, much else was done by extraneous
hands. For the model of his first inkstand, Mr. Wedg-
wood paid 2l. 7s. 8d., in 1769, to a man of the name of
Edward Watson; and Theodore Parker," James Tassie,”
and an Italian named Pingo” were at the same period
I Mess's, Wedgwood To
Sepºr 31, Theod, Parker.
1769. :E s. d.
To A Statue of Flora () 15 ()
To Do. Seres. e O 7 (3
To Do. Spencer . e t () () ()
To 1 Bracket Open Work . () 7 (3
Oct. 7 To A Statue of Hercules
To Do. Seres Large .
To Do. Juno
To Do. Brudence
To Do, Milton
To Do. Shakspear
To A Boy A Couch
3 Doggs . e * g e g º & #
Time from the 7th above in Casting g * . 1 4 ()
#3 3 ()
Decº yº 18", 1769, Recº the above Contents in full of all Demands
P. THEODORE PARKER.
Nov. 11, 1769.
Mess". Wedgewood & Bentley Bill. sh.
To 70 impressions in Sulfer, at 2" a piece . {} . Il 8
Two Enammel impressions . * e e g * 2
13 8
Box º 4
14 ()
Recived the Contents
JA*. TASSIE.
| 769. --
Messrs. Westwood & Co. #3 s. d.
Nov. 25.-1 Copper Model of Pondicherry & 1 of the -
Birth of the Prince º g . () 8 ()
1 Copper Model of Plassy O 3 O
O II ()
Decº 20, Rec" the Contents in full for Mr. Pingo,
JoſiN IRELAND.
Mayer MSS.
CHAP. II. THE REGION OF ARTISTS. 93
contributing their artistic aid. Of Tassie, who was
one of the most remarkable artistic characters of the
eighteenth century, much which is very interesting will
appear, as his labours for Mr. Wedgwood extended over
a very long period.
Newport Street, St. Martin's Lane, Long Acre, and
Leicester Square, formed at that period the great centre
for artists of every class. Sir Joshua Reynolds was already
established in Leicester Square; the old Life Academy
had in previous years been held in a house at the top of
a court in St. Martin's Lane; and in Long Acre were
congregated the colour makers, gold beaters, artists' tool
makers, modellers, and journeymen of every kind. A
change subsequently took place ; and the streets to the
south of the Oxford Road, as it was then called, and the
newer ones springing up on its northern boundary, gradu-
ally absorbed much of the artist population of a superior
class ; but at the period we refer to, Leicester Square and
its surrounding streets were the true region of artist
life. Newport Street and its neighbourhood have since
then undergone so great an amount of alteration, as to
show at this day few, if any, vestiges of its old condition ;
but judging by our present ideas, relative to space, light,
and accessibility, it must have been a comparatively
gloomy and confined situation for such a shrine of the
arts, and one so resorted to by the noblest in intellect
and rank in the land. The partners soon thought so :
for we shall find them looking wistfully to the airier
and brighter region of the Adelphi; where the brothers
Adams were then building their streets and terrace on a
palatial scale.
The new warehouse faced both Newport Street and
St. Martin's Lane. The ground floor consisted of two
94 THE SHOW-ROOMS. CHAP. II.
shops and a parlour, below which were kitchens. One of
the former was soon let to a linendraper; and the other,
that towards Newport Street, was used by Mr. Wedgwood
himself, for the sale of more ordinary goods, as seconds,
thirds, and odd pieces. The prices of these were marked,
and the public entered in and out the shop at pleasure.
But the first floor, which extended over both shops, was
another region; to which access was gained by a hall and
wide staircase. It consisted of two rooms, and probably
an antechamber, lighted by high narrow windows. In
these the dinner and dessert services, the tea ware and
other small articles were ranged on long centre tables;
whilst the shelves round the walls supported vases,
tripods, large bas-reliefs, flower and bough pots, and other
exquisite specimens of ornamental ware. The background
of these was covered with variously-coloured paper.
Behind the black Egyptian and Etruscan vases glowed
a fine carnation red or ochrous yellow ; and sea-green or
turquoise blue set off the vessels of fairer tints. A few of
the very choicest pieces—the last modelled Etruscan vases,
or elegantly enamelled bough pots—were kept in an
antechamber or adjacent closet, to which none but the
partners or Cox, the manager, had access; and this repo-
sitory was never shown except to patrons like the Duke
of Northumberland, the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke
of Bedford, Lord Bessborough, Lord Gower, Sir Watkin
Williams Wynne, Mr. Foley, Lady Chatham, Miss Chet-
wynd, Mrs. Montague, or others who had wealth and taste.
Upon Mr. Bentley's settlement in London, the beauty of
all these arrangements became still more marked ; and the
finest productions as they arrived from Staffordshire were
enshrined in glass cases with sliding doors. The second
floor was used by Mr. Wedgwood and his family when in
CHAP. II. LIFE IN TOWN. 95
town; and otherwise partially by Cox and the house-
keeper. It seems to have consisted of a drawing-room, a
room used occasionally as a kitchen, and three bedrooms.
Above this floor stretched a range of garrets, used va-
riously for stowage and sleeping."
The first visit Mr. Wedgwood paid to London after the
amputation of his leg was in October, 1768, on which
occasion he was accompanied by Mr. Bentley. They
returned to Burslem together about the middle of No-
vember ; and here Mr. Bentley took up his residence at
the Brick House, in order to act for his partner, whilst he
revisited town in company with Mrs. Wedgwood and
Mrs. Willet. It is pleasant to catch glimpses of the
preparations made for the ladies' comfort. New grates
are put up in some of the rooms; new beds and fenders are
bought; a glass bookcase is set up in the drawing-room ;
and a wealth of comfortable bedding comes up by
waggon from Staffordshire. The little party travel lei-
surely in their own chariot accompanied by a maid-
servant, and meet with the usual disagreeables of the
bad roads and poor horses. But they
make amends for all these things when they reach
Newport Street. Bright fires glow. There are tea-
parties, suppers, and rubbers at whist. Mrs. Wedgwood
receives Mrs. Griffith of Turnham Green, not the shrew
winter season
who starved Goldsmith, but the kindlier woman, whom
the reviewer made his second wife in the autumn of 1767;
Mrs. Hodgson, the wife of the rich Russian merchant of
St. Mary's Axe ; Mrs. Berry, and many others. There
are gentlemen, too, in abundance; and Mr. Wedgwood is
the merriest among them, except when he is called away,
* Wedgwood to Cox, October 31, and November 7, 1768, Mayer MSS.
96 WEDGWOOD AND BOULTON. CHAP. II.
as he too often is, on countless matters of business.
Tassie has come out of Leicester Square with a sulphur
cast of some exquisite antique gem ; Bacon or Theodore
Parker has brought home his newest bas-relief or figure;
or Rhodes, Crofts, or Coward have to consult him on
their day's enamel-painting or carving."
Mr. Boulton is at this date in London, and we hear
from Mr. Wedgwood himself what charming days they
occasionally spend together, in what he calls this “fine
city.’ ‘Mr. Boulton, he writes to Bentley, ‘is still in
Town, & has not done half his business, nor shall have
time, he says, if he stays a month longer. He has seen
so many pretty things that he has sent for his Artist to
come up to him, & we have been alltogether, the Ladys &
all, at Harraches this afternoon, where we have amongst
us spent near twenty pounds. Do you remember what
Harrach asked for the Raphael bottles? I think it was
10 Guineas. They now ask twenty-five Harrach is just
return'd from Paris and has bro' a great many fine things
with him. I bid £30 for 3 p" of Vases; they asked £32
& wo" not abate a penny. There's spirit for you ! Must
not we act in the same way P Mr. Boulton is picking up
Vases, & going to make them in Bronze. You know how
old China bowles, jarrs, &c. are mounted in Metal; he
proposes an alliance betwixt the Pottery and Metal
branches, viz. that we shall make such things as will be
suitable for mounting, & not have a Pott look, & he will
* “I will not trust to writing in employed, we are in a constant
the evening, engagements of my own bustle, I have for my own part got
or the Ladies allways filling up those very little done, & the Ladies have
hours, indeed we are under the business enough cut out for them a
necessity of incroaching upon regu- month longer. . . . Well now it is
lar bedtime to have an hour's rest evening, & we are favoured with the
or enjoyment of ourselves in peace; company of Mrs. Blake, Mrs. Hod
{T}*-
s es
notwithstanding every moment is son, & a room full of Ladies. . . . .”
CHAP, II. CURIOSITY HUNTING. 97
finish them with the mounts. What do you think of it?
Perhaps you wo" rather he wo" let them alone. Very
true, but he will be doing, so that the question is
whether we shall refuse having anything to do with him,
& thereby affront him, & set him of doing them him-
self, or employing his frº Garbett. If we join with
him in this scheme, I apprehend we can allways bind
him to us by making him such things as nobody else
can, & thereby make it his interest to be good. We
can make things for mounting with great facility &
dispatch, & mounting will enhance their value greatly
in the eye of the purchaser. Pebble will in this way
scarcely be discover'd to be counterfeit. Bass-reliefs will
have a most fine effect too, & will fetch Guineas instead
of shillings. These things will do for the East India Cº.,
& they give any price for fine things. £20, or 30,000 a
piece for Clocks I am told is a common price for them to
give. One of this sort we have seen to day, though I
believe not of that price, but it is the finest piece of work
I ever saw in my life. The maker is to visit me, & I
expect to have some traffic with him in the ornament
way. Mr. Boulton & I go a curiosity hunting all day to-
morrow. We begin with a visit to Lº Shelbourne, & shall
then proceed—the L* knows where, for I cannot yet tell
you. Mr. Cox is as mad as a March Hare for Etruscan
Wases, pray get a quantity made or we shall disgust our
good customers by disappointing them in their expecta-
tions. But raise no dust at home though about them, for
that will make our antagonists open all their ears, & eyes
too, & push them forwarder than they wo" perhaps move
at their own natural rate. . . . Mr. Boulton has not yet
sent any of his things to St. James's. He soars higher,
& is scheming to be sent for by his Majesty I wish him
WOL. II. H
98 IDEMAND GIREATER THAN SUPPLY. ('HAP. II.
success; he has a fine spirit, & I think by going hand in
hand we may in many respects be usefull to each other, . .
'tis a pitty but we could be alltogether in this fine world
here, we want you much to help us on, & enjoy the many
fine things we see & are plotting to see every day; but it
cannot be, somebody must take care of the Etruscans
& prepare vessels of honor at home. And pray do not
forget to take care of yourself; keep a good & hospitable
house, & make much of your friends who have goodness
enough to visit you. . . Our love & respects wait on all our
friends and your fellow Labourers, Mess". T. Wedgwood,
Swift, Unwin, &c.” In another letter of a date somewhat
later Mr. Wedgwood adds, “I can only thank you for your
goodness in writing to us, & to tell you that an epidemi-
cal madness reigns for Vases, which must be gratified. I
have five or six modelers & carvers at work upon different
branches, and a moulder constantly in my house. I have
seen the Italian Wases, & like them vastly ; have seen at
Sir Henry Chairs some better prints of vases than any I
have, particularly for Bass-reliefs, & he has promised to
lend them to me, & I am in a fine channel for good
things if I could stay here awhile.' We have abundant
evidence that Mr. Bentley more than performed the
business delegated to his able hands. He was, as his great
partner often said, his ‘second self;’ and the universal cry
for the exquisite productions which had already revolu-
tionised the art of pottery in this country, was attended
to as far as might be. ‘We have, he writes to Cox,” “at
length got some Etruscan Wases in great forwardness, &
shall send you several sets by the next Carrier. If any
* Wedgwood to Bentley, dated wealthy and well known dealer in
Newport Street, November 21, 1768. articles of vertu, particularly those
* The Cox here referred to was a of porcelain.
('HAP. II. TWO PORTRAITS. 99
of your Friends wonder why you have not more & oftener,
please to give them to understand that it is very difficult
to make. fine and perfect things of any kind. How often
does our great Mistress Nature Fail, even in the finest
Order of her Productions ! The angelic Sex themselves
are not all perfectly straight, delicate, & beautiful, no
more than our Vases; and you may contrive to edge in
the Natural Inference that every good Thing deserves a
good Price.” -
Knowing, as our generation does by the fruits of their
labours, what essentially great men they were, and how
by every movement of their hand and impulse of their
mind they were doing more for the commercial pros-
perity of their country, and the well-being of the people,
than half the orators and placemen in Parliament, there
is many a one amongst us who would like to see Wedg-
wood and Boulton as they passed from Newport Street
westward to my Lord Shelburne's, or eastward to the
Duke of Bedford's or Lord Mansfield's mansion, on these
bright December mornings just a hundred years ago.
Boulton as handsome as any duke himself, and with a
bearing that earned for him the title of ‘Prince of Soho,
was, we may be sure, richly dressed; not an accessory or
a point wanting. He was now forty years of age, and in
the prime of life. Mr. Wedgwood two years younger—
might look older than his friend, for he had but lately
undergone a severe surgical operation, and illness in one
shape or another was always Sapping the vigour of a
naturally fine constitution. But there was that in his face
and presence, if his step was halting, and his stature less
Bentley, from Burslem, to Cox, original letters of Mr. Bentley's now
Newport Street, December 7, 1768. extant, this is perhaps the most
Mayer MSS. Of the very few charming.
II 2
100 WEDGWOOD'S DRESS. CHAP. II.
than that of his princely-looking friend, which few could
Keenness, Sagacity, and firmness, an
exquisite benevolence and tenderness, were all expressed
in his manly face; and those who remembered him long
after said there was a look in his eyes, the like of which
they had never otherwise seen.
pass unobserved.
It was depth and dreamy
luminousness combined, as though stretched on the retina
were ever multiplying pictures of grace and beauty.
His style of dress we know. He wears ‘a Lite Brown
Dress Bob-Wig.” His coat is a plain blue frock; his
waistcoat, scarlet cloth laced richly with gold, and orna-
mented with gilt basket buttons. His nether garments
are of knit black silk.” He wears a cocked hat, and on
dress occasions a sword. Whether he wore a peg or
a cork leg we do not exactly know, but which ever it
was it served an excellent purpose, and well replaced the
poor diseased, long inflicting limb.”
Though not so keen a politician as his partner, Mr.
Wedgwood took great interest in the more important
I Mr. Wagwood
Dr. to Rich" Dowle.
1768. #8 s. d.
March 26.--To a Lite Brown Dress Bog-wig & . I 5 ()
To 11 Times Shaving and Dressing of your
wigs & fº º t § tº . () 5 (3
£1 10 (3
1768.
March 29, Rece" the Contents in full. -
P* RICHARD IDOWLE.
Mayer MSS.
* Tailor's bill, 13. 6s. 9d.
MSS.
* “My first wooden leg was made
by Mr. Addison, lay-figure maker,
in Hanover Street, Long Acre; this
was about 18 years ago, & as I have
heard nothing of him since I do not
know whether he is alive or dead.
An ingenious joiner in this neigh-
bourhood is making me a new one,
which I belive is nearly finished.
Mayer
He has made me one or two before,
had the care of the old one many
years, & it has received so many
repairs from him, that it has now
become almost like the sailor's knife,
which had so many new blades &
so many new hafts: I have spoken
to him, & he is willing & at liberty
to make one for the gentleman you
mention.’—Wedgwood to Darwin,
June 27, 1788,
CHAP. II. POLITICAL OPINIONS. 101
questions of the day; and there is reason to think by the
eminent ability with which he worked the House of
Commons on the points connected with Pitt's Irish Revo-
lutions in 1785, that he had habituated himself, when-
ever in London and time favoured him, to be present at
the debates in Parliament. The period under considera-
tion was one of wild political excitement. The general
election in the early part of the year had roused the
whole country; and the renewal of the Parliamentary
contest with the contemptible demagogue Wilkes marked
its close. Mr. Wedgwood refers but once or twice to
Wilkes, and then in the most cursory manner; but his
opinion on graver questions have great weight and force.
He utterly condemned the policy of the Government
towards America. He considered this ‘policy had a
tendency to render the Americans independent a century
sooner than they would be in the common order of events,’
and thus led to the organisation of a scheme of govern-
ment which bore within it, as even Washington foresaw,
the seeds of future disruption and civil strife. Wedg-
wood condemned the selfish struggle for power between
the factions of the oligarchy. After one of these contests
in the House of Lords, and a possible change of Ministry,
he tells Bentley, “But this is nothing to you and I, for
whoever is in, they will make the most of us they can ;
so my friend let us unite our forces, & endeavour to do
the same by them, but in an honester manner.' When
called for by circumstances, his criticism on eminent
characters was occasionally severe. Both Lord Mansfield
and his nephew Lord Stormont were his patrons; but
this did not restrain him from thinking, and expressing
too, that the judgments of the former were not always
impartial. In reference to a trial in which Bentley had
102 LORD. MANSFIELD. Chap. II.
been defeated, Mr. Wedgwood says, “I have not the least
doubt but that if Lº M had happened to interest
himself in your cause, as he did in your antagonists, you
wo" have come off victorious with as little trouble as they
did. To be hasty, partial, and overbearing is perfectly
characteristic of your Judge, at least they are attributes
which are allmost universally given to him, & I am very
(Fig. 16.) CAMEo MEDALLION OF LORD. MANSFIELD-MAYER COLLECTION.
apt to believe the vow Populi to be just in most cases:
this & many other instances I have of late had an oppor-
tunity of knowing confirms me in the belief & I shall
not easily depart from it.' But whatever were his lean-
ings and discrepancies on the judgment-seat, Lord Mans-
field had given proof that he was a sterling patriot at
heart; and amidst the discreditable wrangles of courts
and factions, a power was rising, that of multiplied in-

Chap. II. THE ARTS OF PEACE. 10:5
dustry and commercial prosperity, in which lay latent the
seeds of true and great reforms. After traversing the
ocean of a thousand difficulties, the constitution of this
free country, like a stately weather-beaten ship, righted
itself at last; and this was due, not to Parliament and
statesmen, but to men like Wedgwood, Boulton, Ark-
wright, and many others as illustrious, who, through culti-
vating the great arts of peace, insured the well-being of
the people, and aroused them to a sense of their true
duties as patriots and as Englishmen.
ºx-taulio: “health is nest.”—Maven collectiox.

("HAPTER THE THIRD.
W ASES AND THEIR VARIETIES —THE DATES OF THE EARLIEST SPE-
CIMENs—FIRST COPIES OF THE HAMILTON VASES-MR. BENTLEY’s
FREQUENT JOURNEYS BETWEEN LIVERPOOL AND BURSLEM —
OPENING OF THE ETRUSCAN WORKS AT ETRURIA— FRUITS OF THE
FIRST DAY's LABOUR-MR. BENTLEY's EXPECTED SETTLEMENT AT
ETRURIA — SUDDEN CHIANGE OF PIANS-THE FIRST RUSSIAN SER-
WICES — MR, BENTLEY BECOMES A RESIDENT IN I.ONIDON — HIS
DEPARTURE A LOSS TO LIVERPOOL–THE CHANGE INIMICAL TO
HIS FIEALTH–THE NECESSITY FOR LARGER AND MORE PRIVATE
ENAMELLING WORKS-CHELSEA—THE DECLINE AND SALE OF ITS
DORCELAIN MANUFACTORY-M. SPERMONT—LITTLE CHEYNE ROW
—MR. BENTLEY’s HOUSE AT ETRURIA—MR. WEDGWOOD ENTERS
UPON ITS TEMPORARY OCCUPATION.—HIS PICTURE OF THE “FLITTING.'
—PROGRESS OF THE ORNAMENTAL WORKS-ADMIRABLE ADAPTA-
TIONS OF MEANS TO ENDS — ETRU RIA HALL – ITS SITUATION.—
IMPROVEMENTS EFFECTED—GREAT DEMAND FOR W ASES-CREAM
WARE SERVICES FOR THE QUAKIERS–SIR WATRIN WILLIAMS WYNNE
—LORD BFSSBOROUGH-AI. DU Buſ RK
ENORMOUS SALES-DIFFI-
CULTY OF MEETING THE DEMAND–NIEWPORT STREET THRONGED
WITH CARRIAGES-EARLY HAS-RELIEFS — PIRATES – THEIR UN-
scRUPULOUS ARTS-BRONZE ENCAUSTIC—TIIE STATUETTEs of MARs
AND WENUS—SMALLER GROUPS AND SINGLE FIGURES.–SPECIMIENS
OF WASES IN BLACK BASALTES — CRYSTALLINE TERRA-COTTA –
ETRUSCAN PAINTED WASES-OTITLINES OF FORMS.–PRICES-I,IGHT
BEARING ORNAMENTS—FLOWERPOTs, Bough Pots, AND Rootpots—
THEIR INCREDIBLE VARIETY—SPHINXEs, TRITONs, LIONs, TRIPODs,
AND OTHER ORNAMENTS.–FIGURES FROM ROME–STUDIES FROM
ANTIQUE GEMS-DR. MATY AND THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
CHAPTER III.
O RN AMENT A L WA R. E.
YIVHE ornamental vases produced at Burslem and Etruria
may be divided into seven chief sections. The
cream-colour and its variations, as those with blue necks
and ornaments variously gilt ; the black basaltes; the
terra-cotta pebble and marbled bodies; the bronze
antique; the encaustic Etruscan and Grecian ; and the
jasper. There are variations even of these ; as the cane
colour, ivory, and others, though they respectively belong
to one of the sections indicated. The cream-colour vases
may date from about 1763, when Mr. Wedgwood had
brought this body to a great degree of perfection; the
basaltes follow, and were the results of laborious experi-
ments which enabled him to prepare the protoxide of
iron, from the coal mines, in a manner that insured a finer
grain, a better colour, and a more perfect incorporation
in the mass; the pebble and marbled specimens were, as
we have seen, first sent to Bentley late in the autumn of
1767; the bronze antique and encaustic Etruscan followed,
and were ultimately perfected in 1769; and our earliest
notice of the term “jasper '' occurs in 1775. Exquisite
* It is perhaps to be regretted was also given to one variation of
that a more distinctive term was the crystalline bodies. This is puzz-
not applied to this exquisite com- ling to the uninitiated. But the
position. For the name of jasper difficulty can be obviated by re-
108 CLASSIFICATION OF WASES. CHAP. III.
articles were produced in this new body in the following
year; and in 1777–8 absolute certainty in the firing of this
delicate composition crowned Mr. Wedgwood's untiring
labours. The term antique must be taken in its generic
sense as applied to form, rather than to colour and deco-
ration ; though after 1769 it seems to have been more
specially applied to the black or red bodies, on which
were painted, in encaustic colours, designs taken from
the vases of antiquity. •.
From the period Mr. Wedgwood first brought his
encaustic colours to some degree of perfection, he seems
to have variously used them on a black body; but this
application of the term antique to form rather than to
ornament, leaves the date of the earliest attempts un-
certain. Some vases, it is evident, had been painted
prior to June 1769; but the opening of the Etruscan
works at Etruria on the 13th of that month, deprives the
point of all vagueness beyond this date. ‘The six Etrus-
Cºll) VäSGS three-handled, writes Mr. Wedgwood
to Bentley, “sent to you a fortnight ago, were those we
threw & turned the first at Etruria, and sho" be finish'd
as high as you please but not sold. They being first-
fruits at Etruria.’" A little earlier he has told his friend,
‘L"Moreton wants the first Etruscan urns. Many have been
promised some of the first. Sir Watkins Williams, L'
Bessborough, L' Clanbrassil, Mr. Crew, Mrs. Chetwynd, for
collecting that in the one form the cotta body, into the composition of
term was applied to a crystalline which the carbonate or sulphate of
terra-cotta body, which variously baryta entered largely.
imitated jasper, agate, and other * Wedgwood, Etruria, to Bentley,
stones of a like character; whilst the Newport Street, November 19, 1769.
later jasper was a fine white terra- .
CHAP. III. ETRUSCAN VASES. - 109
their Majestys, the first of every capital improvement.”
‘May you not give L* Cathcart a hint that we are pre-
paring to paint the Etruscan vases after Mr. Hamilton's
book,” and in October he adds, “The Etruscan vases are
arrived. I see how the mechanical part of the glaze and
painting is performed, all of which may be faithfully
imitated at any time.”
Through the first six months of 1769, Mr. Bentley was
constantly passing to and fro between Liverpool and
Burslem, the business connected with the buildings at
Iºtruria and the new partnership requiring his presence
at the latter place; and his mercantile affairs, and the
larger warerooms, to which he and Mr. Boardman had
but lately removed their stock, necessitating that he
should spend some portion of his time in Liverpool. At
the close of May he was again Mr. Wedgwood's guest at
the Brick House, and, on June 2, he was witness to an
agreement between John Wood, Junr., and Mr. Wedg-
wood : * the former to serve the latter for five years as
a warehouseman “for the business T. Wedgwood now
does.' Between this date and June 13, the partners were
busy with their preparations at Etruria; and on that day,
such portion of the ornamental works as was finished
was formally opened.
As though with some foreshadowing of the place his
name would occupy on the sacred list of illustrious
Englishmen, and of the admiration which, growing with
time, would at length give something like an antique
* Wedgwood, Etruria, to Bentley,
Newport Street, September 27, 1769.
* 1 bid. September 20, 1769.
* Ibid. October 9, 1769.
* On the following terms. For
the first two years John Wood is to
receive no wages from the said
Josiah Wedgwood, and is to be
maintained in clothes, meat, drink,
&c. by his father. During the fol-
lowing three years, Josiah Wedg-
wood doth agree to pay the said
John Wood eight shillings per week.
II () OPENING OF THE WORKS. ('HA P. III.
sacredness to his exquisite works, Mr. Wedgwood re-
solved, in conjunction with his partner and friend, to hand
down to posterity, through the means of their art, the
memory of this first day's labour at Etruria. Its fruit
should show future generations that it was not by the
hands of others, but through the dignity of their own,
that this hitherto sterile spot of moorland was dedicated
to its new purpose of educating communities through
the arts which refine, and the utilities which civilise and
purify. Less liberal men would have been spectators and
not potters: but Wedgwood and Bentley were nobly con-
scious, that worthy work consecrates the hand which
does it; and that masters are but leaders and foremost
workmen, if they love the art or calling to which they
dedicate their lives. -
It is handed down, that on this bright summer's morn-
ing, June 13, 1769, Mr. and Mrs. Wedgwood, their two
children, Mr. Bentley, Mr. Wedgwood of Spen Green,
Mr. and Mrs. Willet from Newcastle, and other relations
and friends, came riding through the pleasant lanes which
then lay between Burslem, Newcastle, and Etruria, and
were received, as on a gala day, by a large body of
workmen at the new ‘Works.’ Of buildings, besides this
portion of the works, little could be yet seen, as the
‘Useful Works’ were scarcely yet begun." The painters
were finishing Mr. Bentley's house on the opposite bank,
but that of Mr. Wedgwood's, on the acclivity beyond the
works, was only just roofed in ; the canal was but re-
cently begun, and fields and patches of moorland occupied
what was so soon to be a populous village.
| * -
Throughout the whole of the ‘U Works,' that is useful and orna-
Wedgwood papers the works are mental. The term ‘I}lack Works
termed the “O Works, and the never once occurs.
CHAP. III. THE THROWING ROOM. 111
The throwing room, as seen in the illustration," was
where the company assembled, and here Mr. Wedgwood,
divesting himself of his hat and coat, and probably tying
on, to the amusement of his visitors, one of the workmen's
aprons, but in no other way altering his ordinary dress of
|
º +
- -
| - - - - -
| -- º |
- - º
-
-
º - -
*- -
- º º
-
| - - -
- | - - -
a º - -
== |
S |
- | | | - - -
- - | -- ==
- = ~ || T. |W/
- ºlº //lſº
- - - – = º
-- -
- - =/
(Fig. 17.) THRow ING ROOM, on NAMENTAL woºks, Eritutia.
a gentleman, sat down before the thrower's board, whilst
Mr. Bentley, handsomely attired we may be sure, turned
the wheel. One of the favourite old servants made the
balls of clay ready to his master's hand, and others stood
by to assist. Thus environed, Mr. Wedgwood, well
* The figures in the illustration is little changed from its appearance
are the ordinary workmen of the at the date referred to.
present day. But the room itself








112 FIRST FRUITS. CHAP. III.
remembering his old mastery in this highest province of
the potter's art, threw with great precision six vases, in
the black basaltes body, averaging about ten inches each
in height, and five and a half in the widest part. This
done, there was an adjournment to the turners' room,
and here, still assisted by his friend, and cheered by
the presence of his visitors, Mr. Wedgwood pared down
inequalities at the lathe, and perfected his work so far as
was then possible. This done, a luncheon was spread
under the shade of some trees on the upland beyond;
and the memorable day did not close till the shades of
evening fell.
The six vases were fired at the close of the following
month, and early in November they were sent to London,
as we have seen, to be painted in encaustic colours by
David Rhodes or William Crofts. Of these vases, three
are still preserved;" and the illustration gives a reduced
copy of one. The body, which is of a bluish tinge of
black, adding thereby, as Mr. Wedgwood explains in a
letter to Bentley, ‘a look of antiqueness, bears on
it, painted in two shades of red, a subject taken from a
bas-relief in Hamilton's work,” or more probably a vase in
that of Count de Caylus, ‘Hercules and his Companions
in the Garden of the Hesperides.' The two borders are
from the same source. On the reverse side is an inscrip-
1. At Barlaston Hall, Stafford-
shire, the seat of Francis Wedg-
wood, Esq., Mr. Wedgwood's grand-
SOIl.
* The plates in many of the copies
of Sir Wim. Hamilton's great work
seem arranged according to the bin-
der's caprice rather than by any
general rule. ln a reference by Mr.
Wedgwood himself, attached to the
Barlaston vases, the original vase is
said to be in vol. i. In the copy of
the work we have consulted, the
form of the Barlaston vases is to be
found in vol. iv. plates 84 and 85,
whilst the painting is from a plate
in vol. ii. The original is greatly
modified in the copy, and in some
respects, as in the foot, the imitation
is vastly inferior. But those were
days of first-fruits. Three or four
years later many of the copies vied
with the originals.
CHAP. III. THE ARTS REVIVEL). 113
tion to the effect that it is the product of the first day's
work at Etruria, in Staffordshire, by Wedgwood and
Bentley, and within the fillet above the foot are inserted
/3 º, 24 Øar- º z/ 2%.
(Fig. 18.) Pºto-AN on-IGINAL PAINTING.--L--- Miss.
the words “Artes Etruriae Renascuntur.” Another interest-
ing memorial of this day exists. In a letter written to
Cox, Mr. Wedgwood adds in a postscript the words as
VOL. II. I

114 MR. BENTLEY'S HOUSE. CHAP. III.
given in the facsimile, “13 June, 1769, our days throwing
at Etruria.’ The form of these vases are far excelled by
many of those produced by Wedgwood and Bentley, and
the painting was afterwards much improved, as the hands
employed attained greater mastery in their art; but so
far as the subject of a design can go, nothing more ap-
propriate to the purpose could have been selected from
the whole range of the heathen mythology. For it typi-
fied that the masters of the new Etruria, like another
Hercules, entered, after long probationary labours, the
garden of their great art, where fruit, richer than the
fabled apples, was to be gathered by them and garnered
for posterity. -
In July Mr. Bentley's house was dry and fit for habita-
tion ; and at the close of the month he was expected again
at Burslem, for Mr. Wedgwood wrote, ‘I have but just time
to thank my dear friend for his last good packet, & to
tell him that I shall be exceedingly glad to see him on
Monday or Tuesday, when he will find the first ovenfull
of ware firing at Etruria & the gloss oven nearly built.
There are four joiners at work there, & we shall want
a good deal of bricklaying before the scheme of keeping
each workshop seperate, which I have much set my heart
on, can be effected. But more of this & many other
things when I have the pleasure of seeing you face to
face.” Mr. Bentley undoubtedly paid this visit, but
whilst making it, circumstances arose which changed
every plan; and when next we hear of him, on August 15,
he has left Liverpool finally, has settled for a time at the
warehouse in Newport Street, and is in treaty for a house
at Chelsea.” As these circumstances, whatever they were,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 29, wood was himself the first occupant,
1769. and afterwards it was let to Mr.
* He never inhabited his house at Henshall, Brindley's brother-in-law.
Etruria for a single day. Mr. Wedg-
CHAP. III. HE REMOVES TO LONDON. , 115
first arose whilst the partners were together, no letters
exist to afford explanation of what they were precisely;
but we gather subsequently enough to make it clear that
the chief causes which changed every plan so suddenly,
was the increasing and astonishing demand for vases of
every kind, and the great extent of certain Russian orders
which flowed in together. Lord Cathcart's embassy had
literally opened the Russian capital to whatever goods
Wedgwood and Bentley might choose to send there; and
it was probably the use of the service Mr. Wedgwood
had, as we have seen, prepared for his lordship which led
to one of these orders for four large services at the
instance of Mr. Baxter, the British Consul at St. Peters-
burgh, who had returned to this country on business
connected with the consulship. These services, if not for
royalty, were at least for some of the high nobility.
They must not however be confounded with the far larger
and more splendid service prepared for the Empress,
and which gave an European fame to Wedgwood and
Bentley.
Weaned as he must have been from his home and
friends at Liverpool, by his frequent journies into Stafford-
shire, by the multifarious duties of his new partnership, and
more than all, by the intensity of that noble affection which
led him to regard Wedgwood as himself, and his affairs
as his own, Bentley could not thus suddenly have cut the
thread of so many associations without feeling the matter
keenly. He was a man of ardent and sensitive character.
Had the removal been merely into Staffordshire, as so long
contemplated, a few hours' ride would have taken him
back to his old haunts, and to the firesides of his brother
‘Octagonians.” But this sudden removal to a place
then so comparatively distant as London, abruptly closed
I 2
T 16 . . A LOSS TO LIVERPOOL. CHAP. III.
his more intimate connections with a town he loved so
well; and which had benefited so materially by his com-
mercial and corporate Services. Not but what there were
many men competent to fill his place, who were as ardent
patriots, and as much lovers of literature and the fine
arts; but there can be no question that in one or more
points of considerable importance to the town, his re-
moval was disadvantageous. Warrington Academy, which
he had helped to establish, was yet in the fulness of its
fame, as an institution where enlightened culture could
be obtained at a moderate expense by the youth of the
middle classes; but the congregation which he had been
instrumental in gathering together, and for whose use the
Octagon Chapel in Temple Court had been built, begun
soon after his departure to decline, and in 1776 ceased
finally to exist. This was a source of great mortification
to him, although he was again instrumental in founding a
church in London “upon a still more noble and liberal
plan.’ Writing to Mr. Boardman in 1776, in reference
to the sale of the Octagon Chapel, he says, “I cannot
understand the principle upon which that institution has
been sacrificed, but I am sure if the gentlemen had not
been unnecessarily precipitate, and had thought proper to
consult their distant friends upon the subject before they
had consented to ruin the noblest institution of the kind
that has been established, it need not have been given up.’
‘Considering the pains, he adds, “I have always taken
upon this matter, and the many years, I may say, I have
spent upon it, I Ought, in decency, to have had some inti-
mation of the state of things before so fatal a determina-
tion was made ; and especially as I had neither dropped
my subscription nor cooled in my affections for that
respectable society. But it has been otherwise managed,
CHAP. III. THE SLAVE TRADE. 117
and at this distance I cannot be active in the matter; I
can only lament the loss of an institution favourable to
virtue and social worship.” - - -
It is also probable, had Mr. Bentley remained in
Liverpool, his and Brindley's noble scheme of an aqueduct,
or as it was sometimes called a ‘bridge,’ across the
Mersey would not have sunk, as we shall hereafter see,
in spite of the exertions of a few leading minds, into the
oblivion it slowly did as an important public measure,
and the appropriate consummation of the greatest en-
gineering work of its day. He would have roused the
Corporation from its apathy; and if the final result had
been no different to what it was, the proprietors of the
Grand Trunk Canal would not certainly have made so
easy a coalition of their interests with those of the Duke
of Bridgewater. In respect to the abominable traffic in
slaves, then so unblushingly avowed and carried on by
the majority of the Liverpool merchants, his continuous
protest might have so far availed in influencing public
opinion, as to have better prepared the way for the
labours of the Abolitionists twenty years later ; and
Clarkson might not have found this noble port—next to
Bristol—the very sink of these dealings in human flesh
and blood.” Bentley's philanthropy would not have been
always ridiculed ; his persuasions to change this traffic in
human beings for a legitimate and honest one in ivory,
* Bentleyana, p. 18. This is a small
tract issued in 1851 by Mr. James
Boardman, the son of Bentley's Liver-
pool partner. Considering the ma-
terials at his disposal, it is greatly
to be regretted that Bentleyana is
such a meagre compilation.
* The date when the slave trade
was first carried on on a large scale,
seems coincident with the remark-
able increase of population in 1752.
It reached its maximum in 1771,
and from that period it declined;
the supply to the West Indies having
so far overtaken the demand as to
reduce the selling price of slaves.
Sufficient, however, of this abomin-
able traffic remained at the date of
Clarkson's final visit to Liverpool, to
render this port, next to Bristol, the
opprobrium of a country inhabited
by civilised man. - -
118 EARLY ENAMELLING. CHAP. III
palm-oil, woods, and other African products not in every
case ineffectual; for in all moral questions the reflex opera-
tion of one noble mind upon another is more potential and
more frequent than is generally supposed. His continued
residence in Liverpool might, too, have prolonged his life.
As we have already seen, the town at that day was in-
tersected by gardens, and surrounded by great strips of
moorland. It thus afforded to its inhabitants the advan-
tages of town and country combined, in addition to the
fine sea-breezes of the Irish Channel. But neither London
nor Turnham Green seems to have suited him. From
the period Mr. Bentley quitted Liverpool we find him
subject to various disorders; the result probably of in-
cessant occupation, bad air, or uncongenial climate. In-
deed, it may be said, that both Mr. Wedgwood and
himself achieved most of the masterpieces of their art
amidst such frequently recurring hindrances of ill-health,
as made literally the last years of their respective lives
a slow dying to both ; a frequent case where the vital
power and its expressions are preeminent in degree.
The earliest enamelling by Rhodes and his partner
Crofts for Mr. Wedgwood was done on premises of their
own; but subsequently a muffle or enamelling oven
appears to have been erected in the yard or cellar of the
house in Newport Street. The conveniency of this, and
presently its insufficiency as the great Russian and other
foreign orders poured in, and the demand for vases
increased, was undoubtedly in some degree the cause
which led the partners to conceive a plan, and as
rapidly carry it out, of having the larger portion of the
immense amount of enamelling and decorative work now
required effected by their own workmen, in premises
self-contained and sufficiently remote from London for
CHAP. III. CHELSEA. 119
the purposes of privacy." How necessary this last point
was we shall see, when no art was left untried in the
ceaseless attempts made to acquire or copy patterns, forms,
and ornaments; or to ascertain the mixtures of which the
various bodies were composed. Conjointly with this pur-
pose was the other, of securing Mr. Bentley a residence
befitting his position as Mr. Wedgwood's partner and re-
presentative ; and this in a situation where accessibility
to London, good air, and good neighbourhood would be
combined. The house in Newport Street, however suit-
able for a temporary abode, was quite unfitted for the
requirements of a gentleman who had occupied one of
the best residences in the then most fashionable street
of Liverpool.
Chelsea must have been well known to both Mr. Wedg-
wood and his partner; for business and pleasure had often
taken them there. It was literally what it was called a
century ago, “a village of palaces; ' and in many of its
mansions they had dined, as well as inspected the chef
d'oeuvres of cabinets and china-closets. Those best of
patrons, Sir William Meredith, Sir Henry Chairs, Sir
George Saville, had villas there; as also many of those
dowagers and ladies whose chariots stayed about the
* Economy, in respect to the num-
ber of hands employed, was one of
the inducements which led to the
concentration for a time of the
enamelling business in London;
though the higher rate of wages must
in point of fact have neutralised the
benefit. Greater dispatch, and un-
doubtedly a higher class of artistic
work, were the chief points effected.
‘The principal reasons why we con-
cluded to have both the enamel works
at Chelsea were, that they might
both have the assistance of the same
Press, Printer, Clerk (Mr. Rhodes),
& Master, & I cannot help thinking
still, that these advantages over
ballance the extra trouble that will
arise from these accounts at Chelsea.
We shall certainly find it necessary
to keep a clerk there to take an ac-
count of the work, the ware, &c. &c.,
& one clerk will do the whole with
ease, though we must certainly em-
ploy many hands, & according to
my present ideas twice the number,
upon vases as upon useful ware, the
former will pass so slowly through
their hands.”—Wedgwood to Bent-
ley, April 29, 1770.
120 ITS PORCELAIN WORKs, CHAP. III.
rooms in Newport Street. But it was possibly a circum-
stance connected with their art which first led the partners
to look in this direction for what they required.
A few months previously, in writing to Bentley whilst
the latter was yet in Liverpool, Mr. Wedgwood had re-
ported, “The Chelsea moulds, models, &c. &c. are to be
sold, but I’ll inclose you the advertisement—there's an
immense amount of fine things.” Of these it is evident
he intended to become a purchaser of at least a portion,
had the classes or articles been sold separately, for he
says to Cox, ‘Pray enquire of Mr. Thomas whether they
are determined to sell less than the whole of the models
&c. together, if so, I do not think it would suit me to
purchase. I should be glad if you could send me any
further particulars of the things at Chelsea.” But they
were sold in the lot, with the manufactory and other
appurtenances; and thus Etruria owed nothing, except
in a few imitative instances, to Chelsea.
As already seen, the manufacture of soft porcelain,
which at first was little other than opaque glass, had been
carried on at Chelsea from the close of the seventeenth
century. After 1720, when the survivor of the brothers
Elers, from Staffordshire, joined the establishment for
a short time, the body of the ware was improved ; and
the subsequent patronage of George II., George III.,
and other members of the Royal family, raised the
productions of Chelsea to a degree of perfection which .
* “To all Proprietors of Porcelaine large Quantity of Biscuit Work, &c.
Manufactories and others, there is to &c. Likewise all the Buildings and
be Sold at the Chelsea Manufactory, many other Articles. For Further
by order of the Proprietor (having | Particulars Enquire for Mr. Thomas,
entirely left, off making the Same) at the said manufactory.”—Wedg-
everything in general belonging to wood to Bentley, April 14, 1769.
to it. . . . as all the Plaster Moulds, * Wedgwood to Cox appended to
Models in Wax, Lead and Brass invoice, July 24, 1760. Mayer MSS.
Kilns, Mills, Iron Presses, and a
CHAP. III. M. SPERMONT. - 121
rivalled those of Vincennes and Dresden." This period
began about 1750 and lasted till 1765, when M. Sper-
mont, who throughout had managed the business and
more than a hundred workmen, some of whom were
natives of Brunswick and Saxony, retired with an ample
fortune. He remained in England, and seems ultimately
to have entered into some sort of business connection
with Boulton, at Soho; but whetherit was of a permanent
or merely temporary character is now unknown. Writ-
ing from Burslem to Mr. Bentley in London, Mr. Wedg-
wood remarked, ‘I have no fear at all, even from the
combination of Chelsea & Soho, if that sho" ever happen.
We have got and shall keep the lead so long as our lives
and health are continued to us.” A little later he added
in reply to something Bentley had written to him, ‘I
sho" like to have seen Mr. Spirmont; pray what did he
say, how did he look, was Cox with him, or has he been
at the rooms? I do not think their imitating us impro-
bable at all, at least so as to make vases a principal article
at their works.’” - -
The successor of M. Spermont at the Chelsea manu-
factory was a person named Francis Thomas, who pre-
viously had been a foreman in the establishment. But
under his direction the business rapidly declined ; and
after passing through One or more proprietorships, it was
sold in August, 1769, to Mr. Duesbury, the proprietor and
founder in 1751 of the Derby porcelain works. After
their purchase, he carried on the Chelsea works, simul-
* The finest specimens of Chelsea 600l. Mrs. Delany's Letters, vol. i.
porcelain was highly priced. A ser- . 459.
vice sent to the Duke of Mecklen- * Wedgwood to Bentley, Septem-
burg in 1763, by George III. and ber 1, 1769.
Queen Charlotte, cost 1,2001. ; and a ° Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem-
lustre made for the Duke of Cum- ber 19, 1769.
berland about 1757 was charged
122 THE MANUFACTORY. CHAP. III.
taneously with those at Derby till 1784, with no very
great success as it would seem, for at that date the pre-
mises, kilns, and other working appurtenances were pulled
down, and so much as could be made available was sent
to Derby. The rapid decline of the manufactory after
the retirement of Spermont, appears not to have been due
so much to mismanagement as to causes beyond control.
By the death of the Duke of Cumberland, an able friend
and patron had been lost; and the Government were pro-
bably, even if inclined, deterred from rendering assistance
by the remonstrances, powerfully backed, of rival manu-
facturers. Other causes were the absurd prejudice then
existing against the employment of foreign workmen; the
introduction of so much foreign porcelain by an abuse of
privilege, at a merely nominal duty, the goods introduced
being the product of manufactories supported by royal
grants; and what perhaps was a still greater cause of
commercial decline, was the vigorous and admirable in-
dustry of the Staffordshire potters. Goods, comparatively
cheap in price, and excellent both in body and form,
were poured into the home markets, and soon supplanted
for all ordinary domestic purposes more fragile and costly
articles.
The building in which the Chelsea manufactory had
been carried on was an aggregation of old timber houses,
added one to each other, as the business had grown. It
was situated at the corner of Justice Walk, at one time
an avenue of stately lime trees leading from Church Street
to Laurence Street, and so named from some Justice of
the Peace who had had a dwelling hard by. At the be-
ginning of the eighteenth century the immediate neigh-
bourhood consisted chiefly of gardens and fields; but in
1708, a row of substantial houses running south to north,
CHAP. III. LITTLE CHEYNE ROW. 123
and lying a little to the east of Laurence Street, was
erected, and named Cheyne Row, after the surname of the
Tord of the Manor. Large-sized gardens lay at the rear
of each; behind these were fields. At the top of the row
the lane trended at right angles for a few hundred yards
to the east. At this part stood one or two substantial
houses looking south, known as Little Cheyne Row, with
gardens and fields, divided by a narrow cartway, stretch-
ing north to the King's Road. From the description given
in the agreement, it would appear that Mr. Bentley's house,
which belonged to a person of the name of Green, was
one of those looking south, and that the gardens referred
to were very extensive. When workshops were erected,
and one or two small tenements in the vicinity were oc-
cupied by Mr. Rhodes and some of the other workmen,
Mr. Bentley had his country house and manufactory all
within a stone's throw. Mr. Wedgwood and himself sub-
sequently lost a considerable sum by the buildings they
erected; but for the time being these served the great
purpose of facilitating the completion of the vast orders
which poured in for every variety of ornamental ware.
From some law proceedings which occurred between
Spermont and Duesbury, it appears that the former had
retained a share at least in the property of the porcelain
works; and it is not unlikely that he had otherwise in-
vested money in Chelsea or its neighbourhood. But the
person named Cox, of whom Mr. Wedgwood speaks as in
association with him, was the dealer in articles of vertu
already referred to ; whilst another person of the same
name was a land and house agent, residing in South-
ampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, and the representative
' This description is gathered from a contemporary map or survey in
the British Museum.
124 | PREMISES TAKEN. CHAP. III.
Bentley were in treaty for. *
We first hear of the Chelsea premises on Mr. Wedg-
wood's way back from London, early in September, 1769.
Writing from Burslem he says, “I called at the Bells in
Chelsea & told Edes how the case stood with us respecting
Mr. Cox's house. He assured me that he was not mis-
taken, & that 40 Guineas was the money he was author-
ised to let the house and one Garden for, & 50 Guineas
I like the house and situation vastly, &
of Mr. Green, the owner of the property Wedgwood and
with the others.
wo" have you take it, if you can, at the price agreed
upon. Mr. Townsend's house, I think, will not do at all.’
Upon reaching Burslem Mr. Wedgwood as usual consulted
his wife, and her judgment was in favour of a settlement.
‘Mrs. Wedgwood says the house & Grounds at Chelsea
are very cheap at 55 Guineas P. Ann".
sho" not miss them for a trifle.” Accordingly, before the
month of September had closed, the subjoined agreement
was drawn out, and the premises passed into Messrs.
I think you
Wedgwood and Bentley's hands.”
* Wedgwood to Bentley, dated | Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . Stable for
Burslem, September 4, 1769.
* Mr. Bentley presents his comp".
to Mr. Cox, & if it be convenient
will wait upon him to meet Mr.
Green, at Mr. Cox's House to-morrow
at 4 o'clock, to treat about the House
at Chelsea. In the mean Time Mr.
Bentley sends Mr. Cox a list of
Particulars which Mr. Green and he
have put down as necessary to the
finishing of the House, & making
it tenantable. Thursday Morné,
21 September.
To paint, paper, & whitewash
from top to bottom ; the papers to
be good, & the Patterns agreeable
to the Tennant. Locks, bolts, &
Fastneners on all the doors, win-
dows, & window shutters. Dressers,
Shelves, Pump and Sink in the
three Horses, Hay loft over it, & a
Coach House, & to make the
House in every respect fit for a
Tennant. To add besides the above
a China Closet and Butler's Pantry
under the Stairs or in the Lobby.
Pave with Flags the foot Path be-
fore the House & within the rails.
Drains from the house. Kitchen
Hearth paved. Fan lights secured
with Bars. Cellar & place behind
the Kitchen paved. Wash house in
the Yard. A wider Door into the
Garden to admit a Carriage to the
Stables & Coach House. Yard
Paved. . . . The garden out of
which the new Piece of road is taken
& the Barley Field to be enter'd
upon with the House, or at 6 months’
notice; or earlier, paying for the
CHAP. III. REMOVAL TO ETTUIRIA. 125
Meanwhile Mr. Bentley's house at Etruria stood un-
tenanted; and as his own was yet a mere skeleton of
roofed walls, it occurred to Mr. Wedgwood to occupy the
former for a time. “I go to Etruria every day allmost,
he writes to Bentley, Soon after his return from London
in the beginning of September, “but it will not be suffi-
cient to spend an hour or two there in a morning as I
do at present. I intend to go & live there if you will
lend me your house, & take Mr. Denby with me, whom
I shall not spare you at present; he will be very usefull to
me, & will help to keep them in ord with respect to
forms, which I am convinc'd with you is the principal
part.” We hear nothing further of this intention till
after Mr. Wedgwood has paid another visit to London
early in November. His first letter to Bentley upon his
return then gives us this delightful picture of the ‘flitting,'
and the manner of its accomplishment. “We were three
days upon the road, though we lost no time, and travel’d
a little by moonlight each evening, but at the last stage—
Etruria—I was rewarded for all the risque & pains I had
undergone in a tedious, long, and dirty journey. I found
my Sally and family at Etrurial just come there to take
possession of the Etruscan plains, & sleep upon them for
the first night. Was not this very clever now of my own
dear Girl's contriving. She expected her Joss on the
Crop. The Tennant exempt from ficient Fence between the Road &
Fire &c., & to pay none but the the Gardens. The Tennant have
usual Tennant's Taxes. The House Liberty to make other Alterations
to be finished in 6 weeks, & the for his Convenience at his Expense.
Stable in 3 months, from this 22* The Parties contracting as Tenants,
of Sept. 1769. The Tennant to Josiah Wedgwood & Thomas Bent-
take a Lease for 7, 14, or 21 years, ley.
with permission to quit at the above Sam'. Cox, Esq.,
Periods at the Annual Rent of —. Southamton Buildings,
Chancery Lane.
Wedgwood to Bentley, Septem-
ber 16, 1769.
Sole right to the Road between the
Gardens to the King's road until
Mr. Cox may choose to make a suf-
126 THE FLITTING, CHAP. III.
very evening he arrived; had got the disagreeable busi-
ness of removing all over, & Iwo" not have been another
night from home for the Indies. To night we are to sup
120 of our workmen in the Townhall, & shall take up our
lodgings here at Burslem.” Writing from his new home
a few days later, Mr. Wedgwood adds, “We have now
got thirty hands here, but I have much ado to keep
the new ones quiet. . . . I have been but three or four
times to Burslem since my return, though they want me
there very much indeed. I have been confined to my
rooms several days. Planning, with Mr. Gardner,” the
remainder of my works here, which must all be built,
besides a Town for the men to live in, the next summer,
for I have notice to leave the Brickhouse Works the next
year. My Landlord is married, & will come to them
himself. Here's a fine piece of work cut out for me !
Where shall I get money, materials, or hands to finish so
much building in so short a time. It is work enough
for years, if I had not one other Irons in the fire, & must
be done in one summer, Ó nothing else stand still the
while. Collect—Collect my frº–set all your hands and
heads to work—send me the L'argent and you shall see
wonders—3,000l. 3,000l. P−aye 3,000l., not a farthing
less will satisfy my Architect for the next year's business;
so you must collect, or take a place for me in the
Gazette.”
By the beginning of December Mr. Bentley, his rela-
tive and housekeeper, Miss Oates, and their servants,
had removed to Chelsea; and though thus the depth of
winter, activity reigned also at Etruria. The pattern-
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, dated * Mr. Pickford's assistant.
from the Upper-house, as the Over- * Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem-
house was sometimes styled, Novem- || ber 19, 1769.
ber 11, 1769.
CHAP. III. THE TURNING ROOM. 127
room, which had been finished all but painting by the
end of September, was now fitting up, and an oven on
a smaller scale was building. “We find our large ovens,
Mr. Wedgwood tells Bentley, ‘very inconvenient for
vases. I mean in point of time, as it takes near two
months’ work to fill the bisket oven. I am therefore
building a small one of new construction, which is only to
hold two or three basket full, say 100l. worth, of vases.
It is to be a very good-natured oven, & either bisket
gloss or enamel as occasion requires.” In fact, not a
department of his new works escaped Mr. Wedgwood's
attention. Every room was planned with a view to the
future purpose it had to serve ; and every machine was
fitted thereto with a like rigid exactness. A case in point
occurred with respect to the turning-room. “I have
alter'd my opinion, he writes to Bentley, ‘about the
turning-room, & unless you think of any objection shall
fix the Lathes in the corner room, under that we before
proposed. Here the lights are high enough, & a ground
floor is much better for lathes than a chamber story, the
latter are so apt to shake with the motion of the lathe; &
as we shall want so very often to be stepping into the lathe-
room, for there the outline is given, it will be more con-
venient for me to have it without any steps to it. I have
thought of another alteration for the Lathes too, which,
though it may not be of much consequence for common
things, will I think be a great help to the workmen in
turning plain Wases, where a true outline free of any
irregular swellings or hollows are of the first consequence.
The alteration I propose is to set the Lathes so that the
Turner shall have an end light, instead of a front which
* Wedgwood to Bentley, December 1, 1769.
128 3. ETRURIA HALL. CHAP. III,
they now have. If you hold a mug both these ways to
the light, you will soon see the advantage I propose from
this alteration. I have try’d the experiment on Abrams'
lathe, & it answer'd to my wishes. On shutting out his
front light and leaving the windows on his right hand
open, he had much ado to shave a piece of ware even
enough to please himself.” In this adaptation of means
to ends, this concentration of force in a given direction
lay a part of the Secret of ultimate perfection.
Though much had yet to be done to make Mr. Wedg-
wood's house habitable, enough had been effected to in-
dicate both its internal arrangement and its appearance
when finished. Its general plan had been already heartily
eulogised by a clever man. “Captain Keir, says Dr.
Darwin, in writing to Mr. Wedgwood towards the close of
1767, ‘admires the plan of your House, & says it is fit for
a Prince.” Subsequent progress realised this praise. It
stood now at the close of 1769 a handsome, substantial-
looking country house, without wings or other appendages;
and remained thus till a few years before the close of the
life of its first possessor. The principal rooms, opening
from a hall which ran the whole length of the house,
were large, well proportioned, and lofty. The windows
and staircase were ample ; and capacity existed every-
where for the decorative effects of stained glass and terra-
cotta bas-reliefs. The offices and gardens in the rear were
excellent; and the foreground, sloping to the canal and
works, was already in the hands of the landscape gardener,
who was gathering the moorland springs into a lake,
breaking the levels here and there with knolls, and
planting generously. The situation, bleak, bare, and
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 9, 1769.
Chap. III. ETRURLA. HALL. 129
exposed on a moorland ridge, needed the shelter of trees;
for in one of his letters to Bentley Mr. Wedgwood says,
‘We poor villagers neither escape a blast nor a drop of
It is not unlikely that “capability Brown had
rain.”
(Fig. 19.)
ETRURLA. HALL, 1770.
some hand in laying out the grounds; and for a long
time, as interesting little facts will yet show, planting
and improvement went on.' Almost all the young trees
* A person writing in the Gen-
tleman's Magazine, in 1794, thus
speaks of Etruria, and the natural
capacity of its site for decorative im-
rovements. ‘We proceeded from
andley Green to Etruria. Here
the inimitable works of Mr Wedg-
wood produced me a singular draw-
ing, and his magnificent house and
grounds arrested my attention and
speculation. The hills and valleys are
here by Nature beautifully formed,
VOL. II.
but owe much to the improvement
of Art. We see here a colony newly
raised in a desert, where clay-built
man subsists on clay. The forms
into which this material are turned
are innumerable, both for use and
ornament. Nay, even the vases of
ancient Etruria are outdone in this
pottery. And we now behold this
exquisite composition not only orna-
menting the ceilings and chimney-
pieces of Mr. Wedgwood's own house,

130 JOSIAIH THE YOUNGER. CHAP. III.
planted first at Etruria came from Brompton Nursery,
near London;' a fact which doubtless indicates how little
general attention had yet been turned to the decoration
of gardens or tracts of country. About the metropolis
the nurseryman could thrive; but, with few exceptions,
the provinces probably afforded little or no patronage for
the results of his toil.
A short time prior to Mr. Wedgwood's removal from
Burslem, his family was increased by the birth of his son
Josiah,” for so it had been concluded to call him before
his advent.” This made the third surviving child. “A
fine boy, as Mr. Wedgwood wrote; and who, when time
wore on, was to bear to foreign courts one of his father's
finest copies of the Barberini vase ; and of whom Lord
Auckland was to write such praise, of graceful manners,
perfect ease, and manly bearing, as filled the household
hearts at Etruria with more joy than could be well
expressed.
The demand for ornamental ware may be dated from
the opening of the warehouse in Newport Street in July
or August 1768; and its successive increase was as sur-
prising as were the arts resorted to, to pirate these beau-
tiful productions. Vases were the great objects of ad-
miration and demand, “I could sell 50l. or 100l. worth
a day if I had them, wrote Mr. Wedgwood to Bentley.
The kind most in request were, at first, ‘jarr-shaped vases
with dolphin handles, leafage at bottom, and the largest
drapery festoons round the shoulders.’ Satyr heads and
laurel festoons were also favourite effects. Some of the
black vases were decorated with white festoons, others
but many others in the county.’ * Mr. Wedgwood to Cox, August
Vol. lxiv. Pt. ii. p. 1078. 7, 1769. Mayer MSS.
1 Swift to Mr. Bentley, November * Mr. Wedgwood to Bentley, July
18, 1760. Mayer MSS. 17, 1769.
CHAP. III. DEMANL) FOR WASES. 13|
with black. Highly polished vases were not admired ;
and towards the close of the year vases with medallion
bas-reliefs became popular, whilst those with marbled
bodies had attained a point of great excellence. At this
stage the black basaltes of Etruscan form were, as Mr.
Wedgwood said, “so clever and so perfect’ that he hardly
knew how to price them; and as this good taste grew for
subdued tones and geometrical forms, the bizarre effects
of “sprinkled blue' and ‘sprinkled gold fell into desue-
tude. In February 1769, during one of Mr. Wedgwood's
visits to town, we have this announcement, “Wanted
for warehouse immediately 350 of Dolphin ewers, 445 of
the Bedfordian Goats' heads Wases, The same quº of the
Sacrifice do, with abundance of Sugardish Vases, some
extreme large, the tops of a lower kind wo" be better,
some of these are extravaganza in that respect, I mean
the top of all. However, I thank you, my good friend,
for the noble treat I have just been enjoying. They do
me good to see them, but alass, the whole four packages
(those by Pyat I mean) are not a mouthfull, not one day's
sale; I could sell, I am fully persuaded, 1,000l. worth such
vases, if I had them before I come home. Large, very
large ones are all the cry, & we must endeavour to satisfy
them. You sho" set both the mills to work at grinding,
& with two setts of hands, one for night, and the other
for the day, or you will soon be short of stuff; the same
sho" be observ’d in the dish grinding for the outsides, for
they sho" all be dipped I think.” At this same date or-
ders for cream-ware services for the tables of the gentry
increased also. Even the Quakers were becoming cus-
1 Mr. Wedgwood to his wife and 1769, and is addressed ‘Mrs. Wedg-
Mr. Bentley, jointly. The letter is wood, at the Brickhouse, Burslem,
dated from London, February 15, Staffordshire.'
K 2
132 THE QUAKERS. CHAP. III.
tomers. The pale tint, the fine glaze, and the beauty, yet
simplicity of forms, were most consonant to their feelings.
Dr. Fothergill and his sister recommended these exqui-
site productions everywhere; and the wealthy Barclay
became a patron. “It will be of great importance, Mr.
Wedgwood tells Bentley, “to have the service for my
friend Barclay as neat and fine as possible. The Quakers
have for some time past been trying my ware, & verily
they find it to answer their wishes in every respect, they
have now order'd this full set. As my future recommend-
ation to the brethren must depend upon their usage in
this sample, a word to the wise is enough.”
As the spring advanced, ornaments were more largely
used upon the vases; and a catalogue was made of those
in hand at Etruria, in order to prevent the purchase of
duplicates from Mrs. Landre and other modellers. The
sources, too, of original designs rapidly increased. ‘Vases
and all things go off well, writes Mr. Wedgwood in March,
‘ and new cabinets are opening to me every day. Sir
Watkin W” left a note for me to wait upon him in
the morning to show me some things for the improve-
ment of vases he has brought home from his travels. A
few days previously Mr. Wedgwood had made the ac-
quaintance of Lord Bessborough. ‘A fine old Gentleman,
he writes to Bentley, “a very fine old Gentleman, admires
our vases & manufacture prodigiously, says he sees we
shall exceed the Antients, that friezes & many other
things may be made, that I am a very ingenious man
(there's for you now, did I not tell you what a fine old
Gentºman he was), & that he will do me every service in
his power. He has given me four Guineas for three Wases,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, February ...” Sir Watkin Williams, otherwise
23, 1760. Sir Watkin Williams Wynne.
CHAP. III. LORI) BESSBOROUGII. 133
one of them the large blue, w” I ment" Mr. Cox had not
sold one of ; the other two Etruscans, at a Guinea. I hope
he will set these large blue ones agoing.” Lord Bess-
borough kept his word, and, as we shall subsequently see,
rendered Mr. Wedgwood most essential services, not only
by permitting him to have casts taken from a fine cabinet
of gems which were afterwards sold to the Duke of Marl-
borough, but by introducing the vases amongst the Irish
nobility, who became enthusiastic patrons. This “fine
old gentleman' was a man of many Sorrows. The sani-
tary condition of Tondon must have been at that day
frightful, for scarcely a household escaped from the dread
visitation of a malignant fever. Twice had it entered
Lord Bessborough's house and carried off its victims.
The first time four servants; the next two young and
lovely daughters. He then fell ill himself; and his
Countess in nursing him caught the horrible disease and
died. For four days they concealed her death from him ;
and when at last they broke it out, he piteously asked,
when his first great agony was over, “How many children
have I left P” The answer was affirmatively, for his sur-
viving daughters often accompanied him to the warehouse
in Newport Street. In his taste for art, in a patriotic love
of country, and in a generous desire to serve others, he
found a mitigation for the great griefs which had swept
over him. The friendship and artistic intercourse begun
at this date with Sir Watkin Williams Wynne was also
most enduring. A very large proportion of Mr. Wedg-
wood's list of intaglios was derived from Sir Watkin's
gems. Other patrons were equally munificent ; and, as
this year of wonderful prosperity rolled on, they included
all the best names in the peerage.
| Walpole's Letters, Cunningham's edition, vol. iii. p. 281.
134 HANDS FOR WASES. CHAP. III
The fame of the marble and pebble vases increased ;
and the sale became so great of these and other kinds,
that in order to meet the demand, wasters, and others out
of fashion, had to be resorted to ; and by veining, alter-
ing, and mending, they were made passable and sold.
With his habitual fertility of resources, Mr. Wedgwood
invented an excellent cement, made of whiting, lamp
black, and glue, for stopping and forming ornaments, by
means of which admirable repairs were effected. Foreign
purchasers also added to this demand. M. Du Burk, a
trader of Amsterdam, bought largely. One of his pur-
chases of 50l. worth cleared off Mr. Cox's remaining
stock; and the next dispatch of vases, though to the
amount of 136l., was, as Mr. Wedgwood wrote to Bentley,
contained in a single crate. “But they are large ones, and
he (Mr. Cox) is now distressed for the smaller sizes to
make up sets. I am making a few of these sorts, but
two or three hands make little progress in fine goods, &
if I take any hands from my other works, such I mean
as can do anything at Vases, it will almost put a stop to
my completing the orders in hand, or supplying my ware-
house, for we are as much at a loss for dessert ware, &
the fine articles which employ these hands, as we are for
vases, & without these finer articles we cannot sell the
other goods. What shall I do in this dilemma P Not a
hand loose in the country to be hired, this sº cream colour
has made the trade so brisk. The hands at Liverpool, if
there sho" be any loose, w" I doubt be of no use to us,
unless by any great chance you co" find out a presser
or finisher of China figures, we shall want a few of them
immediately. Our last kiln of blacks turn'd out ex-
tremely well; we had a fine cargo of medallions, w” Mr.
Cox writes me are much wanted. Seven large Urns all
CHAP. III. CROWIOS OF PURCHASERS. 135
good. The Bedford Goats' heads the same. We now
make them with the same certainty as other goods, &
several sorts which I have now in embryo may be made
with tolerable dispatch if we had but a modeller to form,
& a few hands to execute them. And these must be
had somewhere, for such an opportunity as we have now
before us must not be lost or trifled with.' '
In May, M. Du Burk's orders for vases and other orna-
mental goods were still larger ; for the demand he had
met with in Holland was of a most surprising character.
This was even larger at home; for the season was at
its height, and London full of company. Fashion had
declared in favour of these beautiful wares; and the
desire to obtain them drew every lord and lady to
Newport Street. “Mrs. Byerley, writes Mr. Wedgwood,
“is just returned from London, & brings a strange accº
of their goings on in Newport Street. No geting to
the door for coaches, nor into the rooms for Ladies and
Gent"; and Vases,” she says, “are all the rage. We must
endeavour to gratify this universal passion, though we
shall be sadly short of hands for a year or two, train’d
ones I mean ; raw materials I could have plenty for the
next year, & I intend to ingage a good quantity to choose
out of.” For some time previously, there can be no doubt
that Mr. Wedgwood had extended his manufacture to
bas-reliefs of various forms and sizes. As yet these were
chiefly effected in the basaltes body; though, from some
of the black vases being decorated with festoons in white,
we may infer that the white biscuit body had already
attained great excellence.” Bacon's, Mrs. Tandre's, and
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 9, * In the preface to the Catalogue,
1769. 2nd edit. 1774, two white bodies
* Wedgwood to Bentley, May 1, are indicated. Thus, “A white bis-
1T6:}. cuit ware or Terra-cotta, capable
136 SMALL BAS-RELIEFS. CHAP. III.
Theodore Parker's models were, it is evident, for small
bas-reliefs both in the white and black bodies. To the
subject of these, we have, at this early stage of production,
no further clue than what may be obtained from the mo-
dellers' bills already given, and one incidental reference
at this date, May, 1769, to the price of Marcyas and
young Olympus. This was a round tablet formed in black
basaltes, sixteen inches in diameter, and probably, from
the subject, the work of Bacon.
Towering high as he did above his contemporaries in
the potter's art, by his profound insight into the relation
and bearings of chemical affinities, by his exquisite taste,
by a high standard of morality, which developed, as it
were, every point of his great powers to the full, Wedg-
wood was surrounded by a host of able men, many of
whom, not overburdened with principle, and quick enough
to see the profit to be reaped, became unscrupulous imi-
tators. As early as the days of his partnership with
Wheildon these crimps were on his track. They imitated
the green glaze; and no sooner had he given, by various
improvements, a perfectly new character to the cream
ware, than they were on the track of that also ; and now
the ornamental ware had come into the market, the
keenness of competition, and base acuteness combined,
reduced this piracy into a perfect system. The opening
of the warehouse in Newport Street redoubled the cun-
ning of these pirates. “You were mentioning some time
since, writes Mr. Wedgwood to Cox, ‘that our blue
neck'd Vases were got into the shops. I can give you the
history of all our patt" geting there, if you can from thence
of bearing the same heat as the traits, and Bas-reliefs.” In 1769, the
basaltes,’ and next, “A fine white white biscuit ware was probably
Terra-cotta of great beauty and de- used in these points of external de-
licacy, proper for Cameos, Por- coration.
CHAP. III. TIRACY. 137
tell how to remedy it ; & if you cannot, the Bronze Wases
sent you last will be down here in a fortnight for copying
after. The blue necks were sent here to Palmer's by
Carravalla. The Person from whom I have the informa-
tion was at the opening of the box, & assures me from
his own knowledge that Caravalla supplies Mrs. P. with
all my patterns as they arrive at my rooms in London;
& Fogg does the same for Bagnall & Baker, & these
last let any of the other potters have them, paying a
share of the expence. You must try if you can recollect
any particular Persons repeatedly buying a few pairs, or
single articles of y' new patterns as they arrive; very
probably it may be some sham Gent" or Lady equip'd for
the purpose, with their footman or maid to carry them
home to prevent a discovery. That they do get my patt"
from you in some such way I am certain, but the further
particulars you must endeavour to discover.” But no
discovery was made. The abominable system was still
carried on, and seems to have annoyed Mr. Bentley even
more than it did Mr. Wedgwood, who, seeing it was not
possible to wholly put a stop to the practices of these per-
sistent crimps, grew philosophic on the matter. “Never
give yourself any pain about Mr. Watt, he writes to
Bentley, “ or the blue neck vases you apprehend are
travelling this way. We are far enough before our
rivals, & whenever we apprehend they are treading too
near our heels, we can at any time manage then better
than L" B–te can manage the merch", to compare great
things with small.’”
By the succeeding autumn Mr. Wedgwood's copyists
| Wedgwood to Cox, dated from * Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem-
13urslem, August 13, 1768. Mayer ber 6, 1768.
MSS.
138 PALMER'S IMITATIONS. CIIAP. III.
had ventured upon higher flights. Though he was about
to take out a patent for the bronze antique and encaustic
colours, he saw that to take out one for the black basaltes
body, or “black composition' as he calls it, would answer
no useful purpose, as this body, apart from his own
modifications or improvements, had been commonly used
by the potters for nearly a century. He therefore con-
jectured, and rightly, that the black Etruscan shaped
vases with medallions would soon be imitated. He had
not long to wait. “I saw one of P.'s black vases yester-
day, he writes to Bentley. “The body is very good, the
shape & composition very well, the bas-reliefs are 6 of
the small statues which go round the body, Hercules,
Omphale, &c. The figures you know ; they are from
excellent originals, but abused in putting upon the
originals & hackeyed in all the plaster shops. Upon the
whole it was better than I expected. We must proceed,
or they will tread on our heels.” Attempts had been
already made to paint figures in colours upon the same
body. Hamilton's Etruscan Antiquities were obtained;
and in a few months the results, caricatures of the great
originals so far as painting, and in the majority of in-
stances of form, went, were in the market.
As already seen, the first Etruscan bronze vases were
produced at the close of August, 1768; but more than
a year elapsed before the bronzing, as an application
burnt in, and thus made homogeneous with the body,
was brought to perfection. The like date also gave
success to a series of experiments in connection with the
preparation and use of gold powder. These triumphs
were thus heralded to Bentley. “Say nothing of the
| Wedgwood to Bentley, October 9, 1769.
CHAP. III. BRONZE ENCAUSTIC. 139
Bronze Encaustic to anybody, wrote Mr. Wedgwood.
“It is accomplished. I bring it with me;" and it will do
your heart good to look at it. Trouble not yourself
about the gold powder, that process is accomplished
likewise. You shall have satisfaction in both.” Shortly
after, Mr. Wedgwood obtained his patent for these pro-
cesses, as well as for painting
in encaustic colours; and as
soon as he had secured a body
of skilled artists and work-
men, trained under his own
eye, and many of them by
his own hand, his visions in
respect to his beautiful art
were in a measure realised, so
far as this stage of its de-
velopment could go.
From some cause or another,
bronze vases are now of great
rarity; even accustomed deal-
ers in Wedgwood-ware know
nothing of them. It may be
that in the majority of cases
the metallic lustre of the
bronzing has become effaced.
But statuettes, busts, tripods,
lamps, candelabra, and me-
dallions are seen by a few
specimens in most collections; gº º, sº
Excaustic.—MAYER collectiox.
and the bronze medals in his-
toric series have a place in every medallist's cabinet.
* Mr. Wedgwood was just setting ..." wedgwood to Bentley, October
out on a journey to London. 30, 1769.

140 MARS AND VENUS. Chap. III.
The statuettes of Mars and Venus (figs. 20, 21), from
Mr. Mayer's collection, will, by their exquisite beauty
give a true idea of the per-
fection the great potter at-
tained in this department of
his art. They belong, how-
ever, to a later period, when
a greater mastery had been
obtained in modelling. The
statuettes, which form a pair,
are, inclusive of their pedestals,
nine and three-quarter inches
in height. The pose of both
are admirable. Strength and
rest are expressed in the figure
of the one; feminine solicitude
and tenderness in the other.
The drapery falls round Venus
with exceeding grace, Cupid's
supplicating attitude is pret-
tily rendered; and in the
shield, helmet, coat of mail,
and battleaxe of Mars we
have the accessories of heroic
ºne no ºr valour. The pedestals, which
ENCAUSTIC-MEYER * are adorned with medallions,
goats' heads, and free festoons, bear the closest ex-
amination, and show that not a detail missed the great
master's eye.
But the bronzing in its encaustic form, or as an after
coating applied to various coloured bodies, was neither
extensively used, nor gained the popularity of the black
basaltes. It is in this body, polished or unpolished, that

CHAP. III. SMALL GROUPS. 141
we find many of the masterpieces of Etruria. It was
converted into every possible form ; from the homely
teapot and cream jug, to the vase and bas-relief. Busts,
statuettes, sphinxes, tritons, tripods, lamps, pedestals, me-
dallions, intaglios were only a portion of this wonderful
variety. The largest busts averaged a height of twenty-
(Fig.
five inches; and the least statuettes formed pretty ac-
cessories to the mantel-piece or drawing-room beaufet.
Some few busts were ~
tried thus early; whilst sº
smaller groups and single ſº 3 ºr
figures, modelled by Mrs.
Landre, or perhaps Theo-
dore Parker, display, as
in the instances given
(figs. 22, 23), excellences
of another and simpler
Character. These small (Fig. 23.) SINGLE FIGURES IN BLACK BASAITEs.
ORDER BOOK, ETRURIA.
statuettes were made oc-
casionally in a white or other body, but never so com-
monly as in the black basaltes.


142 WASES IN BLACK BASALTES. CHAP. III.
Of this body the vases were the great speciality. Where
the forms have a fine geometrical outline, whether derived
from the antique or not, they are of exquisite beauty.
Far excelling the antique in the material or body, and
often rivalling it in chastity of decoration. The three
(Fig. 24.) vase, BLACK BASALTES.-MAYER COLLECTION.
examples subjoined will serve as illustrations. Two are
from Mr. Mayer's collection, the third from Jermyn Street,
and are all probably of early date. The form of each is
beautiful. The fluting and drapery, the festoons and satyrs'
heads, and the simple bas-relief are charming of their

Chap. III. THEIR BEAUTIFUL FORMS. 143
kind. How useless, after examples such as these, is the
attempt to depreciate Wedgwood, by saying that neither
in form nor in colouring did he approach the excellence
of the ancients. The truth is, he was no slavish copyist.
Except in the case of the Barberini and some few of the
|
---
(Fig. 25.) WASE, BLACK BASALTES.-MAYER COLLECTION.
Etruscan vases in the Hamilton collection, or occasional
specimens here and there from other sources, Wedgwood
never absolutely copied. He interpreted rather than ren-
dered. A form may have its likeness here; wholly or
in part, a bordering there; and in this or that direction

144 THEIR ORIGINALITY. Chap. III.
we have as a bas-relief or painting exquisite similitude of
antique beauty; but this rather proved that modern art
was not only fruitful of original conceptions, but could
be imitative also. Much of his ornamental art was, Mr.
Wedgwood knew, esoteric; art rather for high and special
(Fig. 26.) wasº, BLACK BASALTES.-MUSEUM or PRACTICAL GEology, JERMYN STREET.
cultivation, than for the ordinary requirements of modern
civilisation. It was a feat of power; not a declaration
of inferiority. He knew he had the same external ele-
ments of nature to guide him; and that also by revert-
ing to the simplest geometrical outlines, as the egg, or
* I observe what you say upon form of ours for vases. Memoranda,
the Egg, you know it is a favourite Wedgwood to Bentley.

Chap. III. CRYSTALLINE TERRA-COTTA. 145
the ellipsis, he was sure of proportion and beauty; and
he knew by adapting forms and decorations to their
intended purpose, he added other elements to the ex-
pression of truth through beauty, and by so doing,
reverted only to the same principles which had made art,
in the hands of the ancients, no other than expressions
of truth idealised. This is proved in a variety of instances;
but more particularly by the extraordinary adaptation
of his art to the purposes of modern civilisation. Unless
we could reproduce all the
causes which belonged to
antiquity, it would be im-
possible to reproduce its art.
But so far as this was pos-
sible, Wedgwood copied its
effects with surprising fide-
lity; and beyond this he
soared into a region espe-
cially his own.
The invention of the
crystalline terra-cotta body,
which, by slight variations,
imitated natural jasper,
agate, marble, lapis lazuli,
and, at a somewhat later
date than 1768-9, porphyry,
seems to have been con-
temporaneous with the im-
provements in the black
Egyptian. It was princi-
pally used for vases, flower- ***
pots, and candlesticks :
though tea ware and other articles were sometimes formed
WOL. II. L
7.) CRYSTALLINE. Jasºn.-MAYER
co-ECTIox.

146 CRYSTALLINE JASPER WASES. Chap. III.
in it. But in vases its varying beauty shone best; and
where the form was good, and the ornaments simple and
not overdone with gilding, the effects of soft hues and
delicate veining are
often very striking.
The annexed examples
(figs. 27–30) are from
Mr. Mayer's collection
and that of the Ken-
sington Museum. Yet
beautiful as many of
them were, these vases
seem never to have
gained the popularity
of those in the black
basaltes, or baryta jas-
per body.
The body used for
the Etruscan vases, and
later for others more
distinctively Grecian
in character, was the
black basaltes, with
- such a shade of che-
(Fig. 28.) crystALLINE JASPER GIT on NAMENTs. mical difference as
MA-ºn collection.
gave a tone of blue-
ness to the black. On this groups, figures, borders, and
other styles of decoration, were painted chiefly in red.
More rarely the vases and other ware had a red body,
with the decorative effects in black. We give specimens
of these variations (figs, 31–33). The three vases are
from the Kensington Museum, as also the saucer-shaped
plate (fig. 34). The ground of the two first vases is black,

Chap. III. SPECIMIENS. 147
the third red. Far finer specimens of this class of ware
are extant; this principally in the possession of the no-
bility, in whose families they have remained since their
first purchase. The black and red bodies with antique
Fig. 29.) cºnstallix E AGATE. (Fig. 30.) crystallixº Jasºn, on Porphyry.
souTH RENsix GTON MUSEUM. souTH RENSING-Tox Museum.
figures and borderings were applied to a great variety
of purposes. Tea and breakfast services, trays, lamps,
candlesticks, flower-pots, inkstands, ewers, but more espe-
cially teapots and cream jugs. The vases were all more
or less modifications or exact copies of geometrical forms,
and were thus purely antique in character.
* We shall see, under a later date, figures were produced, as wellas sold,
that the red vases with black printed at a cheap rate.
1, 2

118 ETRUSCAN ENCAUSTIC VASES. Chap. III.
Except where the size was large and the painting of
the highest class, the prices of encaustic Etruscan and
Grecian vases were not exorbitant. From a scale of
outlines and prices in an old order book we find the
(Figs. 31, 32.) ETRUSCAN PAINTED WASEs, RED on BLACK.--SouTH RENSINGTON Museum.
cost price ranged from 11 11s, to 6s, or 7s. Where the
vases were large, and the figures and borderings elabo-
rate, the prices rose gradually from 18s, to five guineas,
according to size, as in our example, of which the
handles terminate with swans' heads; and where the
painting was fine and elaborate—taking perhaps Crofts,
Rhodes, Mr. Denby, or, at a later day, Aaron Steele, a
month to complete—the sale price was often and de-
servedly thirty guineas, or more. The noble vases made

Chap. III.
THEIR PRICE.
149
for Lord Shelburne, Lord Rockingham, Lord March, the
Duke of Northumberland, the Duke of Bedford, Lord
Mansfield, Lord Clanbrissil,
Lord Gower, Sir William
Hamilton, Sir Walter
Bagot, Mr. Anson, and
many others, of whom a
mere list would fill two or
three pages, were all of
this high character. Some
black Etruscan vases with
dolphin handles, 29 inches
high and 12} wide, sent
to London in July, 1769,
are marked in the accom-
panying invoice at 71. 15s.
each; and Mr. Wedgwood
adds in his own hand,
‘These vases are by far
much the finest you have
had.” Others with medal-
^
2^
4 * * * * >
_º tºº
lions are priced at 21, 12s. 6d. each, and grey pebble
with goats' heads, 31. 3s. a vase."
(Fig. 33.)
on RED.-SouTH RENsixt-Tox Musºu-
ETRUSCAN PANTED was L. Black
* This selection of prices from
the invoices of 1768 º 1769 may
have interest for the connoisseur.
They were generally fixed by Mr.
Wedgwood himself; but were often
raised prior to sale. In 1772 and
subsequently, when production had
overrun demand, these prices were
lowered, except as regarded the
finest examples.
vases with four serpents andfestooned
with the vine, 10 inches high, £1.
Black urn shaped vase, 123 inches,
£14s, Blue serpent handled vase,
with shields and swans, blue body,
Etruscan shaped
marbled with gold, £1 11s 6d.
Plain marbled, without plinths, 7s.6d.
Marbled body, free !. gilt,
£1 12. Etruscan vases with husk
festoons, 14% inches high, £2 2s.
Etruscan shape vases from Count
Caylus, 7s 6d each. White biscuit
vase, with Dolphin handles and
without plinths, 24 inches wide, 11
high, £3 3s. Variegated marble
vases, satyrs' heads, ornaments gilt,
10-inches high, £1 1s. Blue ground
vases, shell shoulders, 10s. 6d each.
Bronzed vases from £2 2s, to 10s. 6d.
each. Pebble ground vase, with


150
SAUCER-SPHAPED PLATE.
Chap. III.
Another speciality in ornamental ware were the lamps,
candlesticks, and candelabra; of which the variety was
(Fig. 34.) saucert-shaped PLATE, RED on BLACK.-south KENSINGTON MUSEUM.
infinite.
The lamps were principally modelled from the
antique, and books containing designs were sought after.
“There is a bookseller, writes Mr. Wedgwood to Bentley,
‘on the left hand side of the Haymarket, tow" the bottom
as you go down from Piccadilly, but he does not make
any show of his business to the street.
He is a foreigner,
satyrs' heads and horns, £2 2s.
Etruscan vase, with handles on the
shoulders, drapery and covered, 13%
inches high, £2 2s. Ditto leafage
neck, no handles, drapery, 13+ º
£2 2s., smaller, E1 1s. Etruscan
oats' heads and drapery festoons, 15
inches high, £38s, each vase. Ditto
free festoons and medallion of Sacri-
fice, 19 inches high, £2 12s 6d.
Etruscan Dolphin handle ewer, C2 2s.
Etruscan vase, 19 inches high, 10,
wide, £4 4s. Etruscan vases with
drapery festoons, laurel frieze round
shoulders, £2.12s. 6d. Grey marbled
and gold, of these the prices varied
from 18s. 6d. to 12s. Blue vases,
satyr's head and laurel festoons,
ornaments gilt, 12 inches high,
£1 12s. each. Biscuit and blue
vases, 20 inches high for bronzing,
£3. 3s., a vase. Invoices, 1768 and
1769. Mayer MSS.

Chap. III. LAMPS AND CANDLESTICKS. 151
& was recommended to me by Lº Clanbrassil, I ord" from
him a book of lamps, publish'd at Rome, & I imagine the
same you mention. I wish you could find him out, he
has often good things by him in our way.” The pendant
lamps were often of exceeding beauty, as in the annexed
sketch (fig. 35) from the Marryat collection. A shallow
dish, oval, round, triangular, or hexagonal, was sur-
rounded by airy foliage, dolphins' heads, winged genii;
or the edges were fluted, or wrought with beading or
exquisite open tracery. Of candlesticks, at first the
forms were very simple, the
bodies cream ware, or black
Egyptian ; but as the engine-
lathe became improved, fluting,
spiral convolutions, drapery, or
festoons robbed the column or
support of its barrenness, as
shown in an instance already
given; and when the black ba-
saltes and crystalline, or terra-
cotta, bodies came into the
market, their characteristics
were charmingly developed in
light bearing ornaments. The
black, as also the marbled, agate, tºº "ºº"
and crystalline jasper candle-
sticks, were often masterpieces of classic grace. Dolphins'
heads, tritons, sphinxes, or crouching lions supported
the plinth, or some figure finely modelled bore the
flame aloft. The black Etruscan candlesticks were
sometimes bronzed, and then the price was doubled, as
Wedgwood to Bentley, September 16, 1769.
-

152 ORNAMENTAL CANDLESTICKS. CHAP. III.
from 12s. to 1ſ. 4s., for a candlestick 10 inches high.
The vase form was largely applied as a support, and
candlesticks of this kind, blue and gilt, were about 15s.
a pair. In many cases there was a union of bodies. As
in instances of a draped female figure in white biscuit,
standing upon a black plinth, and holding gracefully a
lotus leaf, a bell-shaped flower, a vase, or an empty
flambeau for the light; these accessories being black also.
Occasionally both column and plinth were still more
elaborate; and fac-similes of the porticoes to temples, or
sections of the entrance to the classic atrium or tri-
clinium, were sometimes resorted to as light bearing
supports. But simpler forms were generally preferred;
and these, whether of terra-cotta, black, encaustic painted,
or bronzed, reached often the highest ideal conception of
the unity of artistic truth and utility. Gray pebble can-
dlesticks with white medallions were an instance of this.
In reference to some of these beautiful objects, Mr.
Wedgwood says, by the hand of his wife, to Bentley,
‘They are sent you to finish and to convert into gems
by colouring the ground with brown enamel, leaving
the raised part the colour it is, and gilding the frame
with burnt in gold, at the same time burning gold upon
any other part you think proper.'" Tapers in all these
various bodies were moulded into an equal infinity of
form. The candelabra were usually still more elaborate,
but their description will come in at a future stage, when
the union between the manufactures of Etruria and Soho
will be referred to.
From the days of his earliest devotion to ornamental
art, Mr. Wedgwood had directed his attention to the
Wedgwood to Bentley, December 28, 1769.
CHAP. III. FLOWER-POTS. 153
improvement of every description of article used for the
reception of plants and flowers. Here his pure taste
wrought unfettered in a field of its own. Here he could
bring the richest capacities of his art to bear upon the
finest decorative instinct of modern civilisation ; the one
which shows its refining presence alike in our gardens,
our rooms, our pictures, and our books. Here the great
master, of utility and beauty combined, reigns supreme,
even at this day; and his achievements in this respect
have never been surpassed. Here there need be no
invidious comparison made betwixt ancient and modern
art by those incapable of perceiving the underlying truth
that every stage of civilisation, so far as it has yet
advanced, has an artistic expression of its own : one con-
tingent upon manifold producing causes, which can
neither go before, come after, nor be recurrent; but
which, admirable in themselves, have peculiar and often
unapproachable excellencies. Neither is it perceived that
these causes and effects, creating one the other in a
progressive scale, may at length beget a simplicity, an
ideal grace, a perfect applicability to varied purposes
hitherto unknown. If the ancients inurned the ashes of
their dead, or gave as prizes for dexterity and strength,
forms in clay and metal of the utmost grace, they seem
to have cultivated flowers but sparingly; and this only for
the decorative purposes of their feasts and ceremonies.
But modern civilisation brings floral nature closer to us,
and in a purer sense; has multiplied its forms, has set it
around us more or less, whether we be rich or poor.
In this we have an expression of modern art, which,
whatever be its present defects, has at least thrown off
many of those sensuous trammels which were the degra-
dation of art in older days. Thus as we purify, we shall
154 THEIR VARIETY. CHAP. III,
perhaps gather to ourselves all the noblest expressions of
ancient art; and this with results at present unsuspected,
except here and there by a solitary philosophic thinker.
Be this as it may, Wedgwood met this modern taste with
extraordinary skill and abundant fertility; and in the
mosses, the leaves, the hedgerow berries and flowers,
which he used so often as decorative effects, we perhaps
see some few of the things the truth-loving eye had gar-
nered up from those days, when, Satchel in hand, he
went through moorland lanes and fields a schoolboy to
the neighbouring town.
The variety of the root-pots, flower-pots, and bough-
pots in colour, form, body, and decoration, exceeds belief.
At first the common red flower-pots, as those also of
grey and white stone ware, were taken up and improved.
The first by the addition of colours in various ways;
the others by drapery or simple medallions in cobalt
blue, or by moulded patterns. The famous green glaze
was also applied to flower and bough-pots; and when
Mr. Wedgwood had brought his cream ware to perfec-
tion, flower-pots in this body were as popular as the
dinner-ware. They were fluted or hooped; the hoops
and sometimes the cross bands being of various colours,
or else perforated or traced at the edges, festooned, dice-
worked, or enamelled. Many of the patterns popular on
the table-ware were represented on the flower, root, and
bough-pots; and from his enamelling bills we find that
much of Rhodes' exquisite skill was expended in this
direction. The husk, the vine, and ivy were favourite
patterns. Goats' heads, griffins' heads, masks, and dol-
phins were used for handles. The basaltes and terra-
cotta bodies were next tried, and more classical forms
adopted. Bas-reliefs in white biscuit were applied; and
CHAP. III. PYRAMII) FLOWER-POTS. 15:
5
5
stands, pedestals, plinths, and tripods were variously used
as supports.
To supply himself with beautiful forms and decorative
effects suited for this purpose, Mr. Wedgwood had draw-
ings made not only from the antique, but also from
the finest specimens of Oriental, Dresden, and French
porcelain ; and a glance through the enormous mass of
invoices for the years 1768 and 1769 shows how rapid
was the improvement. In the latter year, beside new
pendant flower-pots, dice-worked flower-pots, gilt, husk
festoons and griffin-head flower-pots, we read of one with
a “white ground & boys dancing amidst leafage and
foliage gilt, its price 12s. ; and of another ‘with faces
and red festoons on plinths, 9 inches high & 5 wide, its
price 15s. Mr. Wedgwood also visited or consulted
those who possessed noted gardens, pursued floriculture
as a study, or who had an exquisite native or cultivated
taste for the arrangement of flowers. In the summer of
1770 he was busy with a new design, which, from a
combination of parts, he called a ‘pyramid flower-pot.’
After telling Mr. Bentley that its ‘price is too great at a
guinea and a half,’ he adds, “I wish you would show the
pyramid flower-pots to Dr. Fothergill's sister, and consult
her upon them, & if she approves of them, suppose you
present her with one; it might not be lost. The middle
part of some of them is made green and mossy, that it may
be lost amongst the flowers, & not seen as a support to
them. The handles are left creamcolour, as we had not
time to gild them. If you have any instructions to give
concerning these things, let us know them, as we are
making a quantity.'" A few days later he adds, “I have
had another turn with pyramid flower-pots, & shall
| Wedgwood to Bentley, June 2, 1770.
156 IADY CRITICS. CHAP. III.
manage to make them seperate, & in such a manner, too,
that each part will serve as a seperate flower-pot when
not used together; & in buying a p" of Pyramid flower-
pots, they will buy 1 p" of elegant vases & 3 p" of good
dressing flower-pots, all seperate. When they come to
your hands then, show both the sorts to our fair friends
at Dr. Fothergill’s.’" But one whose excellent taste and
sound judgment had been tested on so many occasions,
passed a favourable opinion on the new flower-pots, and
Mr. Wedgwood was satisfied. ‘The Pyramid flower-pots
dress with flowers so excellently that my wife says they
must sell when their good qualities are known.” For he
said now, as he had long before, and did to the end: ‘I
speak from experience in Female taste, without which I
should have made but a poor figure amongst my Potts;
not one of which of any consequence is finished without
the Approbation of my Sally.”
At a later stage of improvement, Mr. Wedgwood had
again recourse to female taste; for various sorts of flower-
pots had been made which did not sell. “I have had, he
writes from Etruria to Bentley, “a visit from Mr. & Mrs.
Southwell. They like our new flower & bough pots.
They are both adapts in these matters, & I did not miss
the opportunity of profitting from their knowledge in this
pleasing Art. The Art of disposing the most beautiful
productions of Nature in the most agreeable, picturesque,
& striking manner to the eyes of the beholder. We fixed our
general principles, & then examin'd every flowerpot we had
by those principles, & we found all those which we had
hitherto made, & which have not sold, to be very deficient
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, June 8, * Ibid. without date, but referable
1770. to the year 1766 or 1767,
* Ibid. August 20, 1770.
CHAP. III. FLOWER DFESSING. 157
in some of these first principles. I have now much
clearer ideas of bow-pots &c. than before, & believe I can
now make them to please your customers. Mrs. South-
well is a charming woman. I am more and more in love
with her every time I see her; & having such a Mistress
in the science of flower dressing, I hope our future
productions will show that I have profited accordingly.”
A few days earlier the subject of bough-pots had been
discussed with still older and more illustrious patrons.
‘This morning I have had an opportunity of consulting
with Lady Gower & Lady Teignham, & their two Lords
(who have been at the Works here & bo' some flower-pots),
upon the subject of Bough-pots, & find they prefer these
things with the spouts, much as the old Delph ones; they
say that sort keep the flowers distinct & clever.’ And
Mr. Wedgwood adds, ‘Vases are furniture for a chimney-
piece. Bough-pots for a hearth, under a slab or marble
table. Ithink they can never be used one instead of another;
& I apprehend one reason why we have not made our
dressing flower-pots to please has been by adapting them
to chimney-pieces.” Guided by these principles, the im-
provement in this class of ornamental ware became still
more marked. We read of Etruscan flower-pots, pebble
flower-pots, in which variation was made by covering
them with gold size, and on this sprinkling powdered
colours; fawn-coloured flower-pots with white hoops, and
others in black and red with flutes, hoops, and Etruscan
borders of these two colours to produce a very Etrus-
canitish effect, & at a moderate price.” In this way im-
provements were carried on, till the final perfection of the
| Wedgwood to Bentley, July 29, , , " Wedgwood to Bentley, August
1772. 23, 1772.
I58 TRITONS AND SPHINXES. CHAP. III.
jasper body allowed of effects still more exquisite and
striking."
The first production of several kinds of ornamental
ware, commenced with the opening of the works at
Etruria. A few figures, busts, and statuettes, in basaltes
or bronze, had been probably made at the Burslem works
before this date; but the tritons, sphinxes, griffins, tri-
pods, altars, and other articles, were first produced at
Etruria. A man named Boot, clever and docile when he
could be kept from drink, was the earliest modeller of
some of these forms. He improved as he went on ; but
Mr. Wedgwood, who worked at the different models him-
self, assisted by a Mr. Denby, a young artist of considerable
promise, and by Hackwood, whose name first appears in
August, 1770, soon ran ahead of Boot in the mastery of
these productions. Still, for a period this modeller re-
tained a sort of speciality in tritons and sphinxes. The
first usually served the purpose of light-holders, the griffins,
or chimeras, the same, as we shall hereafter see. The
earliest triton candlesticks were modelled from one lent
by Mr. Chambers, afterwards Sir William Chambers, the
architect; who, at a later date, supplied Mr. Wedgwood
with some fine lions and sphinxes in metallic bronze for
artistic copy. The first pair of triton candlesticks were
* The prices of some of the flower- ditto, 1/6. Griffin head flower-pot
pots were as follows:– Engine with stand, 13 inches wide, 5/.
turned flower-pots, gilt, 8/ the pair. Blue ground flower-pots, drapery
Green & gold, 3/ditto. Upright, dice- festoons, raised white flutes on bot-
worked, 2/6 each. Hooped garden tom of belly, and friezed, 11 inches
high, 12/ each. Ditto with faces
pots & stands, 10 inches wide, 4/6
the pair. Festooned ditto, 13 inches, and red festoons on gilt plinths, &
10/ ditto, Festooned garden pots feet marbled with gold,9 inches high,
and stands, 10 inches, 8/ pr. Gilt 5 wide, 15/ each. Blue ground
festoons & tops, 10 inches wide, 2/6 flower-pots, with griffins' heads &
r. Lions' heads & festoons ungilt, laurel festoons, 8 inches high and 7
from 1/6 to 10°. each, Husk fes- wide, 15/ each.”—Invoices, 1768–9.
toon flower-pot & stand, 4/6. New Mayer MSS.
pendant ditto, gilt, 5/; dice-worked
Chap. III. EGYPTIAN LIONS. 159
sent to London for the purpose of presentation to the
architect, but they were accidentally seen at the ware-
house in Newport Street by some noble connoisseur, and
so borne off in triumph; and the secret had to be kept till
another pair could be supplied. These tritons, each of
which took two days to begin and finish, and a month's
drying before it could be fired, sold for two guineas
apiece when perfection was attained. They were either
(Fig. 36.) SPHINx. BLACK BASALTES.-MUSEUM or PRACTICAL GEOLOGY.
bronzed or left simply black. If unbronzed, they were
cheaper. The sphinxes, which with the tritons were sent
to M. Du Burk, at the Hague, as early as 1770, were prin-
cipally used as ornaments to balustrades, or to crown
high and massive pieces of furniture; were often, as in the
annexed example (fig. 36), very beautiful." They varied in
* Sphinxes, 6; inches long, were elaborate examples were far more
sold at 10/6 each. Egyptian lions, 9 costly.
inches long, 15/. But large and

160 TRIPODS AND ALTARS. CHAP. III.
size and character, some being from antique, and others
from modern specimens, and occasionally they were gilt.
Lions and sphinxes were, in some instances, modelled after
splendid examples by Michael Angelo; and of these a
single model cost thirty guineas, and took three weeks to
repair when out of condition. Tripods, of which there was
eventually a great variety, were much admired, and some
of the earliest made were purchased by Earl Gower and
Lord Waldegrave; and altars, which were used for almost
every purpose of support, as for vases, busts, figures,
flower-pots, and clocks, furnished in their forms, their
bas-reliefs, drapery, festoons, or medallions many fine ex-
amples of ornamental art. Occasionally Mr. Wedgwood's
imagination took flights, which carried him, as he soon
found, beyond the bounds of the ideal. He had some
elephants modelled, but nobody admired or bought them.
“I will send you no more such ponderous animals, he
writes to Bentley, “till you have sold what you have; for,
as the Lady said, I find we made a Bull when we made
an Elephant.”
If Bentley's letters were sources of inspiration to him,
as Mr. Wedgwood was ever acknowledging they were, he,
on the other hand, lost no opportunity of urging on his
partner not only the study of, but the resort for, examples
to antique art. “I hope you will have an opportunity
soon of getting some figures from the Cabinets of y' noble
customers, which have not appeared in the shops. Pray
make a push for it where & when you can with decency,
& I will endeavour to execute them in Terra Cotta.”
Awhile later he says, “I was going to say before I left
Etruria, that I liked much your plan of have the Bronze
| Wedgwood to Bentley, June 8, 1770. These elephants were 164
inches long by 14% inches high.
CHAP. III. CASTS FROM THE ANTIQUE, 16]
figures from Rome, provided they are fine & have
not been hackneyed here.” “I think we shoº have some
casts from antique gems from Rome, as well as the
figures, & hope by the means of the gentleman you
mention, you will be able to settle a correspondence with
some of the ingenious gentlemen or artists at Rome your-
self, which I think will be very useful to us.” At this
date and after, Mr. Anson, Mr. Wedgwood's neighbour,
and Mr. Stuart, whose great work on Athens had already
placed his name on the list of illustrious men of the
eighteenth century, were lending the partners figures and
antiques of various kinds; Sir Watkins Williams Wynne
and Mr. Foley, casts from ancient gems; and the Duke
of Argyle was urging them to copy some splendid
examples of Rafaelle-ware in his possession. With
respect to gems Mr. Wedgwood wrote, ‘Has L' Bess-
borough sold all his casts from Antique Gems, or the
Gems themselves, to the Duke of Marlbr'? I am, & so are
you, much interested to know this, as we had leave from
L* B. to take casts from all his Casts; but if the D. of
M. has bo' them, we shall have that leave to solicit again.
Though the gems from Italy may be too small to apply to
the vases themselves, they will make very good studys, &
we can have larger modeled by them much better than
from prints; we can likewise paint after them. Gems are
the fountain-head of fine & beautiful composition, & we
cannot, you know, employ ourselves too near the fountain-
head of taste.” It appears that Lord Bessborough had
not parted with his gems, for three months later Mr.
Wedgwood was making medallions from them, and
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Septem- * Wedgwood to Bentley, Septem-
ber 9, 1769. ber 30, 1769. -
* Ibid. September 16, 1769.
WOL. II. M
162 THE BRITISIH MUSEUM. CHAP. III.
reminding Mr. Bentley that his Lordship was to have the
first pair. At the same date he was pointing the way to
another source of antique art. “I hope, he says to Mr.
Bentley, ‘you will see Dr. Maty soon, & enter uppom
your studys at the Museum ; and as I suppose you may
have the liberty to take Mr. Rhodes & Mr. Crofts along
with you, I shou'd think it would be right to shew them
as much as possible the nature of the paintings uppon
these Wases, & let them copy the paintings, & take
outlines, sections, &c. off the Wases. I immagine you
cannot make Dr. Maty a more acceptable present than a
tea or Coffee service, or a little Table service for their own
use ; these would make more shew, & be less expensive
than a pair of Etruscan Wases.” The Hamilton collection
of vases was already consigned to the British Museum :
although, as yet, the nation by its Parliamentary vote
was not actually its possessor. We shall see that Wedg-
wood desired to place some of his most masterly copies
amongst the Originals; but at that date, as at present,
everything native to the soil, or produced by the races
who had lived and died upon it, was repudiated by those
who were the rulers of the National Collection.
| Wedgwood to Bentley. Dictated to one of the clerks, December 9, 1769.

CHAPTER THE FOURTH.
M R. W. EDGWOOD SUFFERS FROM A DISORDER IN HIS EYES-ANTI-
CIPATFS BLINDNESS — ILLNESS () F. M.R. RICHARI) W. EDG WOOT) —
BENTLEY’s NECESSARY RESIDENCE IN LONDON.—w EDG wood wish Es
THINGS
TO INSTRUCT BENTILEY IN THE SECRETS OF HIS ART
MR. DENBY, IIIs
BRIGHTEN-ENAMEL PAINTERS–TEIE WILCOXES
A BILITY-PLEASANT DOMESTIC LIFE AT CHELSEA—MISS OATES.–
MISS STAMFORD–BENTLEY’s POPULARITY-BECOMES ACQUAINTED
WITH MANY OF THE LITERARY AND scIENTIFIC CHARACTERS OF
THE DAY-TITLED WISITORS TO BURSLEM AND ETRURIA—COMMENCE-
MENT OF THE ENAMELLING WORKS AT CHELSEA—PAINTERS AT
ETRURIA DRAFTED THERE– PROPOSED CLASSES FOR IMPROVING THE
BIANTDS—THE PARTNERS FINID THEY MUST TRAIN THEIR PAINTERS–
THE USE OF OUTLINES IN WASE PAINTING SUGGESTED BY CROFTS—
BENTLEY OBJECTS TO MECHANICAL ART-THE SUBJECTS OF SOME
OF THE BAS-RELIEFS MADE DURING 1769–WII.LIAMI COX-ANNOY-
ANCES ARISING FROM HIs CARELESSNEss—MR, WEDGWOOD's BURST
of INDIGNATION.—ARISTOCRATIC CORRESPONDENTS–BENTLEY IN
THE HOUSE OF LORDs—HIs VIVID DESCRIPTION OF CHATHAM's
ORATORY-A CLERIK OF WIEIGEITS AND MEASUREs—CoMPLETION OF
TFIE MINOR RUSSIAN SERVICES — REMOVAI, TO ETRURIA IIALI, -
DIFFICULTIES CONNECTED WITH THE PARTNERSHIP BIETWEEN
WEDGWOOD AND BENTLEY –A MOMENTARY CT.OUID BETWEEN THE
FRIENDS—WEDGwooD's NORLE LETTER—ITS DEFINITION OF UTILITY
AND BEAUTY –THE DIFFICULTY SETTLED–DETERMINED PIRA CY—
THE PATENT—PALMER AND IIIs PARTNER NEALE—A COMPROMISE
PROPOSED–THE BUSINESS SETTLED IN LONDON.—PALMER'S LATER
PIRACIES.–BIRTH OF WEDGwooD's YouNGEST AND MOST GIFTED
SON.
M
I
2
CHAPTIEIR IV.
ARTISTIC WORK AND WORKMEN.
OWARDS the close of the year 1769, Mr. Wedgwood
became affected with a disorder in his eyes; and
for a considerable period subsequently his suffering and
depression on this account were very great. In some
degree the disease must have been epidemical, for various
persons were so afflicted, and often fatally ; but in his
case effects, which might arise from atmospheric or other
general causes, were increased by the incessant strain
upon every mental faculty. The first symptoms of the
disorder appeared during a few days' residence in London,
and he spoke of them to Mr. Bentley. Upon his return
home he consulted his old surgeon, Mr. Bent of New-
castle, and a little later a Dr. Elliot, who had rendered
himself famous by the cure of many similar cases,
amongst others those of the Duke of Norfolk and the
Duchess of Bedford. But little good was derived from
medicine. Being forbidden to use his eyes by candle-
light, Mrs. Wedgwood was at first his amanuensis; but
she was called away from his side by the severe illness of
her father, who lay stricken with fever in the old farm-
house at Spen Green. Thus lonely, we find his usual
courage falter ; and dangerous as it was to him to use his
eyes, he thus, though briefly, tells his sorrows to him who
166 WEDGWOOD FEARS BLINDNESS. CHAP. IV.
ever lightened them by generous and precious sympathy.
‘Dr. Elliot . . . told me there was always some danger
in these cases (Mice Volanti (Muscae Volitantes) I think he
calls the disorder) but he hopes he shall be able to over-
come them. I am this moment returned from Spen
Green where I left my wife and her bantling both well,
my father is still very poorly, far the apothecary says
from being out of danger, but thinks his fever abated.
I am very well in health, but cannot help thinking my
eyes in a bad way, & I do not know what to determine
about building any more, though I must leave my works
at Burslem the next year.’”
The necessity for Mr. Bentley's residence in London
had from the first been a source of great disappointment
and occasionally of grief to his friend. It is referred to
in innumerable letters, and at this period was doubly felt
and mourned over; this the more that Mr. Bentley,
though absent, gave every proof of sympathy and affec-
tion. ‘Your friends lament with me the necessity of
your very distant situation, & cannot any more than
myself be reconciled to a plan which robs us of the
pleasure we had long flatter'd ourselves with the enjoy-
ment of in your company.” In another place he says: ‘I
know your friendly and affectionate heart, & that you do
sympathise with us most cordially, and this perswasion is
not without its comfort, though the distance at which we
are fixed robs us of a great deal more. I often stand
in need of your advice, assistance, & consolation. The
great variety & load of business I am at present ingaged
in, with the near prospect of a vast increase if I pursue
the plan I am in a manner involved in, & can scarcely
| Wedgwood to Bentley, December 29, 1769. * Ibid. January 1, 1770.
CHAP. IV. 1)OUBTS AND DIFFICULTIES. 167
retreat from without giving up business intirely, & at the
same time being threatened with a disorder which must
totally incapacitate me from doing anything at all, & yet
it is absolutely necessary that I sho" resolve upon and
pursue some one plan immediately. These things alto-
gether, with some other anxietys I have lately felt, have
at times put on a temporary suppression of spirits which
I am not accustomed to, & which do not naturally belong
to my constitution. If I carry on my works I must build
the next year. If I build I must lay in the timber &
other materials, agree with all sorts of workmen &c.
immediately, & perhaps may lose both my eyes (for they
are equally affected) before the building is completed. Is
not this a terrible dilemma. What shall I do my Good
frº. But who can advise what is best to be done, when
the better or worse depends upon an event which we can
neither foresee nor command. But let me turn from this
dark scene & tell you that my good father continues to
recover without much interruption, & I hope will be able
(to) come down stairs, and spare me my wife again in a
short time which will be a great comfort to me, for at
present I am sadly forlorn indeed. I hope I shall receive
a good letter from you by to-night's post which will do
me much good. God bless you & preserve you from
every evil. Amen.’’
Some cases in Mr. Wedgwood's own neighbourhood,
which ended fatally, added temporarily to his depressing
fears, though he prepared himself to meet the worst with
fortitude. Perhaps nothing more affecting was ever penned
than this allusion to his lameness and anticipated blind-
ness: ‘I am learning to acquiesce . . . whatever may be
| Wedgwood to Bentley, January 16, 1770.
168 WISHES TO INSTRUCT BENTLEY. CHAP. IV.
the issue, as I wo" wish to do, in every unavoidable evil.
I am often practising to see with my fingers, & I think I
sho" make a tolerable proficient in that science for one
who begins so late in life; but shall make a wretched
walker in the dark with a single leg.”
The renowned doctor who had cured Dukes and
Duchesses failed in the subtler case of Mr. Wedgwood.
But his old surgeon Mr. Bent, treating it as a disease
of the liver, soon gave relief; though it was months
before his patient could use his eyes without distress by
candlelight, and for weeks a varying degree of hypo-
chondria oppressed very evidently his naturally cheerful
temperament. He saw the future darkly, and dreading
the worst, thus refers to those precious secrets of his art—
which he had won by anxious days and nights of toil.
‘I wo"just mention, he writes to Bentley, “that when you
have settled matters in the best manner you can in London
& Chelsea, I could wish you to be at the manufactory
awhile to learn the art of Pottmaking, whilst I am able to
go thro’ that branch with you, which I shall do with
great pleasure, & hope you will carry on to great perfec-
tion those improvements which I have been endeavouring
to lay a foundation for, & shall be happy in leaving them
with you my good and worthy friend, who neither want
ability nor spirit to pursue the task—may it be a pleasing
and successful one–Indeed I have no doubt but it will,
& so long as my eyes and my health will permit I shall
gladly assist you in it. Do not think by what I have
wrote, that my eyes are worse, but I am sensible of my
danger, & the last attack may be sudden & not give me
an opportunity of communicating many things which I
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 15, 1770.
CHAP. IV. AFFAIRS BRIGHTEN. I6%)
would not have to die with me—I know how ill you can
be spared from the Rooms, but I think it will be better
to suffer a little inconvenience for the present, than leave
you immers'd in a business, & not master of the principal
part of it.” r
But whilst thus, in the strange perversity of disease,
he was anticipating the darkest which could befall, the
things of daily life were again assuming their old aspect
of serenity. The invalid at Spen Green was better,
his wife was home, his children were around him.
He thanks Bentley for sending him an ‘interesting
account of the debates in the House of Lords, & a thou-
sand other good things, and then adds this cheery news,
“I left Spen Green yesterday, & this time have brought
my Wife and Child” along with me—Etruria now begins
to brighten up, and looks like itself again, five long
weeks of absence have hung very heavily upon me, but
her aid was much wanted to nurse & comfort an aged
and worthy parent; and I was well pleased that she was
able (to) pay this debt of duty and affection to him—He
is now pretty well recover'd & sends his best respects
& thanks to you.” By the time the summer was fully
come, Mr. Richard Wedgwood could drink his favourite
toast of the ‘five counties ' and was preparing with the
alacrity of a school-boy to accompany his son-in-law to
London to see the Russian services. They were now
rapidly advancing towards completion. Purple husks
bloomed round the edges of the table-ware, and finely
enamelled little flowers were scattered on dessert-plate
and dish, as gracefully as though by Nature's hand 1
* Wedgwood to Bentley, February * Wedgwood to Bentley, January
10, 1770. 22, 1770.
* Josiah Wedgwood the younger.
170 ENAMEL PAINTERS. CHAP. IV.
Even before the opening of the ornamental works at
Etruria, or the settlement at Chelsea, Mr. Wedgwood had
laid the foundation for a body of superior enamel painters.
Messrs. Rhodes and Croft and several assistants were at
work in Newport Street; James Bakewell, a Liverpool
man, Ralph Unwin, a young lad of considerable ability,
and some others, were painters at the Brickhouse Works;
but he clearly saw that many others would be wanted, not
only for the Etruscan encaustic vases, but for enamelling
with antique borders, and more modern floral designs, the
cream-ware table-services. At this date, June 1769, the
proprietors of the porcelain works at Worcester were
discharging a number of good hands, and some also from
Derby were seeking employment. Of the latter, Mr.
Wedgwood hired a figure-maker, and entered into a treaty
with others, and a day later a Worcester china-painter of
the name of Wilcox applied to him. He had served his
time at Christian's potwork in Liverpool, and in relation
to this hand, Mr. Wedgwood continues thus to Bentley.
‘This Willcox has a wife who paints & is very ingenious,
she is at present finishing some work at Worcester.
Wilcox says she is an excellent coppyer of figures & other
subjects & a much better hand than himself. He show’d
me two heads of her doing in indian ink which are very
well done. She is a daughter to that Fry who was
famous for doing heads in Metzotints, which you have
seen. Willcox is at present employ'd by Twemlows, but
not engaged, he wants much he says to be fixed and wo"
article for any time. I like his appearance much, he seems
a sober, Solid man, & has nothing flighty or coxcomical in
his dress or behaviour, of which most of this class are apt
to contract a small tincture. His wife & he have got
very good wages he says at Worcester, better he believes
CHAP. IV. MRS. WILCOX. 171
than he must ever expect again, they wo" now be content
he says both of them at 25s. p week which is low enough
if they will be tolerably dilligent. If we get these painters
& the figure makers, we shall do pretty well in these
* Mrs. Wilcox was tried, and proved to be
an admirable artist. Her services extended over a con-
siderable period, probably indeed till the date of her
death a few years after. Some of the best single figures,
branches.’
groups, and borderings on the painted Etruscan ware
between 1769 and 1776 were the result of her skill,” and
she headed, as we shall see, the group of female painters,
who were engaged to assist in enamelling the great
Russian service. Throughout the remainder of the year
1769, and during the year succeeding, painters were
sought for in Liverpool, Birmingham, Worcester, Derby,
Bow, and Lambeth, and many were hired. Some of
them had painted fans, others were “light India painters,
and not a few had an exquisite taste for enamelling
flowers. A youth named Denby, who was a native of
Derby, and had received his early art education there,
was engaged more on the footing of a pupil than an ap-
prentice. After working for Mr. Wedgwood at Burslem
and Etruria for some months, he was sent in May, 1770,
to help Mr. Bentley at Chelsea, under an agreement
of service for five years. ‘He applys close to business,
wrote Mr. Wedgwood, ‘has a delicate modesty in his man-
mers, & I think will be an agreeable & useful assistant to
us in a little time. He has not been much used to a brush
(or hair) pencil, but will draw you any subject upon the
vases you have not plates for with a black-lead Pencil, &
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 25, the year 1776. Mr. Wedgwood re-
1769. fers to her death in a letter, dated
* Catherine Wilcox died early in February 6 in that year.
172 THE CHELSEA HOUSEHOLD. CHAP. IV.
may watch over and correct the drawings of other hands
for he is really learned in the Anatomy and drawing of a
Human figure.’"
Mr. Bentley, as befitted his position, settled down
handsomely at Chelsea. He bought a chariot and pair,
had a horse for an occasional ride, and kept up, as in
Liverpool, a generous and yet not wasteful hospitality.
His faithful friend and sister-in-law Miss Oates was still
the mistress of his family, but years were advancing upon
her, her hearing was very impaired, and so amidst the
occurrences which made life so pleasant, indications were
not wanting that other and brighter influences would soon
cheer the widower's home. Mr. Stamford, the Smith and
engineer of Derby, had a daughter, who, as heretofore in
Liverpool, came frequently to see her father's old friends
Mr. Bentley and Miss Oates. She was in the prime of
life; somewhere, it would seem, about five and twenty.
Her person comely, her temper cheerful, her manners
vivacious. She helped Miss Oates to receive and amuse
her guests, she cut out vases and other forms on paper,
and was included in what Mr. Wedgwood calls ‘the privy
council.’ Very gallantly Mr. Bentley consulted it on
almost all important occasions. Thus by degrees, though
slowly, Mary Stamford won upon the generous and manly
heart of Thomas Bentley, and it was soon whispered that
she would become his wife. Nor was childhood absent
from that pleasant home, with its fine gardens, its envi-
roning fields, and the “great silent highway' flowing near.
A little niece of either Miss Oates or Mr. Bentley passed
much of her time at Chelsea, and neighbours were ac-
cessible and friendly. Amongst these was Joseph Cooper,
| Wedgwood to Bentley, May 23, 1770.
CHAP. IV. NEIGHBOURS AND FRIENDS. 173
a printer in that day of some repute, and the inventor of
an improved kind of printing ink. He was a man of
talent, and ‘abounded, as One who knew him said, ‘in
pleasantry and the milk of human kindness, though he
was speculative, over-sanguine, and trusted too much to
the fortunes and justice of others. But this introduction
to Mr. Bentley and his great partner proved of much
more value than temporary hospitality and pleasant
neighbouring. In 1773 Mr. Cooper entered into part-
nership with M. Du Burk in the sale of Wedgwood and
Bentley's ware, and resided for a time at Amsterdam.
The speculation failed, owing chiefly to Du Burk's want of
principle, and when Mr. Cooper returned to his faithful
* Betsey' and his old Chelsea home, he accepted a post
in Greek Street, and died the faithful friend and servant
of the Wedgwoods in 1806." Away from the city too,
in summer weather, when it was an exquisite little trip
to take boat at London Bridge and glide up the river,
came merchants and their wives, and other old acquaint-
ances of Mr. Bentley. From Pall Mall came Mr. More,
the friend of the celebrated Dr. Templeman. More was
a man of wealth and taste, and probably dealt in objects
of vertu. He seems to have been instrumental in pro-
curing many fine specimens of antique art for Mr. Bentley :
through him Mr. Wedgwood obtained from China samples
of real petumse and kaolin ; and for him, as sacred to the
memory of More's dear friend Dr. Templeman, Mr. Wedg-
wood made one of his finest vases. It was in basaltes;
serpents twined round it as emblems of eternity, and it
stood sacred and honoured the penates of the owner's house.
When in town and engaged on business out of doors,
' (tent.'s Mag., vol. lxxviii. p. 1, p. 470.
174 VISITS TO PATRONs. Unap. IV.
Mr. Bentley always used his chariot and pair. When
the supply of ornamental ware exceeded, as it did in 1773,
the demand, or large numbers of black and yellow dessert
services, prepared long before for foreign markets, lay so
much dead stock in the warehouse, we find Mr. Wedg-
wood bidding his friend take his chariot and go amongst
the Russian merchants. During the contention with
Palmer of Hanley about the patent, the vehicle often
stayed before the chambers of Lord Mansfield in Lincoln's
Inn. It was familiar to the doors of Lansdowne House,
mºnº-
---
(Fig. 37.) BLURINGHAM House.
so soon now to have a new attraction to Bentley, in
the presence of his friend the illustrious Priestley. It
stopped often at Leicester House, rolled beneath the gate-
way of Northumberland House, and waited for its master
still more frequently before the town houses of Earl
Gower, Sir Watkin Williams Wynne, and other patrons.
Occasionally it was to be seen by Buckingham House, for
new things had to be shown, or some order was in hand
for His or Her Majesty. When in town, Mr. Wedgwood

CHAP. IV. BENTILEY'S POPULARITY. 175
usually accompanied his friend. “Last Monday,’ writes
Mr. Bentley to his Liverpool partner, ‘Mr. Wedgwood
and I had a long audience of their majesties at the
Queen's palace, to present some bas-reliefs her majesty
had ordered ; and to show some new improvements with
which they were well pleased. They expressed in the
most obliging and condescending manner, their attention
to our manufacture; and entered very freely into conver-
sation on the further improvement of it, and on many
other subjects. The King is well acquainted with
business, and with the characters of the principal manu-
factures, merchants, and artists; and seems to have the
success of all our manufactures much at heart, and to
understand the importance of them. The Queen has
more sensibility, true politeness, engaging affability, and
sweetness of temper, than any great lady I ever had the
honour of speaking to.” As time wore on, Mr. Bentley's
popularity grew. His handsome person, and polished
manners, were irresistible to otherwise haughty duchesses
and ladies; and whilst he poised a vase, or showed bas-
relief or cameo, and related the antique stories its
designs sought to express, the ladies listened, smiled,
bowed, and what was more to the purpose bought. An
aristocrat by nature, he was the most courtly of chapmen.
‘Be so good, writes Mr. Wedgwood soon after Mr.
Bentley's settlement in Newport Street, “to let us know
what is going forward in the Great World. How many
Lords & Dukes visit your rooms, praise your beauties,
thin your shelves, & fill your purses; and if you will
take the trouble to acquaint us with the daily ravages
in your stores, we will endeavour to replenish them.”
* Bentlev to Boardman, December Wedgwood to Bentley, January,
t 2 * a . t
15, 1770. Bentleyana, p. 17. 1770.
176 VISITORS AT ETRURIA. CHAP. IV.
By degrees this popularity attracted to itself something
worthier than the fashion of the hour; and by the close
of 1772 Mr. Bentley reckoned amongst his friends,
“Athenian Stuart, Dr. Solander, Mr. Banks (afterwards
Sir Joseph), and others whose names live in the scientific
and literary history of their time. -
The ‘works' at Etruria, where ‘the Herculanean pic-
tures' for the Queen, or the Etruscan vases for the ducal
chamber, were formed, shared in these visitations from the
titled great. When guests stayed at Trentham, Keel,
Shugborough, or other of the neighbouring halls, Etruria
was the attractive point for a morning's ride. A few
weeks before he removed from Burslem, Mr. Wedgwood
writes: “Whilst I have been at Etruria here (he was at
work there with his modellers) they have had Lady
Gower, Lady Pembroke, TA Robert Spencer, &c. to break-
fast. This is the second time the Trentham family have
been there, whilst I have been abroad, Well, it cannot
be helped.’ In numberless other letters Mr. Wedgwood
refers to his titled visitors, and the painters at Chelsea are
hastened with the vases they have in hand, in order that
the show-room at Etruria may be worthily adorned. A
year later he tells Bentley, ‘We had a Sir Charles Bingham
from Ireland on Tuesday last, with his lady and daughter.
They came from Namptwich hither on purpose to see the
works they had heard so much talk about in Ireland, &
immediately set off for London where you will see them
in a little time. They told me the Duke of Richmond
had made a present of a pair of vases No . . to the
Duke of Leinster who was in Raptures with them,
and that the T). is a Gent" of the 1st virtu in Ireland.
That some others had seen Our vases & there seem’d a
violent Vase madness breaking out amongst them, and we
CHAP. IV. TRENTHAM HALL. 177
are sure if we had a room in Dublin, a large quantity
might be sold.” We shall see this suggestion bore
fruit.
But gratifying as this increasing patronage was:
whether it were metropolitan, distant provincial, Scotch,
Irish, continental or from sources even more remote,
that of the neighbouring gentry, in a great measure
the owners of the soil on which long generations of
the Wedgwoods had lived and died, must have been
still more so. Mr. Wedgwood was constantly riding to
Trentham. The hall, not then the palatial building it
(Fig. 38.) TRENTHAM HALL-
is now, but still, as seen in the illustration, a country
mansion of mark, with fine gardens, noble wood-
lands, and a situation of rare beauty on the mead-
indented Trent. How often he rode beneath the
summer boughs, or through the russet shadows of the
fall, to consult the good earl on some point of local
business, to urge on him, in connection with his official
relation to the Court or Ministry, the removal of the
wedgwood to Bentley, August 2, 1770.
VOL. 11. N

178 EARL GOWER. Chap. IV.
export duty on earthenware to France; or to confer with
the countess on her flower-pots, or her cream ware dairy
tiles." Something was always in hand at the U or o:
works for Trentham, and Mr. Gilbert, or Mr. Eaton the
clerk of the kitchen, was often settling accounts. The
earl was a fine specimen of the old Whig nobility. His
face, as thus preserved to us in cameo, makes us feel that
he was a scholar and a gentle.
man, and yet one who perhaps
shone more as lord of his county,
in promoting canals and highways,
in patronising agriculture, in pre-
siding at great public meetings,
than even in his ministerial capa-
city, as Lord Privy Seal, Lord
Chamberlain, and Lord President
(Fig. 39.) EARL Gowen. of the Council, popular as he was,
even when in coalition with the
Opposition under Lord North. He always met Mr. Wedg-
wood on the simple footing of man with man, and seems
never to have been so happy as when at home amidst his
neighbours. His name is constantly appearing in Mr.
Wedgwood's letters to Bentley. On one occasion he writes
to Cox: 'L' Gower promis'd me if possible to send his
Danish Majesty to Yº Rooms, so pray be prepard for the
honor of such a visit. The wife of Earl Talbot was a
frequent correspondent; and the Earl of Harrowby, Sir
William Bagot, Mr. Anson, Mr. Sneyd, and many others
lent figures and threw open their cabinets of gems and
coins, with the liberality of princes. In one of his
letters Mr. Wedgwood tells Bentley, “I am to wait upon
* Wedgwood to Cox, Appendix to Invoice, September 14, 1768,
Mayer MSS.

CHAP. IV. THE WILCOXES. 179
our good friend Sir Wm. Bagot at Blithefield in a few
days to take his orders for some large vases to furnish
the niches in an elegant room he has just built, and I
intend at the same time to wait upon Mr. Anson who
wants and says he will have some black vases with white
festoons. He has some excellent figures and other
antiques very suitable for our purposes, which I intend
to signify my longings after. The next day he adds, as
a postscript to the same letter: “We have had Sir Harry
Minwaring here this morning: he came on purpose to
order a set of vases for a large room amo £13. 4. all
Etruscans. I have take (taken) 6 weeks to complete
them in.’’
By December, 1769, the workrooms, and a muffle
bought at Lambeth, were ready at Chelsea, and from this
date hands were consecutively drafted off from Etruria.
The first sent were Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox. They travelled
to Tondon by waggon and were a week on the road.
Starting from Newcastle on the Sunday they did not
reach London till the following Saturday, when they
were met at the inn by some of the servants from
Newport Street. A fact like this enables us to realise
the social changes which less than a century has produced.
We have here a woman, capable of fine figure and border
painting, wearily travelling amidst the mob of a stage
waggon, with her pencils and brushes tied in a bundle.
But Catherine Wilcox, though thus journeying like
Smollett's heroes and heroines, was a woman of great
ability. Two months before she and her husband were
drafted to London Mr. Wedgwood thus referred to her :
‘Mrs. Wilcox is losing time here, as she might as well
| Wedgwood to Bentley, September 17, 1769.
N 2
180 PAINTERS FOR CHELSEA. CHAP. IV.
paint figures upon vases as upon paper, as I am per-
swaded you will be convinced from the drawings I sent
you. If she does such things of herself, what may not
be expected from her under the tuition of a Bentley & a
Crofts. Pray let me know when I shall send her &
her goodman for whilst they continue here there is 18/
at least per week sunk out of 24/.’" The Wilcoxes
were followed in the next year 1770, by W. Bourne,
Thomas Hutchins a printer who had worked at Soho,
Cooper an excellent flower painter, Ralph Unwin, Mr.
Denby, James Bakewell, Simpcock, Barrett, Christopher
Taylor, and Thomas Glover ; and as the vast demand
for enamelled table services and vases increased, other
hands were sought for amongst the Tondon fan, coach,
and fresco painters. Mr. Rhodes also advertised, and
travelled to Bow on several occasions on the same
errand. But the difficulty was not to meet with painters,
as with those capable of the high class work Wedgwood
and Bentley required. They soon found at Etruria, as at
Chelsea, that nothing but training in their own work-
rooms would convert medium workmen into fine artists,
and the partners seem respectively to have conceived
some plan of an academy or classes to promote this
object. “What has become of y' scheme of taking in
girls to paint,’ asks Mr. Wedgwood in one of his letters.
“Have you spoke to Mrs. Wright. Mr. Coward too said
he would tell you of some Fan painters. You observe
very justly that few hands can be got to paint flowers
the style we want them. I may add, nor any other work
we do, we must make them. There is no other way. We
have stepped forw" beyond the other manufactures
| Wedgwood to Bentley, September 17, 1769.
CHAP. IV. A DRAWING AND MODELLING SCHOOL. 181
(manufacturers) & we must be content to train up hands
to suit our purpose. Where amongst our Potters could
I get a complete Vase maker? Nay I could not get a
hand through the whole Pottery to make a table plate
without training them up for that purpose, & you must
be content to train up such Painters as offer to you, &
not turn them adrift because they cannot immediately
form their hands to our new style; which if you consider
what they have been doing all their life we ought not
to expect from them.’" On his own account, a few days
later, Mr. Wedgwood adds: “I have a waking motion
haunts me very much of late which is the begining,
a regular drawing & modeling school to train up
artists for ourselves. I wo" pick up some likely
Boys of about 12 years old & take them appren-
tice till they are twenty or twenty-one, & set them to
drawing, & when they had made some tolerable pro-
ficiency they sho" practice with outlines of figures upon
Vases which I wo" send you to be fill’d up. We would
make outlines wº" wo" bear carriage & these might tend
to facilitate your doing a quantity of the Patent Wases,
& when you wanted any hands we could draft them out
of this school. The Paintings upon these vases are from
W. & B's school—so it may be s” 1,000 years hence.’”
Shortly after the business of painting the encaustic
Etruscan vases was begun, Crofts struck out a scheme
for employing faint white outlines, not only for the
figures on the black and red bodies, but also for the
borders. It stood to reason, that if this class of vases
was to be sold to any remunerative extent, their manu-
facture must be both rapid and economical. To paint
I Wedgwood to Bentley, May 19, 1770. 2 Ibid. May 23, 1770.
182 () UTILINES. CHAP. IV.
each vase elaborately," except in occasional instances of
fine and costly specimens, would be to raise their price
far above Ordinary demand. At first the outlines were
chalked; but in February, 1770, Thomas Hutchins, a
printer from Soho, was engaged; and shortly after this
date the outlines of figures on all the smaller vases were
printed, and the colours subsequently filled in. The
border lines were traced at Etruria. “We are now be-
ginning upon plain Etruscans for painting, of which we
shall have about 20 forms & sizes & I cannot help
thinking if we put the lines in ºf for the borders,
it wo" greatly assist the painters tº even though they
were white, & to be traced over again by the enamellers.
We would put the lines in gold to stand for good.’”
Bentley dissented to this mechanical kind of art, and
intimated that the work could be done better without
this printing, ‘Here my good friend, was the reply, ‘I
cannot join with you, unless you can engage a score or
two of Ciprianas, nor do I think any, or at least, the
baulk of the Painters you will employ, ought to or will,
object to the assistance of an outline, & especially, if to
the most delicate ones, it is offered rather upon the
idea of dispatch, so necessary in a manufacture, than to
supply any deficiency in the artist, and as to have full
employment for the Printer that that is not at all neces-
sary, as we can use his pencil you know, as well as the
Press.” Even with respect to the body of the vases
themselves, many mechanical aids were in a short period
introduced which greatly facilitated production, after
one of each pattern had been brought to perfection.
1 One Etruscan vase, painted for . * Wedgwood to Bentley, Feb. 4,
Lord Carlisle, was priced at fifteen 1770.
guineas. * Ibid. April 29, 1770.
CHAP. IV. WILLIAM COX. - 183
The chief classical subjects of the gems, medallions
and bas-reliefs, executed during 1769, were a Sacrifice,
Apollo and Daphne, Night and Apollo, Jupiter and
Leda, Jupiter and Daphne, God of Day, Goddess of
Night, and Olympus and Marcyas. The vases decorated
with the medallions of Jupiter and his companions were
ultimately dispatched to the West Indies; for, even in
that age of somewhat gross tastes, it was found that
art throve best under its purest expressions.
The bookkeeper and manager William Cox had, as we
have seen, been with brief interruptions at the head of
the London business, from the date of opening the show-
rooms in Charles Street till shortly after Mr. Bentley's
settlement in town. His character, as Mr. Wedgwood
confided sometimes to his friend, was ‘an enigma.'
Painfully reserved, procrastinating, honest yet dilatory
and careless to a fault, he fell at length into the greatest
confusion respecting the monetary affairs of the firm, and
sending in bills repeatedly to those who had already paid
them, indignant remonstrances were the natural result.
Some of the most interesting letters in Mr. Mayer's col-
lection relate to this matter. There is one from the cele-
brated Mrs. Montague, others from Mr. Goring after-
wards Sir H. Goring, and Lady Talbot. The Scotch
lords and ladies are particularly angry, and not a few
of the realm of housekeepers sit down in angry mood
with their unclassical pens. The blue-stocking Montague
writes as tartly as the rest :–‘It w" be a fine story if
people had nothing to do but to pay for whatever goods
were charged to them; ' ' and Mr. Goring, who is more
{...—
dignified, says “I have most undoubtedly paid the money
1 Mrs. Elizabeth Montague to Cox, May 29, 1769, Mayer MSS.
184 - NEGLIGENCE IN BOOKKEEPING. CHAP. IV.
a great many months ago, nor would I by any means
suffer you or any man else that I deal with to be so long
kept from what was their just right, thro’ any neglect of
my own. . . . I should think your Bookkeeper rather
deserves reproof for his negligence, in not crossing the
account out of his Books, than I to be upbraided with
tardiness in paying my just debts.’’
Mr. Wedgwood had been long making serious com-
plaints of the state in which Cox managed the monetary
business entrusted to him ; and at length, whilst the latter
was in Staffordshire towards the close of 1769, the full
extent of his bookkeeper's unpardonable negligence was
for the first time made known to him. His indignation
was unbounded. “I am much concerned, he writes to
Bentley ‘to find so many more blunders in Mr. Cox's
cash accº., and as I am daily suffering in so tender a
point as that of my Character for Honesty and all through
his neglect, I cou’d not help reproving him very severely
for it. I shall send him up to Town immediately and
before he sets out I shall tell him that I insist on his
doing nothing but assist in clearing up the Books; till
that is done, and till this work is finish'd, I beg you
will not send out any more bills, unless such as you are
certain are not paid, for I had rather hire money at
fifty p ct, interest, than lie under the suspicions Mr.
Cox's extreme neglect has brought upon me. It must
appear as the gent" you mention justly observes, that I
must either be wanting in honesty, or have trusted my
business to servants, who cou’d not or wou’d not keep
any books, and as you know the latter has been the case,
I beg they may be told so without reserve, or any way
* Mr. Harry Goring to Cox, dated from Rowdell, March 16, 1769,
Mayer MSS.
CHAP. IV. LORD CHATHAM. 185
mincing the matter though Mr. Cox shou" be present at
the time. I acquaint him with what I write to you, and
I owe this piece of justice to myself. It is equitible and
just that he shou" rather lose his character as a book-
keeper, which he has deserved to do, than that I shou"
lose mine for honesty, which I have never forfeited.”
By some care and diligence, and the assistance of worthy
and methodical Peter Swift, the London accounts were
brought into better order, and Cox from this date had
little more to do with them.
Amongst the correspondents of 1769 was the great Lord
|Kames, who paused in his philosophical speculations rela-
tive to the origin of mankind, to write to Mr. Wedgwood
concerning butter-kits—and as though some mathematical
problem presented itself even here, the paper on which
his letter is written is cut somewhat in the form of a
parallelogram, probably to represent the size or the form
of the butter kit.” Lady Chatham, Lady Camden, and
the newly married wife of Pennant the naturalist, were
also correspondents. For Lady Chatham and Lord Pitt,
Mr. Wedgwood made some exquisite dessert services;
that for the wife of England's greatest statesman being
exquisitely painted with flowers. Without doubt it was
a labour of love to the partners—for both were ardent
admirers of the illustrious Chatham—and, at no late date
after 1774, they gave his somewhat harsh but striking
features in cameo to that multitude of Englishmen and
foreigners, who saw in him the unselfish and courageous
patriot. Mr. Bentley never missed a speech of Chatham's.
He was present at that striking scene in the House of
* Wedgwood to Bentley, dictated dated T3]air Drummond, January 3,
to Swift, December 16, 1769. 1769, Mayer MSS.
* Lord Kames to Mr. Wedgwool,
1sº HIS REAPPEARANCE. Cnap IV.
Lords in January, 1770, when the great minister, after
long seclusion, and the very obvious incompetency of his
colleagues to carry on the administration when deprived
of his direction, suddenly reappeared, and on the usual
motion for the address to the Royal speech, moved an
amendment, the purport of which was to answer the con-
(Fig. 40.) Lºnn ºn-
duct of the House of Commons in the affair of Wilkes,
and to assert the right of the constituency to make a free
choice of their representatives. In this great speech
Lord Chatham's censures ranged through the whole field
of foreign, colonial and domestic policy. Last Tuesday,
wrote Bentley to Boardman in one of his admirable
letters, was a day of high entertainment to me, though of

CHAP. IV. HIS () RATORY. 187
great fatigue. I stood between eight and nine hours in
the House of Lords, to hear the very interesting debates
upon the King's Speech;-and though I have often heard
the debates in both Houses, I never heard any so noble, so
eloquent, so animated and animating as these. My Lord
Chatham is quite rejuvinated. He talks like a patriot,
and seems determined to shine, and even to blaze again
in the public eye. His abilities are certainly transcendant,
and his knowledge is almost boundless. I like the style
of his eloquence better than Lord Mansfield's. Lord
Mansfield pours forth in one continued uniform torrent,
while Lord Chatham's eloquence falls like a gentle stream
from the mountain—gathers strength by degrees—swells
and
—meanders—dashes against the interposing rocks
then rushes forward in a noble torrent to the ocean.
Lord Camden is plain, perspicuous, honest, and affecting.
His speech was the expression of an honest heart—bold,
manly, disinterested. Lord Shelburne, animated in the
cause of liberty. Lord Littleton—for the same cause—
learned and earnest; but, alas ! I could not hear his
oration so as to connect it well together.’’
Mr. Bentley, upon settling in London, still continued
his services to the Monthly Review. These were probably
gratuitous, for, early in 1769, Griffiths the editor had pre-
sented him with a massive silver inkstand of so elegant
a form, that Mr. Wedgwood had it copied in the black
basaltes body. At the date just referred to, Bentley
seems to have entered upon the defence of Lord Camden,
* Bentley to Boardman, January garnered up like precious treasures.
16, 1770.-Bentleyana, p. 16. From . They became, as was remarked to
these fragments, in a little pamphlet Bentley, after the latter had settled
of twenty-three pages, we judge how in London, ‘My Magazines, Reviews,
fine must have been many of the Chronicles, & I had allmost said my
letters which Bentley sent almost Bible.' Wedgwood to Bentley, Sep-
daily to his friend, and which were tember 16, 1769.
188 LIGHTER WARE. CHAP. IV,
in a series of papers, which, though passing as critical
reviews on pamphlets and other political works, were in
fact an exposure of the ministerial policy in depriving
Lord Camden of the Great Seal. The elegant scholar,
who passed many of his hours in tempting duchesses
and countesses by classic stories relative to vases and
antique gems, passed also many of his laborious nights
in vindicating the rights of the people against the policy
and proceedings of the Government. -
The Duke of Argyle, as already stated, possessed some
fine specimens of majolica, or, as it was then more
commonly called, Raffaelle ware, and he wished Mr.
Wedgwood to copy them both in body and painting.
But the latter found that it would be necessary to have
a true Delft body on which to lay the thick glaze and
strong enamels. This could not be procured of the
requisite forms in Liverpool, and in London he found it
would be dangerous to make the attempt, as Palmer
and many other potters were unscrupulous in their
piracy. But the painting was tried upon the cream-ware
body, and some exquisite vases and other articles were
the result of Mrs. Wilcox's labours in this direction.
Through the course of 1770, Mr. Wedgwood effected
by slow degrees a great reform in his manufacture, and
one for which it became henceforth celebrated. This
related to the lightness of the ware. ‘ I am giving, he
tells Bentley, in one of those letters which the disorder
in his eyes rendered it so painful to write, “my people
lessons upon the loss of clay, and with it the loss of
credit in making heavy ware, but all will not do. I
have bo' them half a doz, pair of scales, but there seems
one thing wantº still, which I propose to have soon, a
Clerk of Weights and Measures, whose constant business
CHAP. IV. REMOVAL TO ETRURIA HALL. 189
it shall be to weigh the goods as they are got up—he will
save me three times his wages in Clay, & ten times as
much in Credit. The first clever fellow I can spare shall
certainly be set down to this business.”
The Russian services which had been in progress since
the latter part of the summer of 1769, were completed
in about a year from that date; and between July 2 and
30, 1770, Mr. Wedgwood and his father-in-law were in
London to view them. They seem to have been on show
at the warehouse in Newport Street. The four services
were all in the cream-colour body, but the decorations
were different. On two were views printed by Sadler,
and the others were elaborately enamelled with a purple
fruit festoon border, and with small scattered groups of
flowers. The services included dessert and tea ware, and
many of the pieces, as glaciers for liqueurs, wine, and
cream, and dishes for crystallised fruit, had to be modelled
separately. This was at all times one of the most costly
portion of foreign orders, and involved an expense
which fell as a loss on the manufacturer. Ultimately,
Mr. Wedgwood declined to take orders of this character,
except in peculiar cases, which necessitated much special
modelling.
Throughout 1770, Mr. Wedgwood was again busy
with his building at Etruria, and in September he
removed from Mr. Bentley's house to the Hall, the floor-
cloths and many other things for the furnishing of which
had been selected by the latter in town. Mr. Henshall,
who was busy with the canal in that neighbourhood,
entered at once upon the occupation of the Bank House,
the name by which Mr. Bentley's residence was now
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, December 1, 1769,
190 USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL WARE. CHAP. IV.
known; and henceforth we shall see Mr. Wedgwood the
enjoyer, as he had been the creator, of a home more fitted
to generous hospitality, to the training of his children,
and to the comfort of her who had now for years been
ever beside him—an example amongst wives.
It had been so arranged that the partnership between
Wedgwood and Bentley related only to ornamental ware,
Mr. Thomas Wedgwood still remaining at the head of
the ‘Useful Works as partner and manager. The
difficulties involved in this arrangement were not at first
apparent, but they soon became very evident to the
partners themselves; for, as soon as teapots and other
articles were made in antique forms, and bronzed or
painted with Etruscan and Grecian figures, the difficult
question arose, Was this useful or ornamental ware? It
was ornamental in the fullest sense when viewed as to
form or beauty; but certainly, when referred to its
ultimate purpose, useful ware. Here was a problem very
difficult to solve; the more difficult to Mr. Wedgwood as
he wished to measure out justice with the Surest hand,
between the cousin and partner who had served his
interest with such sterling fidelity, and the partner, the
man of genius and the friend whom his heart so loved.
There is evidence that, for a brief period, Mr. Bentley was
both somewhat angry and disappointed; he felt, as it would
seem, that he had quitted the certainty of a great and
rapidly increasing mercantile business for the uncertainty
of what was truly a higher and nobler class of work, but
one whose perfection was abstract in theory, and success
more foreshadowed by what had been already done, than
positively ensured. Must he who had freighted ships
with merchandise for the rich West Indies, the Spanish
Main, or the far-extending shores of the American
CHAP. IV. - A BRIEF SHADOW. 191
continent, be called on to nicely weigh the question
whether a teapot was a teapot, or calculate the fraction
gained by its enamelling? But the little shadow between
the friends was as evanescent as the clouds upon an
April day, or the early dew upon the flowers. Both
possessed strong common sense, reasoning faculties of a
high order, and, what was higher still, hearts abounding
with the noblest emotions of truth and generosity. What
could divide such men? Certainly nothing that had been
done, or was yet to do, in this noble art. Wedgwood's
letter on this count is a monument to the man. At the
distance of near a century, it can be only read with
feelings of veneration for him who weighed justice with
such an even hand, and Swerved neither to the right nor
the left in the duty which was his. After explaining the
arrangement that each partner was to share in the profit
derived from the Etruscan useful ware, he continues,
“With respect to the difference between USEFUL WARE
& ORNAMENTAL, I do not find any inclination in myself
to be overnice in drawing the line. You know I never
had any idea that Ornamental ware sho" not be of “some
wise.”—You knew this from all we had done hitherto,
from the many conversations we have had upon the
subject, & from the list we wrote in your commonplace
book of the uses to which ornamental vases might be
put; I co" have wish'd therefore that you had not
repeated this idea so often, & asked me if my partner-
ship with T. W. wo" exclude our making “Stella’s”
ewers. Tell me, my dear friend, did you ask me this
question for information, or were you realy as angry
with me, as the question accompanied with any other
| Stella was the name of an artist who published a work of designs for
V &lS62S,
192 BEAUTY AND UTILITY. CHAP. IV
idea would import. I hope you were not, for I sho" be
very unhappy to think you wo" be angry with me lightly,
or that I had given you any just occasion for the warmth
some parts of your letter seem to express. I say seem,
for I hope I am mistaken, & shall rest in that hope till
I have the pleasure of hearing from you again. But as
this question has put me upon thinking a little more upon
the subject, & the situation I am, or may be in, betwixt
two Partnerships, it may not be amiss to enter a little
deeper into it, & attempt something like a line in
Theorie, though I hope we shall none of us be too rigid
in our adherence to it, in practice. And first negatively;
I do not think that fineness, or richness, or price, or
colour, or enameling, or bronzeing, or gilding, can be a
criterion for our purpose, for though we make a Table or
desert service ever so fine, rich, or expensive, though
they are every piece rich enough to adorn a Cabinet,
they are in my opinion, usefull ware still, & I think the
same may be said of a Teapot or a Chamberpot. Suppose
for instance, that I should make pebble desert ware, and
vein or edge it with gold burnt in. This would be as
rich as the Vases, but must I apprehend be class'd as
useful ware still ; & on the other hand, though we make
a flowerpot, a Vase, Candlestick, &c., ever so plain, it is
still in the class of ornamental ware, & clearly within the
partnership of W. and B. only, & I sho" think I did
wrong in making them at Burslem on any occasion
without first asking your consent. If degrees of richness
or elegance of form, were to constitute the difference in
question, & consequently the making of it be transferred
from Burslem to Etruria upon its improvement beyond
such a pitch, this wo" not only lay a foundation for
frequent disputes, but must have the same effect upon my
CHAP, IV. THEIR DEFINITION, 193
usefull works, as the King of France's Edict has upon the
Potteries of France, to prevent their rivalling his works
at Seve, for T. W. might with reason in that case say I
have such or such an improvement to introduce into the
desert or Tea, but I shall then lose the Article, or if I
improve such a single article any further it is gone !
This is no forced or unnatural supposition, but is what
must result from such a principle being admitted, & as
there seems to me to be a more distinct criterion to distin-
guish between Useful ware and Ornaments, & which is clear
of these, or any other material objections, I cannot hesitate
in rejecting the former. May not usefull ware be com-
prehended under this simple definition, of such vessels as
are made use of at meals P. This appears to me to be the
most simple & natural line, and though it does not take
in Wash-hand basons & bottles, or Ewers, Chamberpots,
& a few such articles, they are of little consequence, and
speak plain enough for themselves; nor wo" this exclude
any superb vessels for sideboards, or vases for deserts, if
they could be introduc’d, as these articles wo" be rather
for show than use. -
‘This appears to me the plainest line, & the least liable
to objections of all others, but if you think otherwise &
have a different one to propose, I am perfectly open to
conviction, & am so far from wishing to limit our under-
taking or to render it too trifling for your attention, that
I wish to extend it by every means, & that, I can very
truly assure you, as much on account of my friend as
myself. A friend whom I esteem & love (next to the
nearer ties of nature) before all mankind, & cannot bear
the thought of haggling with him about trifles. The
difference betwixt T. W.'s or T.B.'s share in my profits in
any article is no consideration, nor has any weight with
WOL. II. O -- -
194 AN APPEAL. CHAP. IV.
me. I may not continue long in business, & my life
itself is a very precarious one, & whom have I then to
leave my business to, capable of conducting it in the
manner you know I sho" wish to have it continued, but
you two ; let us therefore my friend & Brother, live, &
act like Brothers, & friends indeed, & not suffer any small
matters to put our peace and harmony in jeopardie. All
I mean by the above distinctions, is to chalk out a path,
that I may walk in securely, by defining the limits of two
interests, at present separate, & of which my situation
renders me the connecting link, without giving offence to
either; for if my friend on one side sho" tell me, in any
way that I am too partial to my Burslem work & my
Relation, and Partner on the other hand be discontented,
& think I lean too much to the ornamental works, & am
throwing every advantageous article in that scale."—Think
my friend, you who can feel for me, the situation I must
be in. Do you think I could bear it—no & I am sure
you would not wish me to lead a miserable life, con-
tinually jarring w” those I wish most to be at peace
with. Next to my Wife & Family my Partners are
those with whom I must be at peace.
‘You have for some time, or at least it has seem’d so to
me, from very many passages in your letters, been doubt-
ful of our undertaking being worth the time & attention
you have bestowed upon it; & in your last you intimate
its certainly coming to nothing upon the present plan.
I should be sorry to think so too, but own I have no
apprehensions of that sort.—Ornament is a field, which
notwithstanding one year's close attention upon it and
| Mr. Wedgwood's preference to tell me I sacrifice all to Etruria and
Etruria and his ornamental works, . vases.' Wedgwood to Bentley, No-
had been already asserted, “Poor vember 19, 1769.
Burslem, poor cream-colour. They
CHAP, IV, FAME AND PROFIT. 195
may many, yet it appears to me, that we are but just
stepped or are stepping into it, & I am fully perSwaded
that the further we proceed in it, the richer crop we
shall reap both of Fame 6 Proffit, & I do upon the
maturest deliberation give it as my firm opinion that
mixing usefull with ornamental wares wo" in the end
limit us in both (in Fame & Proffit I mean) & I make no
doubt of your being of the same opinion too, if you have
patience & perseverance to proceed on the same tract a
little longer. But how, or in what respect does this first
year's essay, give either you or me any ground for re-
pining, or such gloomy forebodings? If the first year of
a business, pays all expenses, & furnishes any profit at
all, I sho" not call it a bad one, but if beyond this, it
likewise gives a profit of 500l. or 1,000l. in Cash for
goods really sold & an increase of stock in manufactured
goods ready for Sale, of one to two thousand pounds
more, surely we ought to be more than barely content. I
think we have reason to rejoice, & are robbing ourselves
of what is more valuable than money, if we do not take
the satisfaction of a prosperous & very promising business
along with us, as a cordial to support us in every hour of
toil & fatigue wº our avocations necessarily require at
our hands—I must quit this subject till I have the
pleasure of seeing you here, which I hope will be soon.
Suppose you made Etruria in your way to Liverpool,
came this way back again & then by Derby to London.
You wo" by that route see your works here twice, &
travel very few miles round for it. Adieu my dear
friend, believe me most affectionately yours at all times,
J. Wedgwood.”
* Wedgwood to Bentley, September 3, 1770,
O 2
196 HARMONY RESTORED. * CHAP. IV
This manly and generous appeal to the good sense
and affection of his friend, touched Bentley at once to the
soul! What petty earthly shadows relative to sordid
gain, or quibbles weighed in the balance of the Schoolmen,
as to where utility ended or grace began, could for a
single moment affect deterioratively natures so consti-
tuted, so rich in truth, justice, and fidelity? No; he set
out as quickly as he could to Staffordshire, to answer
more powerfully by spoken words than by representing
signs this manly letter; and ere he started, with some-
thing like a consciousness that all these nobler impulses
of our being do not and cannot die, and that a gene-
ration would come to whom every fragment of truth,
relative to their respective lives, would be sought for as
keenly as the precious fruits of their art, he endorsed
upon it with his rapid pen these words: ‘Mr. B. rec" this
letter a few days before he set out to Etruria. The
difficulty was easily settled: & the Etruscan Tea Pots
made by y” Company at Etruria. The Company very
much wanted some such constant selling article.’
The question of the patent, which in some degree had
given rise to these doubts between the partners, soon
appeared under a far more formidable aspect—that in
connexion with the piracy it sought to prevent. Even
before this satisfactory arrangement with his partners was
completed, Mr. Wedgwood had accidentally learnt, through
a Mr. Wilbraham of Nantwich, a travelled gentleman of
fortune who paid a visit to Etruria, that cheap Etruscan
painted vases were in the market, which as far as possible
were copied from Sir William Hamilton's great work.
The bodies were made in Staffordshire, the painting
effected in town by a man in Wine Street whom Mr. Wedg-
CHAP. IV. PALMER OF HANLEY. 197
wood knew, and simultaneously with the vases appeared
Etruscan painted teapots and other articles. The pirates,
as in the previous case of the black bas-relief vases, were
Palmer of Hanley and his London partner Neale, whose
shop was in Shoe Lane, or rather it should be said,
Mrs. Palmer and Neale, for this bold, unscrupulous, clever
woman was the real head of her husband’s business, as
she hired or dismissed the apprentices and men, super-
intended their work, and without doubt brought femi-
nine tact and subtlety to bear upon all the preliminaries
necessary to piracy.
Upon Bentley's return to town, after this amicable
settlement of the partnership question, fresh evidence
came before him of this piratical industry. Mr. Wedg-
wood was written to, and he in turn consulted his so-
licitor. Acting upon Mr. Sparrow's advice, an injunction
was served, as soon as possible, upon Neale and Palmer;
and the business was put into the hands of a London
attorney experienced in patent cases. The opinion of
counsel was taken, and a trial seemed inevitable,
though Mr. Wedgwood saw clearly that the plea urged
by Palmer, that his vases were copied from the prints in
Sir William Hamilton's great work, and not from those
made by the patentee, would tell unfavourably upon a
jury. Thus matters stood in February, 1771. It was
necessary to obtain evidence, and Mr. Bentley was urged
to pay a visit to Lord Mansfield, and to seek the aid of
various powerful friends amongst the aristocracy. A hint
had already been dropped relative to a compromise with
Palmer, through the kind offices of Mr. Bent, the surgeon
of Newcastle; and in reference to this Mr. Wedgwood writes
* Wedgwood to Bentley, August 6, 1770.
198 A COMPROMISE PROPOSED. CHAP. IV.
to Bentley. “I think Mr. P−'s buys a share of the Pº
is the only ground for a compromise without a submission,
that could have been hit upon. They will never do us
much harm, & will be a support in any future tryal. I
rather feel myself inclined to this measure, but shall be
guided by your sentiments. Mr. Bent says he is very
certain that Mr. P. had not any of our Etruscan vases
to imitate before they had Mr. Hamilton's book, as
Mrs. P. had not the least idea w' they were & told him
she could not get any of ye vases. Another of our an-
tagonists' pleas is, that as Mr. Hamilton's book was com-
piled & sent hither for the benefit particularly of the
Potteries in England by his Majesty's envoy at Naples, it
would be very hard if one person from the lucky circum-
stance of first meet with this book, sho" therefore deprive
every other Potter in the Kingdom from reaping that
advantage by it which was intended by the public spirited
author. Such arguments as these may have their weight
with a jury.”
After a good deal of boasting, shuffling, and procras-
tination on the part of Palmer, whose wife would not
permit him to act till she had made the other partner,
Neale, easy on the subject, a compromise was effected;
either party sharing in the patent, and dividing its cost,
as well as the law charges between them. Mr. Wedg-
wood chose for his referee, at first Mr. Mills, a potter,
but finally, Captain Warburton, so called from some
yeomanry or militia exploits, but who, in reality, was one
of the best potters of the day, and, unlike the generality
of them, a man of learning, and a true gentleman. He
was of opinion, that whatever the Law might determine,
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, undated, but referable to the spring of 1771.
CHAP, IV. THE REFEREES. 199
supposing the case were brought to trial, the Country
would universally give the invention of Etruscan painting
to Mr. Wedgwood. “He told me at once, adds Mr.
Wedgwood, ‘the advantage our enamel painting has over
the common glassy enamel, & does not doubt but it will
come to be a valuable branch of business & a great ac-
quisition to the trade—wo" you have expected that he
sho" have instantly have told me, that the Glaze of enamel
was not in Nature.’
The referee chosen by Mr. Palmer was the Rev. Dr.
Middleton, curate of Hanley, a man remarkable in his
day. He was learned, eloquent, and widely known for
his probity, plain-speaking, and simplicity, and despising
riches and Ostentation, he was for ever reproving the
vanities of his congregation. He was also an excellent
chemist, well versed in all the technical details of the
potter's art, and some twenty years previously had been,
though publicly unacknowledged, in partnership with a
Shelton potter, named Warner Edwards, whose skill as to
the components and preparation of enamel colours we
have already referred to. Both referees seem to have
acted in an admirable manner, though the duty thus
confided to them was not only onerous but weari-
some, as it extended over several months. They were
evidently aware that the black body, apart from Mr.
Wedgwood's modifications and improvements, had long
been used by the majority of potters; and also that
designs taken from works avowedly published for the
improvement of art and artists in general, could not
with any show of justice be monopolised by one
manufacturer alone. It was another, and a far more
ethical question—the nicety of which was likely to escape
an ordinary jury—that Mr. Wedgwood's improvements
200 WEDGWOOD'S ORIGINALITY. CHAP, IV.
and modifications, by rendering the composition more
porcellaneous, constituted it, in fact, a new body, or
that the nature of his enamel colours, and his method of
burning them in, so as to form an integral part of the
unglazed body, formed in fact a new branch of decora-
tive art. The more obvious points were those on which
a jury would be sure to decide, and adversely, as the
referees judged, to Wedgwood's patent. They therefore
counselled adjustment rather than recourse to law.
Their method of proceeding is not indicated, but they
finally drew up an agreement, which Wedgwood and
Palmer were to sign upon receiving the assent of their
respective partners, Bentley and Neale; but it was with
difficulty even then that Palmer could be brought to act
in a straightforward manner. Eventually, the parties con-
cerned and their respective evidences repaired to London,
where, with the concurrence of Mr. Bentley, an agreement
was signed. Generally speaking, the manufacturers were
strongly in favour of Mr. Wedgwood's right in his patent;
for, as he wrote to Bentley, “they declare that they are
certain whatever the Law may determine the Country will
universally give the invention of Etruscan painting to me,
& I might have what number of Potters I pleas'd to
evidence that they never saw or heard of any such thing
before I made it.”
It was this entire originality of his invention, and the
fact, that even if Palmer, and others as unscrupulous,
could by aid of the specification prepare the encaustic
colours, they had yet neither the taste nor skill to render
them available to any high artistic purpose, which secured
Mr. Wedgwood's interests far more effectually than any
| Wedgwood to Bentley, without date, though endorsed ‘Etruria,
Sunday Morning.’
CHAP. IV. THE QUESTION OF PATENTS. 201
Patent laws. The result proved this—for though Palmer
was undoubtedly a very skilful potter, nothing of his
vases, or other piracies, are known at this day; whilst
from what we have already seen in one of Mr. Wedg-
wood's letters in relation to the black bas-relief vases,
they were, through the commonplace and hackneyed
character of the figures, and the sameness of their disposal,
rather a burlesque upon, than an imitation of antique art.
This is where originality may always safely rest upon
itself; it is, if true, inimitable. In that generation it was
not so keenly seen as at present, that Patent laws, as well
as restrictive laws of all kinds, are at best but concessions
to the imperfection of human nature, and to defective
education. We have simplified the former, and seek
still to improve them ; but the principle on which they
rest is vicious, and, the sooner they are swept from the
statute books, the better for all concerned, not only as to
facility of invention, but as a test of private morality and
the advance of true culture. It follows with the persist-
ence of a law, that originators should be beset by imitators,
just as in the natural world the finest organic forms are
most liable to parasitical growth; and we may therefore
assume, that every great inventive age will have its Horn-
blowers and its Palmers, men willing to profit by the ex-
uberant bounty of other men's natural gifts. But statute
laws will never effectually restrain evils of the kind. Tie
up the pirate's right hand, and he will rob you with his
left; as Watt found to his cost, and Wedgwood in his
contests with Palmer. It would seem, that when the
agreement entered into left the latter at liberty to make
Etruscan vases at will, their inferiority both of form and
design soon brought them to their true level in the
market, and stayed production far more effectually than
202 WEDGWOOD'S MAGNANIMITY. CHAP. IV.
legal restrictions could have done. Yet, still undeterred,
Palmer next pirated the seals and intaglios, and securing
the services of Woyez, made as large a harvest as he could.
He followed his great contemporary into the provincial
towns, Secured the patronage of rival tradesmen, and on
one occasion at Bath, as we shall see, contemplated the
hiring of rooms for the sale of his goods, Mr. Wedg-
wood having just opened show-rooms in Westgate Build-
ings. Ordinary men would have resented this unblushing
and greedy pursuit of gain at their cost with bitter acri-
mony; but not so Wedgwood. Magnanimity was one of
his conspicuous virtues, and even when still more deeply
wronged, as in the case of the pecuniary delinquencies of
young Mather, we shall see him tempering his just indig-
nation with leniency, and a tender forethought not to
bring hopeless ruin on the lad. In this case of Palmer,
though often much annoyed, he kept on speaking terms
with him, and was even intimate with his relations, Mrs.
Chatterley, and her brother Mr. Hollins. When the
latter was ill at Bath, he visited him, rendered him
various kindly services, and when the dying man went
slowly away to London, it was with an introduction to
some skilful physician, whom Mr. Wedgwood knew.
Palmer must not be taken as a type of the high class
potters of his day. Jacob Warburton, Elijah Mayer, then
just settling down in Hanley after his ten years' absence
in Holland, John Adams, Josiah Spode, and many others,
may be reckoned amongst the wise and honourable men,
who by their zealous spirit of improvement and keen
industry, did such noble service for the social progress of
their country. He was rather a pliant instrument in the
hands of an unscrupulous partner and a masculine minded
wife, to whom gain was of more account than principle.
CHAP. IV, BIRTII OF THOMAS WEDGWOOD, 2O3
When this unpleasant business was at length settled,
Mr. Wedgwood and Bentley took a few days' tour into
the south of England, probably on business connected
with supplies of clay and moor-stone; and when the
former had returned to Burslem, he wrote thus to his
friend, ‘I find Mr. Palmer like a true simpleton & some-
thing else, gives it out publicly that both you & I were
fully convinc'd that we had not the least chance of
trying the Patent—that our Council, our Lawyer, &
ourselves acknowledg'd it!—What the man can mean by
telling such barefaced lies, & which must now operate, if
they operate at all, as much to his injury as our own, I
cannot conceive, unless it be that a false pride or shame
has got the better of truth, interest, & every other prin-
ciple with him. It will be necessary to know what
qu% of Etruscan painted vases, &c. we have sold for a
given time past, in order to lay some state of the trade
Mr. Palmer is to pay for before the Referees, & the
sooner you send me that accº the better.’’
It was during this contest with Palmer on the question
of the patent, that Mr. Wedgwood received an accession
to his family in the birth of his fourth and last son, who
was born some time in April, 1771, and was named
Thomas after his paternal grandfather, uncle, and cousins.
He was the fifth Thomas Wedgwood in a direct line.
We hear no particulars of his birth or infancy; though
from the first he appears to have been a delicate child,
and derived probably from both his parents—who, prior to
his birth, had suffered greatly from impaired health—those
seeds of organic disease, which in an after day rendered
life an indescribably weary burden, and deprived the world
* Wedgwood to Bentley, date of postmark, July 10.
204 AN EARLY STUDENT, Chap. 1 W.
of the fruit of mental powers which, under happier cir.
cumstances, would have rendered the name of Wedgwood
as illustrious in philosophy as in art. When we first
catch a glimpse of him he was, as we shall see, a merry
little fellow, full of drollery and fun, and the life of the
household. There were no indications then, that, before
he was twenty, he would be poring into the deepest secrets
of nature, particularly those relative to space, light, and
heat; be the hardest of students, or, conjointly with his
father's chemist, Alexander Chisholm, be rendering the
laboratory at Etruria a place at which, for scientific reasons,
the savans of our own day would cast back their gaze, to
penetrate, if possible, into some of the early mysteries of
the photographic art effected there. But, from the first,
Dr. Darwin thought highly of the boy's mental powers;
and happily Josiah Wedgwood had passed away before
bodily disease had rendered all but useless this son's extra-
ordinary mental powers, or unnerved the assiduous hand
which had served him as devotedly in matters relative to
art, as in chemical experiments.
oval. CaMEo-MAYER collection.

CHAPTER THE FIFTH.
MR. WEDGWOOD'S SCIENTIFIC FRIENDS—JAMES KEIR—DR. SMALL–
JAMES WATT–DARWIN's KEEN SAGACITY-PROPOSES TO CUT A
NARROW CANAL AT HIS OWN EXPENSE—BOULTON AND FOTHERGILL’s
SCHEME FOR ORNAMENTING EARTHENWARE WITH METAL–THEIR
RIVALRY WITH THE POTTERS — WEDGWooD's ARTISTIC FRUITFUL-
NESS—SUGGESTIONS TO BENTLEY—SHALL GENEROSITY OR PRU-
DENCE WEIGH THE BALANCE P-BENTLEY'S DECISION.—ESSENTIAL
DIFFERENCE IN THE CHARACTER - AND GENIUS OF BOULTON AND
WEDGWOOD-WASES FOR BOULTON.—LIGHT-BEARING ORNAMENTS-
ATHENIAN STUART-SEIOW ROOMS IN THE ADELPHI PROPOSED–
THE STYLES OF ART TO BE DISPLAYED THERE—A VISIT TO CHRIST
CHURCH, OXFORD, AND TO SOHO—THE CHETWYND MONUMENT—
ITS FAILURE AS A WORK OF AFT-TEIE ADVANCE OF GOOD TASTE
PROWED BY THE GENERAL DISTASTE TO GILDING ON THE PEBBLE
VASES-WORKS IN HAND—FIGURES.–THE SOMNUS OR SLEEPING
BOY—AUTUMIN–THE INFANT HERCULES AND NEPTUNE–LITERA-
TURE MADE AN AID TO ART-CHITQUA, THE CHINESE MODELLER—
ROOMS IN BATH AND DUIBLIN–THE IRISH DEMAND FOR ORNAMENTAL
WARE — BURDETT THE PAINTER—WEDGWOOD'S CHILDREN — AN
ORGAN SENT TO ETRURIA—FURTHER COMPLETION OF THE WORKS
THERE — THE MODELLING ROOM — M.R. WEDGWOOD'S OFFICE —
BRINDLEY’s PortRAIT-BRINDLEY's ILLNESS AND DEATH-WEDG-
WooD AND DARWIN’s HIGH OPINION OF HIS GENIUS AND CHARACTER
—BRINDLEY'S DEATH-BED WISH AS TO HIS SUCCESSOR-THE LOCKS
AT RUNCORN –ANOTHER CONTEST WITH THE TRENT AND MERSEY
NAVIGATION COMMITTEE–A PLEASANT WOYAGE AND ITS FESTIVITIES.
CHAPTER W.
WEDGWOOD'S FRIENDS.
WF must again see Mr. Wedgwood amidst his scien-
tific and literary friends. In Nov. 1769, James
Keir, the translator of Macquer's Dictionary of Chemistry,
and subsequently the author of other treatises and works,
became known to him. “Dear Wedgewood,” wrote Dr.
Darwin, ‘I have the Pleasure to introduce to your
acquaintance Captain James Keir, an old Friend of mine,
a successful cultivator of both Arts and Arms. He begs
the Favour of seeing your elegant manufactory & hopes
to meet our common Friend, the Philosopher, Mr. White-
hurst at your House. The Civilities you shew Capt. Keir
will be received by Dear Sir your affec" humble Ser',
E. Darwin.” The hospitality thus sought was generously
awarded. Keir saw the manufactory, and was shown the
plan of the future Etruria Hall, which, as we have seen,
he greatly admired. Some date later Dr. Darwin wrote
again. “Capt. Keir is at present at Birmingham. He
desired I would say all the fine Things I could think of
to thank Mrs. Wedgwood for the Trouble He gave her;
of whom indeed he speaks very highly, & was much
entertain'd with your manufactory.’ ” From this date
* Darwin to Wedgwood, Novem- . * Darwin to Wedgwood, undated;
ber 8, 1767. but referable to a few days later.
208 KEIR, SMAlD, AND WATT, CHAP. V.
the acquaintance ripened, and both at the house of Dr.
Small at Birmingham, and at Soho, Mr. Wedgwood
occasionally met Keir, who in the opinion of Watt was
“a mighty chemist and a very agreeable man.’ The
experimental track Wedgwood was at this time and sub-
sequently engaged upon must have made his occasional
intercourse with Keir singularly interesting, as it was
from Macquer's dictionary in its French form that he had
derived, through Bentley's translation of the necessary
passages, some portion of his knowledge relative to the
spaith fusible, or terra ponderosa. Ever since the publi-
cation of Reaumur's analyses by the French Academy of
Science in 1727 and 1729, the potters and chemists of
France and Germany had been incessant in their
endeavours to discover native materials for the fabrication
of a true porcelain, and none of their services had been
more eminent than in thus directing attention to the
earthy carbonates.
Dr. Small, a native of Scotland, had emigrated to
America, and, after passing some years there, failing
health necessitated his return, and he came to England in
1765. In America he had known Franklin, and when
resolving to settle in Birmingham to practise his pro-
fession, Franklin, who was then in London, gave him a
letter of introduction to Matthew Boulton. The result
was worthy of the introducer; for the new physician,
whose merit in every way was eminent, soon drew around
him a large circle of admiring friends, amongst whom, in
addition to Boulton, were Keir, Darwin, Wedgwood,
Garbett and others, Just prior to the date Keir had been
thus made known to Wedgwood through Darwin's in-
troduction, another illustrious man visited Birmingham
for the first time. This was James Watt—who had been
CHAP. V. WATT VISITS SOHO. 209
passing some months in London, on business relative to a
canal for uniting the rivers Forth and Clyde. Business
with Mr. Garbett, Dr. Roebuck's former partner was
doubtless the Ostensible purpose which led him to the
chief town of the Midland Counties; but it is not impro-
bable that beneath lay some latent motives in relation to
the scientific ends he had in view. Once within this
magic circle of philosophic culture, and industrial energy,
friend begot friend, and Small and Watt were drawn
together by instinctive sympathy. Watt had a retiring
gentle nature, his scientific difficulties were numerous,
and hope to a temperament like his, shone at most times
darkly in the future; whilst Small was a man of delicate
sympathy, keen perceptions, and suggestive energy. He
was also deeply versed in science, and thus saw intuitively
that Watt's recent great discovery of the separate con-
denser had solved an essential problem ; and that hence-
forth the difficulties connected with the use of steam, as
a motive power, were mechanical rather than scientific.
The natures of such men were sure to coalesce; for
sympathy even more than interest, is a governing power
in the moral world.
Boulton was at this time from home, but Dr. Small, in
conjunction with Mr. Fothergill, took Watt over the great
manufactory at Soho. Though he may have conceived
it, the latter had never yet seen labour under so masterly
an organization, machinery so fitting to the ends sought,
or metallic productions of so exquisite a character; and
the wish was his, if expressed to no other person than to
Small, that he could work out all his scientific concep-
tions relative to his engine in an atmosphere so congenial,
and where perfection of constructive detail could be
ensured. From Birmingham Watt proceeded to Lichfield,
WOL. II. P
210 THE STEAM ENGINE. CHAP. V.
where he made the acquaintance of Dr. Darwin, and to
whom he seems to have imparted the plan of his improve-
ments in the steam-engine, under a promise of secrecy.
Watt does not appear to have met with Wedgwood on
this occasion; but Darwin, without breaking trust, made
the latter well-acquainted, by description, with his new
friend—and the probabilities ensured of the steam-engine
being eventually brought into use as an easily managed
motive power; thus superseding water or less govern-
able agencies. In the August of the following year,
1768, Watt again visited Soho, where he stayed a
fortnight. The philosophical friends Keir, Small,
Darwin and some others met on this occasion, but
Mr. Wedgwood must have been again absent, for he
had not as yet sufficiently recovered from the ampu-
tation of his leg to travel far from home. It may have
been two or three years later—that Watt and Wedg-
wood first met—but the acquaintanceship thus begun,
only ended with the life of the latter. Meanwhile the
Tichfield doctor strengthened in his belief, that steam
was the motive agent best suited to the necessities of his
friend's manufactory—said less and less of the model
windmill—whilst often dropping hints that Watt's great
work was not at a standstill, ‘Mr. Watt's Fire-Engine I
believe goes on, but I don't know at what rate’’ ‘Your
Windmill sleeps at my house, but shall be sent you, if
you wish it, but I should advise you to wait the Wheel-
Fire-Engine, which goes on slowly.” . -
During 1770–1771, Darwin frequently consulted Wedg-
wood On other mechanical and engineering topics. The
Company concerned in the Wichnor Iron-works, were
| Darwin to Wedgwood, December 9, 1770.
* Ibid. ()ctober 1771,
CHAP. V. DARWIN’S PROJECTS. , 21]
advised by Brindley to set up a mill for grinding flints,
but apparently both Wedgwood's and Darwin's opinion
ran Counter to the scheme, for they considered, that as
soon as the whole of the Grand Trunk Canal was com-
pleted, that the Potteries would be supplied with flints
from Liverpool, Bristol, and Hull. In the succeeding
year 1771, a still more important matter occupied the
doctor's thoughts, and Wedgwood was his recipient
and adviser in all its details. The design of making
a navigable canal from the Grand Trunk at Fradley-
Heath to the city of Lichfield had been laid aside,
for the estimated expense was far greater than any
anticipated profits. Yet some means of easy convey-
ance for coals, lime, and other heavy goods was the
need of the town, and Darwin proposed to make a small
canal at his own cost. A considerable correspondence
followed on this subject, and Wedgwood as locally
patriotic as his friend, seems to have bestirred himself
in propitiating Brindley and John Gilbert towards the
scheme. It appears however to have dropped to the
ground, and ultimately a canal on a larger scale, con-
nected Lichfield with the great artificial water-ways of the
kingdom. * . . . .
We have already seen that in the spring of 1769,
Wedgwood during a visit to Soho had settled many im-
portant matters with Matthew Boulton, laid the foundation
for improving their respective manufactures, and for
extending the sales of goods produced, whether these
were of pottery, metal, or both combined, to every corner
of Europe. In one branch thus newly proposed, that of
finishing ornamental articles in pottery with works of
metal, and occasionally printing upon them with purple,
gold and other colours, they beheld a wide field opening
P 2
212 ARTISTIC COMBINATION. CHAP. V.
before them. But Wedgwood, true to his instincts as
an artist, and strong undoubtedly in the faith that there
were harmonies and capacities in the materials with which
he dealt, for effects not only of the highest and most
ideal kind, but sufficient to stand alone, went leisurely on
his way, as appears quite clear in this combination
affair, whilst Boulton and Fothergill took it up at once
with characteristic energy. A Triton, a figure, or a cande-
labrum, went at first occasionally from Etruria to Soho,
for its metal ornaments; but the demand upon Etruria
for unornamented vases soon became very large, and soon
far greater than could be possibly supplied. It was at
this date Boulton and Fothergill took M. Spermont of
the Chelsea works for a time into their employ, and
contemplated the manufacture of vases for themselves.
“I told you,' wrote Wedgwood to Bentley, ‘Mr. Cox
came here yesterday. We have had very little time
together yet, as Saturday is the busiest of my busy days,
however he told me he call’d at Mess" Boulton's &
Fothergill's to look at their Manufacture. They shew’d
him how to make buttons, & watch chains, but wo" not
permitt him to see their vase work, & only shew’d him
a few pairs of finish’d ones—I find they are affronted at
my not complying with their orders for the vases to be
mounted, & likewise for a pair for each sort, colour, &c.
which Mr. Boulton desir'd I wo" send him as I got them
up. This they mention'd to Mr. Cox, & told him that
though I had refused them they had been offer'd the
vases for mount” by several Potters, but were now
determin'd to make the black Vases (Earthenware
vases they took care to tell him) themselves, & were
building works for that purpose If this be true, I expect
every day to hear of their offering some of our principal
CHAP. V. RIVALRY, 213
hands two or three hundreds a year to manage the
works for them. Mr. Cox thinks farther from what he
heard them say, & the hints they gave, that they are to
be concerned with Cox of Shoe Lane, they talked to him in
the stile and manner of Rivals to us, big in their own
conceits, with some mighty blow their uplifted hands
were prepared to let fall upon us. So stand firm my
friend & let us support this threatened attack like veterans
prepar'd for every shock, or change of fortune that can
befall us. If we must fall, if Etruria cannot stand its
ground, but must give way to Soho, & fall before
her, let us not sell the victorie too cheap, but main-
tain our ground like men, & endeavour even in our
defeat to share the Laurels with our Conquerors. It
doubles my courage to have the first manufacturer in
England to incounter with. The match likes me well—
I like the man—I like his spirit—He will not be a mere
driveling copyist like the antagonists I have hitherto had,
but will venture to step out of the lines upon occasion, &
afford us some diversion in the combat. A room is taken
in Pell Mell, & there they are to exhibit this winter.
If everything we do & produce must first be criticis'd
upon so severely by the nobles, & instantly copied by the
artists, our rivals—Should we not proceed with some
prudent caution, & reserve, & not shew either one, or
the other too much at once, to glut the curiosity & spoil
the choice of the former, or give the latter so large a field
to fight us in. I wo" propose then for the winter sale of
vases four species only, viz. Blue Pebble, Variegated
Pebble, Black Etruscan, 6 Etruscan Encaustic. These
with the variations of sizes, forms and ornaments, Gilding,
veining, Bassreliefs &c. &c., will produce business enough
for all the hands we can possibly get together, & I think
214 e PRECAUTIONS. CHAP. V.
variety enough for all our reasonable customers, You
shall have plain vases enough, & it is needless for me to
say you cannot get too many painted. Mr. Crofts you
say must begin at home. If he does get a few done
there, pray do not shew them at all in the saleroom,
nor shew them to any but those you perfectly know,
for depend upon it, if you do not take this precau-
tion, they will be here in a week after they are shewn
in the rooms. I think you sho" make a point of shew-
ing and selling these yourself only, lock them up, do
not let Parker see them, remember Voyez is in Town.
& the warehousemen sho" not have it in their power to
shew a pair of these Wases for sale. They may, without
offence tell any customer, that you take that branch of
business upon yourself. They will think them the more
precious. You can tell them the history of the piece.
and all about it, & let them know that we do not
make good things by chance, or at random. It will
baulk the spies for some time at least, who are daily
haunting the rooms, & answer many other valuable
purposes. I shall be glad to have your thoughts upon
this subject, you’l easily observe the foundation of my
arguments is money geting. Take that away and they
all drop to the ground. Instead of this, if you sub-
stitute fame (and my bosom begins, and always does
glow with a generous warmth at the idea), I say, if
instead of money geting, you substitute Fame & the
good of the manufacture at large for our principle of
action, then we sho" do just the contrary of what I
have been recommending. Make all the Good, Fine &
New things we can immediately, & so far from being
afraid of other People geting our patterns, we should
Glory in it, throw out all the hints we can, & if possible
CHAP. V. A QUESTION. 215.
have all the Artists in Europe working after our models.
This wo" be noble, & would suit both our dispositions
& sentiments much better than all the narrow mercenary
selfish trammels. How do you feel yourself my friend,
have you forgot how our hearts burned within us,
when we convers'd upon this subject in our way from
Liverpool to Prescot? We were then perswaded that
this open generous plan would not only be most con-
genial to our hearts, & best feelings, but in all proba-
bility might best answer our wishes in pecuniary ad-
vantages, & for the time I well remember we agreed
to pursue it. Do you think when our principles were
known, the Nobility would not still more make it a
point to patronize and encourage Men who acted upon
such different principles to the rest of mankind P the
tradeing & mercantile part of them at least. When they
are witness to our bestowing so much pains and expence
in the improvement of a capital Manufacture, nay in
creating a new one, & that not for our particular emolu-
ment only, but that we generously lay our works open
to be imitated by other Artists and manufacturers for the
good of the community at large. This wo" certainly
procure us the goodwill of our best customers, and place
us in a very advantageous light to the Public eye. We
should no doubt be esteemed as antique, & as great
curiositys as any of the vases we fabricate, and perhaps
upon the whole, this scheme might bring us as much
proffit as loss—with respect to myself, there is nothing
relating to business I so much wish for as being released
from these degrading slavish chains, these mean selfish
fears of other people copying my works—how many new
and good things has, and still does this principle prevent
my bringing to light. Dare you step forth my dear
216 DECIDED NOBLY. CHAP. V.
frº & associate & share the risque & honour of acting on
these enlarged principles, or do you think it safer, more
prudent and advisable to follow the plan laid down in
my first sheet. One of them we must adopt & to be
consistent, abide by.''
Bentley true to his own nature and that of his friend
counselled it would seem, as fearless and as generous a
revelation of what their genius and art had effected or
were likely to effect as was consistent with ordinary
prudence. ‘We have now I think” replied Wedgwood to
the letter which gave this, counsel “nearly fixed the plan
of proceedings for this Winter, & with respect to Rival-
ship, We will cast all dread of that behind our backs,
treat it as a base & vanquished enemy, and not bestow
another serious thought upon it.’” This was worthy of
the chiefs of Etruria; and without doubt was shared in by
Matthew Boulton although as we shall see, he occa-
sionally gave an exaggerated colouring to facts, when
such related to the vastness of his manufacturing re-
sources, or to the glory of Soho. Here was an essential
difference in the temperament and character of the men;
and it obviously affected the products of their respective
arts. In the ornamental wares of Soho, there was more
show, daring innovation in form, and startling contrast of
colouring. On the contrary Wedgwood's artistic aim
throughout was subordination, and if we may so express
it, subjugation of effect to effect. The same principle
ruled him morally. Occasionally he mounts his hobby,
and we have outbursts of enthusiasm as to the possi-
bilities and glories of his art; but in a stricter sense, we
never find exaggeration, or an overstepping of the bounds
* Wedgwood to Bentley, September 27, 1769.
* Ibid. October 1, 1769.
CHAP. V. A GENEROUS RIVALRY. 217
of modesty and truth. Etruria is never lauded, and if
great work is done, it is always with this proviso, that
greater lies behind. Thus the rivalry between Wedgwood
and Boulton, stimulated only to noble ends. If Fother-
gill and Cox, threatened, and hinted, and vaunted like
foolish partizans, the friendship of their great masters
remained uninterrupted ; for like heroes and soldiers,
if one advanced a step in the mighty industrial march,
the other saw the vantage and followed quickly. The
arts in such hands were sure to flourish. Referring to
some vases in bad taste, though copied from a book
called “Stella, and which he had presented to Mrs.
Boulton, Wedgwood writes to Bentley ‘We are every
day suffering more disgrace at Mr. Bolton's from some
of my first vases (compar'd, as they must be by all
his company) with those of Soho I could not bear this
situation, & the odious comparisons they must give rise
to, and the only plausible way of moving them, was to
offer to replace them, which I did with Etruscan painted
ones. I wish you wo" send 4 from London & the
sooner the better, for we are suffering daily from the
present, which I make no doubt you will feel as strongly
as myself.”
Boulton's wide spread commercial relations with
foreign countries was, as we have seen, of great ad-
vantage to Wedgwood; and at this date, June 1770,
Mr. Baumgartner a German merchant with whom the
former had had previous relations took means to intro-
duce the metallic ornamented vases of Soho, and the
Etruscan painted vases of Etruria into Italy. To show
the liberal spirit which animated these men in a mer-
| Wedgwood to Bentley, January 1770.
218 LIGHT BEARING ORNAMENTS. CHAP. V.
cantile point of view, they both unknown to each
other supplied Mr. Baumgartner on the terms that he
should have the liberty of returning within a limited
time such vases as would not sell." The friends were also
aiding each other in their respective arts. Boulton was
making branches for fluted vases and taps for earthen-
ware cisterns; and Mr. Wedgwood on his way with his
father-in-law to London to see the minor Russian services
went by Soho, to carry Boulton a Triton and some
vases.” The Triton was for a light bearing figure, and
from this date and long subsequently this class of orna-
ments contributed to a considerable trade between
Etruria and Soho. They were of every form and cha-
ea =, racter. Tritons, sea-nymphs,
Uſjº naiads, bacchantes, chimaerae,
*Nº ºf draped figures male and female,
aſſ temples, rocky plinths, and cor-
nucopias variously supported.
Boot as we have seen was the
earliest modeller of Tritons. Mrs.
Landre occasionally modelled a
naiad or a sea nymph, but when
the candelabra were to be on a
large or magnificent scale, the
ſº sº- % 's | | genius of Bacon was appealed
( Q sº * > * à 's to.” Although not probably co-
\ * … ." ſº }| *
*—=~ # ºf
* pied from one of the finest ex-
(Fig. 41.) TRITON CANDLESTICK.
OLD ORDER BOOK. amples, the accompanying illus-
tration (fig. 41.) drawn from an
old order book will give an idea of the character of this
class of figures. It is meant to represent Neptune or his
1 WT d to Bentley, May 12 2 Ibid. July 1770. j-y
lſº edgwood to iley, May 12, 3 Mems. June 6, 1770.

Chap. V. TRITON'S AND CHIMAERAE. 219
attendant Triton, though certainly a cornucopia seems
out of place in the arms of a water-god. A shell would
have been more in artistic keeping, if we may presume
at all, that a deity just emerged from the ocean, a shell
newly taken from the sea-shore or the sea-cave, or indeed
any object connected with an element the antithesis of
light and heat, could be in the truest sense a fitting
support for the appliance of
light in any of its forms.
Here was an artistic error
impossible in an age of high
culture; and one into which
Wedgwood occasionally fell
in spite of his exquisite taste,
his sound judgment, and his
strong objective faculty for
relating an effect to its true
cause. The chimaera as also
given (fig. 42.) is in far better
taste because it belongs to an
imaginative region of art, in (Fig. 42.) CHIMAERA.-MARRYAT
which the fancy plays with COLLECTION--
truth without mimicking her too closely."
From an early date in his artistic career Wedgwood
had been acquainted with James Stuart the author of the
Antiquities of Athens. We have seen him lending
Wedgwood many choice works of art, and at a later day,
had Palmer's infringement of Wedgwood's patent been
brought to trial, his opinion was to be appealed to. Stuart
in fact knew everybody. He had made a great literary
* Some of the light bearing orna- a tripod and a pair of fluted candle-
ments in Mr. Mayer's collection are sticks in black basaltes.
of surpassing beauty. Particularly

220 ATHENIAN STUART. Chap. V.
reputation by his first volume of the Antiquities of Athens
which appeared in 1762, but since then he had slum-
bered over this great work, and devoted his time and
eminent abilities, to designs for public and private build-
ings in the Grecian style. A false taste; when we re-
(Fig. 43.) JAMES STU-I-T-MAYER COLLECTION.
collect that porticoes and open colonnades are but little
suited to our humid and northern climate, or that our
forefathers had raised ecclesiastical, and in some instances
domestic edifices which to this hour are unparalleled for
harmonious beauty, or for the alliance of purpose and
effect. Wedgwood rarely visited London without seeing
“Athenian Stuart’ as he was called. This was parti-
cularly the case through the years 1770–1771 whilst the

CHAP. V. VISIT TO OXFORD. 221
brothers Adams were covering a large space on the
south side of the Strand, with various buildings, of which
the Adelphi formed one range, after designs furnished by
Stuart. .
The enormous and rapid increase of their trade in
ornamental wares, had soon shown Wedgwood and his
partner that the rooms in Newport Street were unfitted
from size and want of sufficient light for either the re-
ception of a large crowd of visitors, or to the display of
goods of a decorative character. It therefore seems that
when Stuart, or the Adamses opened the question of
adapting a building or erecting one in the Adelphi, which
should fully meet Wedgwood and Bentley's requirements,
the idea was entertained. We first hear of this in
December 1770, when Stuart, who had many aristocratic
friends and patrons in Staffordshire—Mr. Anson of Shug-
borough, and Mr. Sneyd in particular—took part of the
chaise, in which Mr. Wedgwood made his return journey
from a business visit to town. Of this journey we have
a charming glimpse: ‘I need not tell you that I had a
most agreeable journey home. We breakfasted at Oxford
on Friday (to gain which we rode 20 miles in the Dark
on Thursday evening) and had an high feast in looking
over the Collection of Paintings, & drawings at Christ
Church. I mean a few of them, for there are an immense
number of drawings; enough to take up a summer's
week to run them over. This we have leave to do, and
to off-trace any of them. I saw but few vases that I had
not seen before, but suppose there are many more, & some
I saw were new and very good. The next morning we
breakfasted at Woodstock. Tooked over the fine paint-
ings at Blenheim ; with which, accompanied with my
companion's learned remarks, I was equally delighted
222 ROOMS IN THE ADELPHI. CHAP. V.
& edifyed. We lay at Warwick that evening, tho' it was
late before we got there, & on Sunday we dined at Soho.
Mr.Boulton has promis'd to make us some branches, such
as I have fixed upon, & amongst other things show'd me
some bodys & necks, made of Porcelaine, colour'd green,
to be mounted in Or moleau for Tea kitchens, but he
wish’d we wo" make him some of them in Etruscan
painted ware, which I promis'd to do, one of which
Mr. Stewart has bespoke for Mrs. Montague, instead of a
plated one he was to order for her. They have 35
Chacers at work, and will have a superb show of vases
for the spring, but believe he has not yet determin'd upon
the mode of sale. He (Mr. Boulton) has spoke to Mr.
Adams for rooms at Adelphi, & professes a good deal
of pleasure that we were likely to be such near neigh-
bours, but Mr. Stewart has put us both off till he shews
us a ground plan of the houses he mention'd, which is to
be in a few days. They are in the front of Adelphi,
betwixt & the Strand, the very houses Mr. Adams's want
to purchase to complete their plan. I was sorry to hear
this, as it may have disagreeable consequences betwixt
Mr. Stewart or Mr. Adams and us; but this must be left
to time & circumstances. Mr. Stewart & I debated the
matter at full length, whether it wo" or wo" not be best
for both partys that Boulton & Fothergill & Wedgwood
& Bentley sho" have their show rooms near to each other,
or if this alliance sho" throw an advantage into either
scale which wo" have it. We agreed that those customers
who were more fond of show & glitter than fine forms,
& the appearance of antiquity, wo" buy Soho vases, and
that all who could feel the effects of a fine outline & had
any veneration for Antiquity wo" be with us. I forgot to
tell you that Mr. Boulton was making an immense large
CHAP. V. A MEETING OF FFIENDS. 223
Tripod for Mr. Anson to finish the top of Demosthenes
Lanthorn, building there from Mr. Stewart's design. The
Legs were cast, & weighed about 5 C° w”, but the work-
men, stagger'd at the bowl, & did not know which way
to set about it; a Council of the workmen was call’d, &
every method of performing this wonderfull work can-
vassed over. They concluded by shaking their heads, &
ended where they begun. I then could hold no longer,
but told them very gravely they were all wrong, they had
totally mistaken their Talents and their metals; such
great works should not be attempted in Copper or in
Brass. They must call in some able Potter to their
assistance, and the work might be completed. Would
you think it? they took me at my word, & I have got
a fine jobb upon my hands in consequence of a little
harmless boasting. Mr. Stewart said he knew Mr. Anson .
wo" glory in having the Arts of Soho and Etruria united
in his Tripod, & that it wo" be a feather in our Caps
which that good gentleman would delight in taking every
opportunity to shew to our advantage. So this matter
stands at present, but Mr. Boulton, Dr. Darwin, and I
are to dine with Mr. Anson on New-Year's Day & shall
talk the matter over again.’” - -
This hospitable meeting took place, and over good
Christmas cheer, it was arranged that Soho should pro-
vide the models of the tripod, and a fluted vase to stand
upon it, and Mr. Wedgwood superintend their copies in
the black basaltes body. A little later in the month,
Dr. Darwin was made the medium of another invita-
tion to Shugborough of Wedgwood, Boulton, Keir,
‘and Bentley, if he is in the country; ” but Mr.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Decem- . . . * Darwin to Wedgwood, January
ber 24 to 26, 1770. 15, 1771.
224 LORD CHETWYND. CHAP. V.
Wedgwood was unable to attend. He had met with a
slight hurt which rendered him unable to move his arti-
ficial leg. “But I am now got well, and go abroad again,’
he wrote to Stuart, ‘ though I am not fond of doing
so in frosty weather, being not so expert a footman as
I have been, & a slip or accident to my better Leg,
might lay me up for good & all, but I hope we shall have
some open weather soon, & intend myself the pleasure of
waiting upon you the first opportunity.’ Mr. Wedgwood
met Stuart subsequently in London, and much business
followed, though the details are lost to us."
One point referred to a monument to Lord Viscount
Chetwynd, the father of Deborah Chetwynd, Mr. Wedg-
wood’s “good patroness.’ His lordship, who had only
succeeded to the family honours in 1767, died April 3,
1770, at an advanced age; and his daughter, who seems
to have been tenderly attached to him, wished naturally
to hand down some memorial of him to future genera-
tions. To none could she more fittingly apply than to
Athenian Stuart, whom she was constantly meeting in
society, or to the great potter whom she had helped to
render famous, and who was at once her friend and
country neighbour. He had also known Lord Chetwynd
intimately, and more than once speaks of having met his
lordship riding with his daughters into Newcastle; the
same gay, handsome, courtly, pleasant gentleman he had
ever been, though time had naturally bowed his stately
figure, and silvered locks once so celebrated for their
raven blackness, and for winning female eyes and hearts
in the somewhat lax courts of George I. and George II.
Lord Chetwynd was buried in the family vault at
* Draft of a letter, Wedgwood to Stuart, January 29, 1771.
Chap. V. THE CHETWYND MONUMENT. 225
Ashley, a small rural village near Market Drayton, in
Shropshire, and hither Mr. Wedgwood journeys in March,
1772, to measure the walls for the intended monument.
In July he commissions Bentley to present his compli-
ments to Mr. Stuart, and to learn as soon as may be, ‘the
S
- |
º
------------------------ wº-s---------- - - ----------
º' ' ' ' 'º'
|
|
ſº
|
º
TO THE MEMORY OF
| will IAM LORD Wiscount CHETwynd 1
wne preo apºt 3's A.D. 1770
Aged 87 Years
.
|
| | |
-
(Fig. 44.) Moxu-Ex-To Loan cº-º-º-ºwn.
size of the vase for the monument, the height and
diameter.” Later in the autumn both vase and monu-
ment are erected, leave being obtained from the Rev.
Mr. Mould, the rector of the church, whose residence
is in Leicestershire.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 13, 1772.
VOL. II. Q










226 DIANA CHETWYND'S LETTER. CHAP. V.
Looking at what had been achieved by our race cen-
turies before in the province of monumental sculpture,
and in materials often the simplest and coarsest of their
kind, the Chetwynd monument, though far from pre-
tentious, does justice neither to Athenian Stuart nor to
Wedgwood. Beneath the church wall to which it is
fixed, is even at this day a rood-screen of great beauty;
and Wedgwood, if left to the promptings of his own taste,
to his native English insular genius, would have doubtless
effected something in good keeping with what was around ;
but overruled by the classical leanings of his friend, who
must drag in his Grecian orders and similitudes, let the
accompaniments be ever so heterogeneous, the result is
entire failure. The monument, though composed of
white and yellow marble veined, is bald without even
the grace which accompanies simplicity; and the vase
which crowns it, though proportionally well-formed, may
assuredly be pronounced the ugliest which ever issued
from the ornamental works at Etruria. This was pro-
bably the feeling of the ‘good patroness, though the
fashion of the day was all in favour of the so-called
‘classic.” A term, however, which many of its patrons
would have had some diſficulty in defining; for, on
January 19 in the succeeding year, 1773, she wrote
briefly as follows to Wedgwood, ‘Sir, I beg the Favour
of you to let me know the Estimate of the small Monu-
ment bespoke in memory of my late Father. When I
see you I shall mention some things that I am sure you
will not be pleased with in relation to it, but let it rest
1 Communication from the Rev. or border, is the well known line
Dr. Harding, the rector of the parish. from Shakespeare, ‘He was a man,
On the monument is a lengthy in- take him for all in all, we shall not
scription. Round this, on the fillet see his like again.”
2
2
7
char. V. HER CHARACTER.
till we meet. I hope Mrs. Wedgwood has her health
better since her Return from Bath. Thank God, mine is
much mended. I am, - -

Vºnz// - yº/ .4.”
%/773. .9. *
AITOGRAPH ſhF DIANA CHETWYND.
,
On the back of this letter Mr. Wedgwood adds, “By the
above My Dear Friend will see that something has hap-
pen'd respecting the monument to displease my Good
Patroness, at which I am very much concern'd, but have
not the least idea what it is, & as she says “let it rest till
we meet,” I believe you must not mention it to her,
unless she tells it to you first.’"
Whatever it was that had displeased the gracious lady,
whether it related to the cost, taste, or general manage-
ment of the monument, it was soon explained away, for
her good offices were as unceasing to Wedgwood and
Bentley as heretofore. She was probably poor; none of
the servants of the thrifty Queen were adequately paid
for onerous services, and the estimate may have ex-
ceeded her means ; but she shines throughout, a fine
specimen of an aristocratic gentlewoman. Highly bred,
dignified, courteous, easily accessible, singularly well
educated for a period when the daughters of duchesses
wrote ill, and spelt worse than kitchenmaids at the
present day, she acted for Royalty in all business
matters with great tact and judgment. Doubtless she
possessed many of the most beautiful masterpieces of
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 23, 1773.
Q 2
228 THE ADELPHI. CHAP. V.
Wedgwood's art, and we know that she remained his
friend till her death in 1782.
The negociations with respect to a warehouse and
show-rooms in the Adelphi were carried on throughout
1771, and a large part of 1772. At first the plans did not
satisfy the partners, the estimate of expense was heavy,
and when at length some of these objections were removed,
and a settlement seemed in prospect, the houses were sold
and there the matter ended. But in the interval Boulton
had hired rooms temporarily in the Adelphi and opened
a show of goods manufactured at Soho. Cox, the dealer
in China, followed his example, as did also the proprietors
of the porcelain works at Derby and Worcester, and thus,
in the spring of 1772, the area of the Adelphi—covered
as it yet was with building materials, and houses in
various stages of progress—became for a time the
fashionable resort of the day. Referring to the effect
of these sales Mr. Wedgwood wrote, “Under the humble
idea that the dazzling profusion of these respective shows
will need relief I have some hopes for our black
Etruscan and Grecian vases still, & as I expect the
golden surfeit will rage with you higher than ever this
spring, I shall almost tremble even for a gold listel
amongst your Vases, & would advise you by all means
to provide a Curtain for your Pebble ware shelves,
which you may open or shut, inlarge or diminish the
shew of gilding as you find your customers affected.
In earnest I believe a Curtain before the shelves of
Pebble Vases would be very proper on several accounts.
It would moderate the shew at the first entrance—hide
the gilding from those who think it a defect, & prevent
the Gold from tarnishing.’” Wedgwood at this date was
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 11, 1772.
CHAP. V. WOIRKS FOR PATRONS. 229
somewhat sensitive on the question of show and glitter,
for Sir William Hamilton had used the term ‘offensive
gilding’ in one of his letters, and remarked upon its utter
unlikeness, as a decorative effect, to that subdued harmony
of colour which was one of the strong objective truths of
antique art."
The years 1770–1772 abounded in artistic labours of
great beauty and importance. Royalty gave abundant
orders. A new enamelled dinner service was made for
the King; of this the borders were edged with purple
husks, and the surfaces strewn with exquisite floral sprigs.
It was on show to the public for a month. The Princess
Dowager of Wales commissioned a dessert service, and
ware of different kinds was sent to Berlin for the King of
Prussia. Rockingham vases, thirty-one inches high, were
made for various patrons ; and the good Lord Bess-
borough, besides soliciting his Irish friends to patronise
Wedgwood, lent him porphyry vases of great beauty to
model from. Large vases were in hand for Lord March,
and in May, 1770, modellers were at work at the Duke of
Pichmond's town-house, taking impressions of the handles
of vases, as also the handles and spouts of teapots of
Oriental porcelain. In this year we find that Greek and
Toman heads are modelled from coins and medals, and
Dacier's work supplies those of the kings of England.
At this date also the Etruscan painted vases were dis-
patched to Italy through the agency of M. Baumgarten, a
German merchant; and Lord Shelburne, who visited
Etruria at the close of the year, bought three Etruscan
vases as a present for the English envoy at Lisbon ;
| Sir W. Hamilton's criticism on tawdry effect of the gilding in con:
the gilding of the pebble vases was junction with the veined and marbled
in good taste. No one can see these bodies.
vases without being struck with the
230 THE SOMINU.S. CHAP. V.
having already strongly recommended that gentleman to
introduce Wedgwood's and Bentley's ornamental ware at
court and amongst the Portuguese nobility, many of whom
were already possessors of beautiful articles in cream
colour. -
Amongst the small bas-reliefs we find the marriage of
Cupid and Psyche, and Mr. Wedgwood was again busy
with his improvements of the white biscuit body. Writing
to Bentley, in June 1770, he says, “The Duke of Marl-
borough's Gems will be fine subjects for us, I shall be
very glad to see them.' .
Coward was at this date engaged upon one of the
finest and largest models ever executed for Wedgwood
and Bentley. It underwent several improvements, and
was seemingly perfected in 1772. It was derived from
an antique source," and its reduced copy, from the De la
Rue collection, will give the reader some idea of the
size and importance of many of the works in the black
basaltes body. The original is 15 inches long, 9% inches
high, and the repose of the figure, and the perfection of
the modelling, render it equal to the finest sculpture.
The beholder can scarcely realise that it is formed of clay,
or has passed through the purgatory of the furnace.
Other work of the kind was in hand. ‘We have made a
Boy (Autumn) from the mould Hoskins sent us,’ writes
Mr. Wedgwood to Bentley, “but cannot find any pedestal
or ground for it to lye upon, & that sent for the infant
Hercules we cannot make it fit. The making of these
figures out of such moulds as those sent us is an endless
* The original was at that date in 264; and in Maffei, Statue Antiche,
the collection of the Grand Duke at plate 151. This last engraving is
Florence. References to it are to admirable.
be found in Spence's Polymetis, p.


CHAP. V. AIRTISTIC SOURCES. 231
work, for they are all to be model'd over again, & our
Statuaries are not qualified for such a task.' '
As already observed, Wedgwood and Bentley made
literature alike an important source of designs, and their
own artistic culture. Lord Cathcart gave Mr. Wedgwood
the first volume of Hamilton's ‘Etruscan Antiquities;
and the partners paid Cadeil six guineas for the second
and third volumes.” When floral designs of more than
ordinary beauty were required, they employed an artist
named Chivers ; as also resorted to Marianne's noble
work on floral decoration, and to that of an English
artist named Ranby. Spilsbury, also an artist, and Shaw,
a first-class gilder, were amongst the decorative hands of
this period.
In the spring or summer of 1770 we first hear of Mr.
Wedgwood sitting for his likeness. This was to an in-
genious Chinese modeller, who had arrived in this country
the previous autumn, and becoming a sort of fashion,
received a large share of the capricious patronage of the
time. Interested as he was in China and many of its
productions, it seems not improbable that Wedgwood,
accompanied by Bentley, first sought the artist as much
to learn something of his country, as to see his modelling,
and that a promise to sit to him naturally followed. We
have no intimation if this promise was kept, although it
Wedgwood to Bentley, Aug. 24, Fol".; and to these were soon after
1770. added Museum Odescaleum, sive
* In August, 1770, the books be- Thesaurus Antiq. Gemmarum a
longing to the firm are set down by Bartolo, Rome, 1750; Mafie and
Mr. Wedgwood as follows:–Hamil- Agostini's Gemms, Fol".; Gravelot's
ton's Etruscan Antiquities; Gemms Antiquities; De Wilde gemme An-
Delin, by Elizabeth Cherron, small tique, 1703; Agostini, by Gronovius:
Fola.; Stuart's Athens; Count Cay- Perrico's Statues; Ficoroni's Gems;
lus's Antiqº. 3 vols.; Temple of the Middleton's Antiquities.' ... Wedg-
Muses, Foſº.; Rossi's Statues, Fol", ; wood to Bentley, Aug. 24, 1770.
Iconologie Historique, De la Fosse,
232 SHOW ROOM IN DUBLIN. CHAP. V.
probably was, and the bust thus modelled long remained
in the possession of some of his family."
In the autumn of 1771, a show room was opened in
Dublin, and in the following spring Bentley journeyed to
Bath, for the purpose of seeking out like accommodation
there. The Irish business was conducted by a person
named Brock, who sold the goods on commission, and
was apparently well known to Wedgwood and Bentley.
After the retail business had been declined there, Brock
became a clerk in Greek Street, and served the firm many
years. The Dublin sales were at first very promising, for
they were stimulated by the patronage and recommend-
ation of the Duke of Leinster, Lord Charlemont, Lord
Clanbrassil, Lord Bessborough, Sir Charles Bingham, and
other members of the Irish aristocracy; and some of the
finest of the Etruscan vases, the basreliefs, statues, busts
and plaques in the black basaltes and white biscuit bodies,
the early cameos, and the enamelled tablets for fire-
places were consigned to, and probably yet exist in, the
sister kingdom.” But this source of patronage was not
limitless. The resident gentry were, as a body, too en-
cumbered by debt, and too much mixed up with the
social troubles and party strifes of their country, to have
money to spend on luxuries, or leisure to give to any
efficient patronage of the arts. The Dublin warehouse
was therefore, from time to time, a source of much anxiety
to the partners; and that at Bath suffered in a similar
way from bad seasons and the caprices of the fashionable
world.
* His name was Chitgua. An in- that at Longton Hall, was not long
teresting account of this modeller ago sold at an auction near Dublin
will be found in the Gent.'s Maga- for 30l. . After passing through the
zine, vol. xli. pp. 257–258. hands of several dealers, it was sold
* A chimney piece, much like ' in London for 300l.
&
CHAP. V. BURDETT THE LIVERPOOL PAINTER. 233
Burdett, the Liverpool artist, became at this date known
to Mr. Wedgwood, whose patronage he sought for a new
style of engraving, which, as he said, he had invented.
It appears, however, to have been simply a variation of
the method in use of eating away certain portions of the
copper-plate with aquafortis. But to encourage him, he
being a Liverpool man, Mr. Wedgwood commissioned
him to paint some pictures of dead game, with the ulti-
mate view of his engraving them after the method indi-
cated. Things went on pretty smoothly for a while, but
finding he could not monopolise the whole time and at-
tention of the partners, or get them to take up his en-
graving-crotchets so fully as he desired, he became as
insolent, violent, and exacting, as before he had been
humbly solicitous of their patronage. He wrote several
most insulting letters to either partner, endeavoured by
the basest insinuations to sow strife between them, and
brought Mr. Wedgwood in largely his debtor. To get
rid of him, Mr. Wedgwood paid him a portion of his
demand, but retained the sketches of dead game. Ulti-
mately these were returned to him, after being copied by
Ralph Unwin, but the weary controversy extended over
several months, and was noticeable for nothing except
the dignified forbearance of the partners.
In 1772, Wedgwood's children were beginning to be
old enough to take an occasional part in his daily life.
Never was a tenderer father, or a more enlightened in-
structor, as we shall see. In this respect he was, in some
of his ideas, far in advance of his age. Bentley, who was
regarded by the elder ones as their ‘second father, was
no unimportant character in the pretty episodes which
varied the gravity and weight of business. On many
occasions a dim light shines out of mouldering invoice
234 - THE LITTLE ONES. CHAP. V.
and letter that the box which came last by coach or
waggon from Liverpool or London holds a great
wooden flaxen-headed doll for ‘Sukey, a cart and horse
for master ‘Jacky, something smaller for “little Joss,’
and presently for “little Tom ;’ or else a great packet of
dried fruit, cakes, and ‘goodies.’ Peter Swift, when quite
assured that his ledgers are right for the day, comes in
from the ‘Works’ hard by, laden with his precious freight;
and reverential and decorous as he is, he loves the little
ones too well, not to unbend and return their grateful
caresses. And next time ‘Papa' writes to Mr. Bentley,
they climb his knee and stop his pen, whilst they tell him
the messages he is to send. In the February of this year
Wedgwood was in London, and whilst there he looked
about for a barrel organ. He came away without choos-
ing one, but a few days after he tells Bentley to let Burdett
do this, as the latter had a good ear, and was just then
soliciting the patronage he afterwards so cruelly abused.
The organ which offered proved to be an indifferent
instrument; but in the succeeding month one was hired
for a time, and sent down into Staffordshire. ‘The Organ
arrived safe & a most joyful opening of it we have had,'
writes Wedgwood. ‘About twenty young sprigs were
made as happy as mortals could be, & danced & lilted
away; it would have done your heart good to have seen
them. I wish we had your little sprightly Neice with us,
but give my love to her, and tell her when the organ is
sent to town again, which it will be soon, it shall be sent
to Chelsea for her amusement a week or two.''
The great square of the Works at Etruria, which had
been set out in the spring of the preceding year—April,
* Wedgwood to Bentley. Without date, but referable from context to
March, 1772.

236 - THE SHOW ROOM. CHAP. V.
1771—was now in part completed, and the final removal
from Burslem, which however extended over several
months, took place. In 1773 there was yet a final
portion of the works to build, and they were finished in
the following year. It formed, as seen in the illustration,
a noble pile of buildings, with the canal skirting it, and
the green upland on which the hall stood rising beyond.
In arrangement it formed then, as now, two distinct works,
the “Useful’ and ‘Ornamental, with separate ovens,
yards, workshops, and rooms of every character. The
show-room, when finished, was an important place. Here
were displayed, from time to time, to the chief aristocracy
of all countries, as they passed through or paid visits into
Staffordshire, the finest masterpieces of the potter's art.
The enamellers at the works in Chelsea, as afterwards in
Greek Street, vied with each other in the several pro-
cesses of their art, and the results were often returned to
Etruria to decorate this room. With these in contrast
were the labours of the gem setters of London, Bir-
mingham, and Uttoxeter ; enshrining as rings, buckles,
brooches, earrings, or seals, cameo-work after the finest
models; and here were to be seen the noblest vases and
the most exquisite bas-reliefs. Princes and potent dukes,
lords and ladies, might well linger in this room, and tell
Wedgwood as they did, that neither Dresden nor Sèvres
had anything to show which bore comparison with his
ornamental ware, either in beauty of form or chastity of
design. But the room in which was laid the foundations
of these masterpieces has a still greater degree of interest
for all real lovers of Wedgwood's art. In the modelling-
room—as thus seen in the engraving—the moulds were
made or the modelling done from designs in clay or wax
supplied by Bacon, Flaxman, Tassie, Webber, Hoskins,
Chap. V. MODELLING ROOM. 237
Coward, Mrs. Landre, Theodore Parker, and various other
English and Italian artists. Here Hackwood, the exqui-
site modeller of small things, passed the chief hours of
his long service; and we catch glimpses of Webber, Tebo,
Boot, and Massey. If Flaxman ever worked at Etruria
for a brief season, this was the place of his labours; and
Wedgwood himself passed whole days here amidst his
modellers. From hence came the Sleeping Boy, the
H
==
H
(Fig. 46.) MODELLING ROOM, ETRURLA.
statuettes in the fine white biscuit body, the life-like busts
of the heroes of the old and modern world, the bas-reliefs
which reflected the glories of antique art; and the Vase,
which, as a masterly reproduction of a great original,
spread Wedgwood's fame far wider than any other of his
multitudinous labours.
Even at this day, the Works at Etruria are picturesque:
they must have been much more so in the days of their

238 INTERIOR OF WORKS. Chap. V.
great master, when the immediate neighbourhood had
still its patches of heathland and pleasant field paths,
and mines and iron furnaces had not defaced the soil and
filled the atmosphere with smoke. A conspicuous object,
on entering the works, is a weather-worn flight of wooden
º
(Fig. 47.) INTERIOR or works.
steps, which lead up to what was Mr. Wedgwood's
private office or counting-house." Here he probably
wrote the majority of his letters to Bentley; and here
the friends conferred when the latter came on his brief
visits to Etruria. These old steps as seen here in their
-
The bridge leading from the to cross it in great haste, as though
office into the Works, as seen in anxious to convey to his workmen
the illustration, Wedgwood often some sudden and good idea which
crossed. Mr. Aaron Wedgwood in- had flashed across his mind.
forms us that he would be often seen

CHAP, V. THE CORPORATION OF LIVERDOOL. 239
copy must, so long as they last, be an object of interest
to those who can fully understand the part Wedgwood
played in the industrial and artistic history of his country.
Like all other master potters, he ascended many hundred
steps a day to his various workshops and rooms, and the
peculiar thud or stump of his wooden leg was a well
known and welcome sound. He had always a kind and
cheery word for his people, a sympathising look, an ap-
proving nod; and it is handed down that no sound was
more welcome through the long day's labour, than that
which gave the sign of the good master's approach."
We have seen that Bentley and Brindley's noble scheme
of carrying the Grand Trunk Canal by an aqueduct direct
to Liverpool across the Mersey fell to the ground chiefly
through the apathy of the merchants, but more particu-
iarly of the Corporation of Liverpool, whose members
at that date were headed by one Matthew Strong, a
Justice Shallow, much given to the mystification of
common sense, and most probably to good dinners. A
further cause lay with the proprietors of the canal, who,
in opposition to Brindley's original survey, proceeded upon
a large plan with the Preston tunnel, which thus corre-
sponding with the Duke of Bridgewater's cut from Run-
corn Gap, took in the river boats, and gave a fair pretext
for quietly and finally dropping the far more direct and
efficient scheme.” This occurred in the autumn of 1769,
and after this Wedgwood's Navigation duties were prin-
cipally those connected with his treasurership, except, as
we have seen, when called upon to defeat little plots of
* Mr. Mayer has heard many of depended upon the energy of the
the old workmen, contemporary with Liverpool people. But they failed
Wedgwood, recall to memory this to push the scheme vigorously and
peculiar sound about the Works. | immediately, and thus the oppor-
* Brindley saw clearly that the tunity was lost.
realisation of the aqueduct mainly
240 BRINDLEY'S PORTRAIT. CHAP. V.
neighbours' enmity in relation to the canal at Etruria and
its connection with his property and works, or to aid some
of the branches connected with the main line, or small
local canals, for mining purposes. We have seen what
hearty and efficient championship Brindley afforded him
on more than one occasion when his neighbours thought
fit to assail him ; and he in turn greatly aided Brindley
on the committees during the difficulties connected with
the Harecastle tunnel.
Even when this decrease of Navigation business led to
fewer meetings of a public character, those of friendship
were as frequent as ever. Brindley was always on the
alert in his various mining and tunnelling operations to
secure fossils or mineral specimens for his friend ; and
Wedgwood did not forget the pleasant home at Turn-
hurst, in the distribution of those kindly gifts to which he
was so prone. In 1768 he bought Mrs. Brindley a hand-
some carved mahogany teatray in London, and without
doubt sent with it a choice tea-service. On various oc-
casions of Brindley’s absence on surveys, his wife was
a guest at Etruria; and now in 1772, when the great
engineer's health declined more rapidly than heretofore,
she took counsel with Wedgwood as to her husband's
portrait. “I have been to see Mrs. Brindley this morn-
ing by her desire, wrote Wedgwood to Bentley, &
she has a particular favour to beg of you; Mr. Parsons,
you know, took Mr. Brindley's Portrait which he was to
have had, but they had a little fracas about the terms,
Mr. Parsons demanded 60 guineas for the piece &
frame, Mr. Brindley meant to make Mr. Parsons a hand-
some present for the picture, but did not like the mode
of demanding so much from him, & in short told him he
wo" not have it. Mrs. Brindley always wish'd to have the
CHAP. V. BRINDLEY'S LAST ILLNESS. 241
picture, & she begs you wo" be so good to see Mr. Parsons
& tell him so, & that now she is at liberty, she readily
complys with his terms, & hopes he will not refuse her
the picture, if it is not already disposed of. She has set
her heart much upon having it, so if Mr. Parsons has any
new terms to propose, you'l please to send them, & stop
Mr. Parsons from disposing of it till you hear from her
again.'" - -
From this it would appear that Brindley had yielded
to his wife's entreaties, and at last given her leave to
secure the portrait. Though scarcely admitting it, she
was probably aware that his life was drawing to a rapid
close, for in eight days after this Wedgwood writes, ‘I
have been at Turnhurst almost every day this week, &
can give you but a melancholy accº from thence. Poor
Mr. Brindley has nearly finish’d his course in this world
—He says he must leave us, & indeed I do not expect to
find him alive in the morning. His disorder I think I
told you before is a Diabetes, & this malady he has had
upon him for seven years past most probably, which
occasion'd his constant fever and thirst, though I believe
no one of his Doctors found it out till Dr. Darwin dis-
cover'd it in the present illness, which I fear will deprive
us of a valuable friend, and the world of one of the
greatest Genius's who seldom live to see justice done to
their singular abilities, but must trust to future ages for
that tribute of praise & fair fame they so greatly merit
from their fellow mortals. Poor Mrs. Brindley is incon-
solable, & will scarcely be prevail'd upon to take either
rest or food sufficient to support nature, but she has
promis'd me to exert herself in bearing this afflicting
| Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 18, 1772.
VOL. II. R
242 BRINDLEY'S DEATH. CHAP. V.
stroke in her power, for the sake of her Aged Parents &
her helpless Children.’’
On the following noon one of the greatest men of the
eighteenth century lay dead in the old country house at
Turnhurst, and Wedgwood thus affectingly records his
death, ‘I told you in my last that Mr. Brindley was ex-
tremely ill, & I have the grief to tell you he is now no
more. He died the 27* Inst about 12 at Noon, & died
in a sound sleep, for about 3 o'clock in the morn”, after
giving him something to wet his mouth, he said, 'its
enough I shall need no more, & shut his Eyes, never more
to open, he continued to the time of his death (about 9
hours) seemingly in a fine sleep, & yielded up his breath
at last without a single groan—He has left two young
children behind him, & poor Mrs. Brindley, inconsolable
for the loss of a sensible friend & affectionate Husband—
what the Public has lost can only be conceiv'd by those
who best knew his Character & Talents—Talents to which
this Age and Country are indebted for works that will be
the most lasting monuments to his Fame, & shew to
future Ages how much good may be done by one single
Genius, when happily employ'd upon works beneficial
to mankind. Mr. Brindley had an excellent constitution,
but his mind too ardently intent upon the execution of
the works it had plann'd, wore down a body at the age
of 55, which originally promised to have lasted a century,
& might give him the pleasing expectation of living to
see those great works completed for which Millions yet
unborn will revere and bless his memory.—Do I need to
tell you that he bore his last illness with that fortitude &
strength of mind which characterised all his actions—If
| Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 26, 1772.
CHAP. V. PUBLIC ESTIMIATION. 243
you have so much leizure, perhaps you will send an
account of this event to some of the papers, with such
accompaniments as your esteem and friendship for the
deceased shall dictate, & if a prem" is requir'd from the
printers I will gladly pay it. The Duke of Bridgewater
might and indeed ought to have a handsome compliment
paid him on this occasion, to encourage others to bring
Genius to light and support its first efforts as he has nobly
done.’” -
Dr. Darwin shared in this noble opinion of Brindley's
incomparable genius and worth, and considered that his
fame was worthy of a national monument. ‘Your Letter,'
he writes to his dear friend Wedgwood, ‘gave me most
sincere grief about Mr. Brindley, whom I have always
esteem'd to be a great Genius, & whose loss is truly a
public one. I don't believe he has left his equal. I
think the various Navigations should erect him a monu-
ment in Westminster Abbey, & hope you will at a proper
Time give them this Hint. Mr. Stanier sent me no
account of him except of his death, tho' I so much
desir'd it, since if I had understood that he got worse,
nothing should have hinder'd me from seeing Him again.
If Mr. Henshaw took any Journal of his Illness, or other
circumstances after I saw Him, I wish you would ask him
for it, Ö enclose it to me. And any Circumstances that
you recollect of his Life should be wrote down, & I will
sometime degest them into an Eulogium. These men
should not die, this nature denys, but their Memories are
above her malice—Enough l’”
Three days after Brindley's death, Sept. 30, Wedg-
Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 28, , , Darwin to Wedgwood, Lich-
1772. field, Sept. 30, 1772.
* It means probably Henshall.
R 2
244 THE LOCKS AT RUNCORN. CHAP. V.
wood followed his honoured and beloved friend to his
grave amidst the peaceful fields of Newchapel. His was
not a nature to bury the burden of his friendship with
his friend. A few days later he was assisting Mr. Sparrow,
Brindley's solicitor, in publishing reliable accounts of the
great engineer's death in the country papers, and before
October had waned—he was actively engaged in carrying
out his friend's dying wishes with respect to a successor.
His efforts were successful, and Mr. Henshall at the
next meeting of the Committee of the Coventry and
Oxford Canals—received the appointment of engineer, a
post he held long after the Trent & Mersey Navigation
was completed. Brindley left mourning rings to all his
friends, amongst others to Bentley," who ever active in all
kindly offices, secured the portrait for Brindley's widow.
After Parsons had made one or more copies, it was sent
down into Staffordshire towards the close of 1772, and is
still in existence.
At one period the Committee of the Trent and Mersey
Navigation were in financial straits; but they wisely kept
their difficulties from the ear of the world, knowing full
well that entire success only awaited the completion of
their great work. Meanwhile the Duke of Bridgewater had
built his locks at Runcorn, and of these we get a charming
glimpse on the occasion of one of Wedgwood's journeys to
Liverpool with his children. “You know, he writes to
Bentley, “I have seen a good deal of these matters
before, but notwithstanding that, I was quite astonish'd
at the vastness of the plan, & the greatness of stile in
the execution. The Walls of the Locks are truly admir-
able, both for strength and beauty of workmanship. The
| Wedgwood to Bentley, Oct. 27, Wedgwoods in London, made the
1772. Mr. Nodes, a friend of the rings. -
Chap. V. FINENESS OF THEIR MASONRY. 245
front Lock next to the sea (for such it seems when the
Tide is in) in particular, whose walls are compos'd of vast
stones from 1 to 12 Tons weight, & yet by the excellent
machinery made use of, some of which is still left stand-
ing, they had as perfect command of these huge masses
(Fig. 48.) THE DURE OF BRIDGE water-Ban Low Col. Lººtion.
of Rock as a common bricklayer of the brick in his hand.
In short, to behold ten of these Locks all at one view,
with their Gates, Acqueducts, Cisterns, Sluices, bridges,
&c. &c., the whole seems to be the work of the Titans,
rather than a production of our Pigmy race of beings, &

246 THE DUKE OF BRIDGEWATER, CHAP. V.
I do not wonder that the Duke is so enamour'd of his
handiworks, that he is now in the fourth month of his
stay at this place, & is expected to divide his time
between Runcorn & Trentham for the remainder of the
summer. The Duke very courteously invited me to dine
with him, which I as readily accepted, & after dinner
condescended to shew me all his works, which took us a
long walk, and some hours, dining and altogether not
less than five, so that we had a long téte-a-tête conversa-
tion upon Navigations & other matters, for nobody was
with us: Mr. Gilbert being engaged amongst his men,
who it seems had mutinied but the day before. His
Grace has promised to come & see me at Etruria, a place
he has never yet seen, notwithstanding Lº Gower has so
often brought his company thither when the Duke had
been at Trentham. I shew’d his Grace a couple of
polished seals which he admir'd greatly & said they were
very fine things. The seal engravers were pityed as men
whose business was at an end.”
At the close of the year 1773, Wedgwood had another
contest with certain members of the Navigation Com-
mittee with respect to some land, opposite to his estate at
Etruria, he had bought in 1771 of the Burton Company.
The latter had raised their price £900 above the original
bidding, and this the Committee had agreed to indemnify
him. After two years had passed, it was reported by
certain members of the Committee that this sum had been
paid for nothing, and the Duke of Bridgewater, Lord
Gower, Mr. Gilbert and others were led to view the
transaction in this light. Gilbert had given Wedgwood
due notice of the coming storm, and with his habitual
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Jan. 21, 1773.
CHAP. V. THE TRUTH MADE CLEAR, 247
courage he at once faced it. He sought Lord Gower and
explained away this wrong impression; and a day or so
afterwards at a general meeting of the Committee held at
Trentham he placed the whole business before them in a
masterly manner, and recalled to the memories of many
their share in the transaction. ‘The Chairman,’ wrote
Wedgwood to Bentley, then summ’d up the Evidence
by which it appear'd to the entire satisfaction of all
present, that the transaction was a fair one in every
respect, was just what I had represented it to them, & was
unanimously ratified & confirm’d, not to be disturbed
again. Every one was, or seem'd to be, perfectly pleased.
This & other business kept us at Trentham (where the
Committee was held) till it was dark and rainy, so most
of us continued there & spent a jovial evening together
in perfect harmony & good humour. The next morning
I waited upon Mr. Gilbert at the Hall, & begg'd he wo"
pay my duty to the Duke & tell him how the affairs had
turn'd out, & that I had suffer'd extremely at his leaving
the Country preposses'd with the opinion I knew he must
have of this Transaction. Mr. Gilbert promis'd to do me
full justice with his Grace & at the same time paid me
some handsome comp" on my conduct in this business,
which he said had pleased him very much. And thus
ended this second stroke at my reputation & property, &
if a third is sent after it, I have the increased confidence
of an honest man, that it cannot hurt me, but must ulti-
mately recoil upon the malignant sender.’’
Wedgwood, as we thus see, did not escape the usual
penalties, well-deserved fame and personal merit have to
suffer at the instance of the envious and narrow-minded,
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, Nov. 23, 1773.
248 A NAVIGATION TRIP. CHAP. V.
who, incapable of good deeds or generous self abnegation,
think no arts too vile or too debased, so that they can
lessen or injure the reputations they are themselves too
low in the scale of nature to gain or even aspire to. One
by one he crushed these petty spites and party hates
beneath his brave and manly feet; and so far as the cause
of Canal Navigation was concerned, we hear no more of
them. The great work was nearly done, and occasional
pleasure trips and leisurely surveys diversified a business
routine of unexampled prosperity. Of one of these we
have a jovial and delightful picture, painted as ever for
the eye of his dear friend. ‘On Tuesday morning I am
leaving home for a week. Our next Committee, is to
begin in Cheshire, & end in Lancashire, and will last so
long. The Gent" of the Committee take a running
breakfast with me here on Tuesday morning. We—we
then take a voyage into our Tunnel,' from thence to
Sandbatch where we conclude the day, surveying our
works in Cheshire as we go along. On Wednesday we
proceed to view the course our Canal is to take by
Middlewich to Northwich, & from thence to Preston on
the Hill, which track I am told in some places approaches
as near to impractibility, as anything can do, which is
really to be executed as our Canal is you know. I do
not know where we are to lodge on Wednesday night,
but we are to visit Runcorn, and from thence proceed in
his Grace's boat to Worsley, & there ends our Long Com-
mittee, when every man will be at liberty to make the
best of his way home. You will be so pious to put up a
petition for our safety in this perilous Voyage, for I hear
we are already waylaid with ambuscades of Venison, &
| Harecastle.
CHAP. V. THE GRAND TRUNK CANAL. 249
other combustibles, so that no man can say what all these
things may end in, but of one thing my Dear Friend may
ever be assur'd that wherever, or however dispos'd of, I
am most truly & affectionately his.” A few days
later we hear how these perils were overcome. “I
return’d home last night and had a very pleasant expedi-
tion, the weather favouring us more than we had reason
to expect, from the very rainy day preceding our outset,
& we were very plentifully provided for at the several
stages of our journey. We reviewed our works in Cheshire
as far as Sandbach the first day, where we shall finish
twenty Locks this year, & there will remain only about
seven more for the next which will complete our Navi-
gation. We found the Duke of Bridgewater's boat
ready to receive us at Preston on the Hill to where Sir
R" Brooke says hitherto ye shall go & no farther.
From this place we went to Runcorn in a boat pro-
vided for us, & back to Warrington the same evening.
From Warrington to Manchester the Duke has set up
two passage boats, one carries passengers at a shilling
each. The other is divided into three rooms, & the
rates are 2/6 P head for the best room, 10d. & 12d.,
and it is the pleasantest and cheapest mode of travel-
ing you can conceive. We next visited Worsley which
has the appearance of a considerable Seaport Town,
His G has built some hundreds of houses, & is every
year adding considerably to their number. Manchester
was our next stage, from whence I went to Bolton to see
my Boy,” and came back on Saturday to Dunham where
I was to have treated with L' Stamford for the Limestone
at Breden, but his Lordship was not at home. However,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 11, 1773.
* His eldest son, John Wedgwood.
250 A NIGHT AT DUNHAM. Chap. V.
I found his good Lady there, who promis'd to transact
the business for me by letter, & pressed me so much to
finish the week at Dunham, that I could not refuse her
Ladyship the favour of my company, but slept there that
night, after spending a very agreeable piece of a day at
her hospitable mansion.’
These were delightful episodes in a life of continuous
anxiety and toil, and Wedgwood returned a newer and
fresher man from the scenes of nature and the courtesies
of gracious ladies.
CAMEO MEDALLION--Slºsox Co.,LECTION.

CHAPTER THE SIXTH.
MRS, WEDGWOOD's LENGTHENED ILLNESSES — IIER HUSBAND AND
HERSELF visit BATH-THE SHOW-ROOMS THERE-THEIR DECORA-
TION WITH GREEN BAIZE AND YELLOW PAPER – COMPANY —
STAFFORDSHIRE PEOPLE — MR. PALMER, MRS. CHATTERLEY —
MR, WEDGwooD's FRIENDLY KINDNESS TO PALMER — BOULTON'S
GooDS IN BATH — HIS BOAST TO THE SHOPKEEPER – BENTLEY’s
MARFIAGE-SIR HARBORD PHARBORT) AND HIS MOTHER—MR, AND
MRS, WEDGWOOD WISIT CHELSEA — A WEDDING PRESENT — MRS.
WEDGWooD's INCREASED ILLNESS — HER HUSBAND’s BROKEN
HEALTH — TROUBLES CONNECTED WITH NEWPORT STREET — BEN-
JAMIN MATHER — THE FOR BEARANCE OF HIS GOOD MASTERS —
CONTESTS WITH THE ORNAMENTAL HANDS – OVER-PRODUCTION —.
HOUSEHOLD CONSPIRACY-MR. WEDGWOOD's CHILDREN-AN ACCI-
DENT ON THE WAY TO LIVERPOOL–LESSONS IN METALLURGY-MR.
WEDGwooD's BROTHERS—DEATH OF MR. THOMAS WEDGwood of
THE OWEREIOUSE—BAD STATE OF HIS AFFAIRS–HIS WIEAK AND
CONSCIENCE-STRICKEN WIDOW — THE ELDEST SON – THE RUSSIAN
SERVICE—VAST ORDERS FOR NARVA AND REVEL–WEDGWOOD's
LETTER TO BENTLEY RELATIVE TO THE SERVICE–NECESSARY PRE-
CAUTIONS-STRINGER OF KNUTSFORD–HIS OPINION OF THE DIFFI-
CULTY OF THE WORK–AN APPEAL TO THE EMPRESS—REAL WIEWS-
THE CAMERA. OBSCURA—ASSISTANCE RENDERED BY THE ARISTOCRACY
—THAT OF STAFFORDSHIRE ESPECIALLY-DOUBTS AS TO SHEWING
OR NON-SHEWING THE SERVICE— APPROPRIATE EMIBLEMIS.–GREEK
STREET, SOHO—PART OF THE PREMISES HIRED THERE ORIGINALLY
A DISSECTING ROOM-THE ARCHITECTS OF THE DAY-BENTLEY’s
ENERGY-RESORTS TO ARTISTS, ENGRAVERS, AND BOOKSELLERs—
THE PAINTERS OF THE RUSSIAN SERVICE—THE PUBLIC AIDMITTED
TO SEE THE SERVICE—WISIT FROM THE QUEEN–DUPLICATE PIECES
—CUP AND SAUCER IN THE MAYER COLLECTION.—IMPROVEMENTS
IN GREEK STREET-PRICE OF THE SERVICE—THE CATALOGUE–
THE EMPRESS’s SATISFACTION.
CHAPTER WI.
THE RUSSIAN SERVICE.
HROUGHOUT the greater part of 1772 and 1773
Mrs. Wedgwood was very ill. At first from a
severe rheumatic affection; later, from circumstances
attending her maternal situation. It was a time of intense
anxiety to her husband, who had much else to perplex
him as we shall see ; and to Dr. Darwin also ; who in
her later illness knowing on what a thread her life hung,
watched her with an assiduity and care that never tired.
To these, as much as to Darwin's enlightened skill,
Wedgwood owed her preservation. From this date they
were more than ever friends. Their children occa-
sionally shared each others' homes; and their intellect, full
of originality and strength, soon met on the graver and
wider field of philosophical speculation.
Mrs. Wedgwood's first attack of illness arose no doubt
from her residence in newly built houses; in that erected
for Mr. Bentley, and afterwards at Etruria Hall. These
things were not much understood at that day, even by
physicians. She suffered intensely ; her limbs were
cramped, her joints were stiffened; she was confined to
her bed and room for weeks, and could neither move
hand nor foot. In April she was better, and it was
proposed she should visit Buxton; but a few weeks later
254 THE BATH SHOW-ROOMS. CHAP. VI.
this plan was changed, and her husband having business
to transact at Bath she accompanied him there by slow
stages. The show-rooms in Westgate Buildings, Mr.
Bentley had chosen early in the year were not yet opened,
and such time therefore as Wedgwood could spare from
attending the invalid to the pump rooms or in country
drives, was devoted to their preparation, and of this we
have some interesting particulars. ‘Though the season
is now nearly over, yet there seems (to me at least) a good
deal of company here ; and I wish you would enable us to
open our Rooms, as I have found some of my good
friends here would bestow some pains in advertising for
us. These good folks will stay a week or 10 days here,
if you could but send us something worth shewing imme-
diately, but we must not baulk the thing in its first starting
—Green Bayze—we shall want a good deal & the lowest
we can buy here is 2/4. I have a notion you buy it
much cheaper about 18" P. y” . . . Yellow paper for a
back ground for the black Wases, & the colour (we none
of us know what it is) we put behind the pebble Wases;
we must trouble you to send it as there is none to be got
here at any rate . . . The carpenters are more expe-
ditious than I expected & will have things so forward in
another day or two, that we could open the Rooms if we
had anything to shew. We have rec" the packages you
mention, but those I understand are only Pebble Wases
& painted Deserts, we must have all the Gimcracks in the
useful ware, gems, Pictures, flowerpots, &c. &c., in short
it is our united opinion that we should not open at all
till you enable us to make a very complete shew, for
there are tolerably decent shops enow here already—we
found Mr. Palmer—& Mrs. Chatterly here. It was cur-
rently reported in Staffordshire, that Mr. Palmer was trying
CIIAP. VI. T}OULTON'S VASES.
2
5
5
here to establish a warehouse of his goods. He is gone
home this morning, Mrs. Wedgwood & I took him a
few miles on his way, but have not heard anything of this
design from him or Mrs. Chatterly, but I think we can
know from the latter if there is any truth in it.’"
This generous and friendly intercourse with the man
who had so deeply wronged him, and who was yet to
prove still further his sordid and ignoble nature by
copying Wedgwood and Bentley seals, and by lending a
hand to Voyez in his nefarious practices, proves what we
have already said, that the great potter, like all brave,
earnest and thoroughly honest men, was wisely magnani-
mous in these petty strifes engendered by competition,
There are persons so constituted, that they cannot act
otherwise than ignobly; whatever they do, must have
some sign of baseness in it, and wherever they set their
foot or hand, there they leave the slimy token of their
presence. Wedgwood wisely avoided such characters as
much as he could ; but when circumstances threw them in
his way, he was civil, and in cases even friendly. Palmer,
it was found, had no intention of opening show rooms,
though he had engaged a toyman to sell ware for him.
Boulton also had laid siege in somewhat the same manner
to the eye and purse of the fashionable crowd. ‘We met
with a large assortment of Mr. Boulton's vases in a very
rich shop in the market place. The Gent" told me a long
tale of Mr. Boulton's having ingaged at several £1000
expence the only mine in the world of the Radix Ame-
thyst, and that nobody else could have any of that
material. I heard him patiently, but afterwards took an
opportunity of advising him when we were alone in a
| Wedgwood to Bentley, dated from Bath, June 2, 1772.
256 THE SHOPKEEPER'S STORY. CHAP. VI.
corner of his shop, not to tell that story too often, as
many Gent" who came to Bath had been in Derbyshire,
seen the mine, & knew it to be free and open to all the
world, on paying a certain known mine rent to the
Land owner. The Gent" star'd, & assur'd me upon his
honor that he had not said a word more than Mr. Boulton
had assur'd him was true. Well done Boulton says I
inwardly. I told the Gent" Mr. Boulton might possibly
have ingaged them lately as I had not been in that
country since the last summer. But, says he, ’tis three
years since he told me this story. I was glad to change
the subject, & inquired how they sold, but so-so says he,
I am afraid they will never answer Mr. Boulton's end as
a manufacturer. He then told me he had a new shop
building for him, & would have shewn me the plan, but
some company coming in we parted." It would thus
seem that Boulton in the magnificence of his purposes
and ideas, occasionally ventured into the realms of fiction .
when he had a purpose to serve, or a point to gain; a
weakness often allied with great strength of character,
and with an otherwise high standard of truth both theo-
retic and practical. Wedgwood's power of self-repression
was stronger; his ideal faculties were purer and more
objective; his bounds and marks for truth more rigid and
defined than those of his great friend. Boulton in his
intense ambition to excel others, mistook some of the laws
of his particular art; and happy was it for him that the
time was now so near at hand, when in association with
Watt, his powerful genius reverted to its natural course of
action, and thus realised effects which had as much an
ideal, as a purely scientific, and utilitarian aspect.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 6, 1772.
CHAP. VI. WEDGWOOD'S PLEASANTRY. - 257
Bentley's marriage to Miss Stamford had been in con-
templation from the beginning of the year, but by per-
versity of fate business of all sorts and kinds poured in,
and the expectant lover could not quit his post. At
length it was settled that Mr. and Mrs. Wedgwood should
take Chelsea on their way home from Bath and keep
house till Bentley's return, as for some weeks he had
been entirely alone, Miss Oates having settled in Chester-
field, on an annuity secured by deed for her life, by the
provident hands of her good brother-in-law and Mr.
Wedgwood." But the lover grew impatient and made
his complaints to his friend. ‘You are tired of living by
yourself, & wish to know when we think of returning,
wrote Wedgwood quoting Bentley's mournful epistle, and
indulging a little in his accustomed vein of pleasantry.
“Poor Man! he counts the minutes for hours, & thinks
Old Time drawls along like a Broad wheel'd waggon.
How many years do you think it is since some good
Tadies departed into Derbyshire, or can you count over
the months since we left you alone at Chelsea. Be Com-
forted my Good Friend, the time will come, however
tardy he may seem ; but everybody tells us Mrs. W. will
stay about three weeks longer, in the mean time we drink
your health every night, & wish you could be convey'd
here somehow or other to spend your even” with us at
Bath, but as that cannot be we pity your solitary condi-
tion, & hope you will take care of yourself in the best
manner you can till we arrive at Chelsea to set you at
liberty for a week that you may be made a—Happy man
for life. Our best respects wait upon the good Ladies
when you write to them.” But Bentley's patience cannot
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, March 22, 1772.
* Ibid. June 6, 1772.
WOL. II. S
258 BENTLEY'S MARRIAGE. CHAP. VI.
last three weeks. Eight days later we hear of his setting
off into Derbyshire, and his dear friend bids him ‘go
upon his expedition as thoughtless and as gay as a Boy of
fifteen.’”
The marriage took place on June 22, at the church of
All Saints, Derby. The letters extant contain no account
of the wedding, but Miss Stamford's father was a man of
comparative substance, and without doubt the usual
wedding festivities were both elegant and generous, and
enjoyed by numerous friends. On the 24th Mr. Wedg-
wood thus writing, shows that Bentley's holiday had been
a brief one. ‘By this time I hope my Dear Friend &
his Good Lady, after the pleasantest journey they ever
made, will be safely arriv'd at their habitation in Chelsea,
& I need not tell you that I most sincerely wish you every
comfort & every joy that your own good sense & good
nature can bestow upon each other, or that a kind Provi-
dence can bless you with, & I never made a prayer with
a stronger perswasion of its being heard & answer'd than
that which I now put up for your mutual happiness &
felicity thro every period of your lives.”
Whilst Bentley thus went on his way to be married,
and enjoy his brief honeymoon, Wedgwood and his wife
spent their days pleasantly. “The season seems com-
pletely over here, & the town is scarcely habitable for
heat. We take a mouthful of fresh air on the Downs in
the morning, drink three or four glasses of scalding hot
water from the Pump, & sweat it out in the least hot places
we can find out the remainder of the day.’ Wedgwood,
with a view to business purposes as we shall see, and to
a probable movement amongst the Potters, was at this
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 13, 14, 1772.
* Ibid. June 24, 1772.
CHAP. VI. COMPANY AT BATH. 259
date reading Borlase's ‘History and Antiquities of Corn-
wall, published in 1769, and we can thus fancy him
spending the long noon-day hours beside his invalided
wife, busy with the open folio on his knee. Beside the
kind attention of a respectable couple named Ward who
were to manage the show-rooms and the visits as we have
seen of Staffordshire neighbours, Mr. Wedgwood and his
wife received courtesy and attention from such of the
aristocracy as the close of the season yet left at Bath.
Amongst these were Lord Shelburne, Sir Harbord Har-
bord, and Lady Harbord his mother. When the show-
rooms approached completion, it was thought prudent to
defer their opening to the beginning of a new season ;
but the latter were privileged visitors.” “I must not
omit to tell you, Mr. Wedgwood writes to Bentley, “that
though we have not yet open'd the Rooms, we have
nevertheless taken hansell. Sir Harbord Harbord desir’d
he might bring Lady Harbord (his mother) to our new
Rooms before he left Bath, which he did yesterday morn-
ing. She bo' a p" of Green-fluted Flower pots & a painted
Etruscan teapot & Sir Harbord bo' a plain purple-edged
desert service, but he wants to complete it by 4 Twiggen
baskets of the smallest size oval, less than any we have,
& Lady Harbord desires to see a Glaucier in three parts,
I believe either purple or plain will do. . . . Sir Harbord
has been particularly civil to us here, & I hope will be a good
friend to the Rooms in Westgate, as he has it in his power
to be, he set off for London this morning & says he shall
call upon you.”
1 Sir H. Harbord was one of the the date of 1769, is amongst the
first who adopted, and thus brought | Mayer MSS. Sir H. Harbord was
into fashion, the beautiful coat and raised to the peerage by the title of
sleeve buttons with metal mounts, Lord Suffield in 1786.
formed of Wedgwood's crystalline * Wedgwood to Bentley, June 24,
jasper body. A bill for these of 1774,
260. A VISIT TO CHELSEA, CHAP. VI.
But the Bath waters were of little benefit to Mrs.
Wedgwood, and she pined for her children and Etruria;
at the close of June, therefore, she & her husband turned
their faces homewards. At first they thought, on account
of her weakness and the length of the journey, to avoid
London altogether, but necessary business, and the yearn-
ing of their generous hearts to see Bentley and his bride,
overcame all other considerations. They spent a fort-
night of the utmost happiness at Chelsea, and then went
by slow stages into Staffordshire by way of Birmingham,
where they saw Boulton. “We called upon Mr. Boulton
on Friday Even", wrote Wedgwood to his friend, & saw
his superb Gallery, in which there is a great many good
things of his manufacture beside the vases. A silver
coffeepot from St. Nan, some silver cups—moderate, &
silver plated ware of the best forms I have seen. A
small specimen of which, 4 Candlesticks you will receive
by the Birm" Car", & hope you will do me the favour to
accept them.’ In the same letter he adds “I have
now the pleasure of dating from Etruria once more,
& thanking you and your good Lady, in which Mrs.
Wedgwood joins with me most cordially, for your
goodness to us at Chelsea, & for every mark for that
friendship & partiallity in our favour which we have
so often experienc'd, & which we flatter ourselves will
not ceace but with our lives. Mrs. Wedgwood laments
that good folks cannot live nearer together. We have
often you know wish’d it, but wish'd in vain to annihilate
or at least to lessen the distance between Chelsea and
Etruria, but I am afraid we must submit to these things
as they are at present—love one another wherever we
are, & meet together as often as we can.”
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, July 10, 1772.
CHAP. VI. WEſ)GWOOD'S ANXIETIES. 26]
As autumn advanced Mrs. Wedgwood's illness was
renewed; this time from causes wholly different. Dr.
Darwin thought her very ill, and her husband's distress
was extreme; this the greater because through it all she
endeavoured to conceal her danger and sufferings from
him. “She was, as he tells Bentley, ‘patience and resig-
nation itself.’ At length an expected crisis in her maternal
situation occurred; but left her in so deplorable a state of
weakness that nothing but the greatest attention in nursing
and keeping everything quiet about her could save her
life. Dr. Darwin sat up one night with her; and on the
morrow Wedgwood in writing hurriedly to him who was
intrusted alike with his joys and woes, adds after saying
that the good doctor gave some hope of her recovery,
“I trust my Dear Friend will excuse my entering into any
particular details of business whilst my mind is in this
state of anxiety & distress for the safety of my dear
Girl.” At this date Wedgwood was himself in indif-
ferent health ; he suffered from constant headaches, and
from a renewal of the disorder in his eyes, and an in-
credible weight of business and difficulties hung heavily
upon him. Amongst the latter was the state of the
business and domestic affairs in Newport Street. Since
Mr. Bentley's removal to Chelsea, there had been no more
fitting head of the family than a young female servant.
The ordinary cash accounts were controlled by a young
clerk named Benjamin Mather, who governed all under
him by a haughty domineering manner, that terrified for a
time his inferiors into silence. The result was natural. The
housekeeper, instead of minding her duties, was receiving
the addresses of a young Staffordshire lad named John
Wood, who had been sent from Etruria to assist in the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 8, 1772.
262 YOUNG MATHER. CHAP. VI.
books; and Mather, with much small cash in his posses-
sion, spent his nights in taverns and worse places; treated
a train of young fellows whom he passed off as cousins;
dressed extravagantly, and by way of bribing him, occa-
sionally permitted his junior clerk John Wood to share in
his revels. Hogarth's ‘Idle Apprentices’ were perform-
ing their part to the full. But presently the truth came
to light. John Wood had been honestly and tenderly
reared. His conscience was troubled, and from time to
time he wrote home and dropped hints to his father.
Soon after, an anonymous letter reached Wedgwood, and
Mather's delinquencies were revealed. Wedgwood
weighed the whole matter with his usual sedate wisdom.
He was lenient, because he saw the evil was in a measure
begot by their own indifferent government. ‘We have
both been long sensible, he writes to Bentley, of our
want of a proper head of the family in Newport St., &
that our property lies at too great a risque there. What
avails all our industry & care, if we must finally lodge
all the fruits of it in the hands of unprincipled Boys &
Spenthrifts, who we see are debauching & ruining them-
selves, & perhaps half a score of their acquaintance at
'' Much as he had erred, both partners
were against the hasty dismissal of the young man. They
felt that on the one hand he might for a time, at least, go
and collect thousands in their name ; on the other, if he
our expense.
had not so irredeemably sinned, it was their duty not to
drive him to desperation by setting an irretrievable mark
upon his character. They took up their hard duty like
noble and delicate-minded men. Under a pretext of
business they sent Ben Mather to Bath, and during his
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 1, 1772.
CHAP. VI. OVER-PRODUCTION. 263
absence stock was taken, and his accounts examined.
His defalcations were found to be not so serious as at first
supposed. He had been foolish but not vicious; a weak
vessel needing a controlling hand; he was therefore upon
his return from Bath, sent to Chelsea as a keeper of
general accounts and an assistant to Mr. Bentley. Here he
did his work with fidelity and zeal; throughout the dif-
ficulties connected with the Russian service, he was ever
at his post, and won the praise of his generous friend in
Staffordshire. Years after we shall find him in Greek
Street, not only busy with his pen, but with delicate and
experienced touch making many of those little repairs so
often necessary to some of the finest jasper tablets; a
finger here for a god Flaxman had modelled, or a tip to
a wing or a point to his bow for Cupid. His weaknesses
still cleaved to him in a degree, for he loved drink and
company; but Wedgwood and Bentley well knew that
human nature is not perfect, and with an occasional re-
primand bore with the infirmities of their servant.
Contests with his workmen troubled Mr. Wedgwood
at this date. He had keen foresight, but the splendour
and wealth of his creative instincts occasionally set pru-
dence at defiance. Over-production brought the natural
results; more fine ornamental ware was in stock than the
rich would buy, and the cessation of demand necessarily
lessened supply. The only way to obviate this difficulty
and retain a body of trained and very able workmen,
whose services other manufacturers, Palmer in particular,
were eager to secure, was to manufacture a cheaper class
of vases to meet the ornamental needs of the less wealthy,
and till this could be done, no working over hours was
permitted at Etruria. ‘Yesterday, wrote Wedgwood to
his friend, ‘I stopp'd the men at the ornamental works
264 WEDGWOOD AS A PHYSICIAN. CHAP. VI.
from working over hours, till I could find out some other
work for them, which I would take the first opportunity
of doing when Mrs. W. was a little better, for the fact
you know is that we have not work for them the common
hours. Upon this they told Dan' they would all leave us,
& they know Mrs. P. wo" take them in, which makes
them almost unmanagable upon any terms. She has
lately taken one of our Boys apprentice out of the Engine
Lathe Room. Now though our business may be a little
over done in quº, I do not think it is in such a desperate
way that we should set our best hands adrift to the
establishment of our antagonists. I know they wo"
promise our hands anything—mountains of Gold to gain
them, but if things go well with us in the house, I must
spend as much time as I can this week at the works, & if
you want anything I beg you will let me know it imme-
diately.”
For many days Mrs. Wedgwood lay nearer life than
death. Her husband's sisters, Catherine Willet, and
Margaret Byerley, were with him in this hour of great
extremity, but none was so good a nurse as he. “Doc"
Darwin has left me to act as Physicion in his absence,
but I believe I shall not gain much credit in my office
amongst the female nurses here, as I have prescribed
what they durst not think of for my patient. When
nothing could stay upon her stomach I gave her fruit,
ripe plumbs, &c., as often as she would eat. . . . I have
given her Cyder that blows the cork up to the Cieling.
She relishes it vastly, and it does her good. I hope to
continue these good accounts to you.’” --
But convalescence came slowly, and as autumn waned
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, Sept. 8, 1772.
* Ibid. Sept. 10, 1772. -
CHAP. VI. . HOUSEHOLD CONSPIRACY. 265
a terrible relapse took place. Fever-fits and ague, ac-
companied her prostrating disease, and her danger was
greater than ever. Her husband's distress was extreme,
“for I should in losing her, go near to lose myself also,
he tells Bentley, & I fear, though I shudder at writing
it, that she has but a poor chance of recovery from
her present illness.” As soon as possible Mrs. Wedg-
wood was removed to Dr. Darwin's house at Lichfield,
and there under his constant and enlightened care she
grew slowly better, though illness at no distant date again
prostrated her.
Wedgwood's own health was at this time in a very
precarious state, for he had rest for neither body nor mind.
There were troubles abroad and troubles at home. A
few days before his wife's terrible relapse he thus confided
to Bentley, “No sooner is one disagreeable event subsided
a little but others succeed to keep my mind and body
too upon the fret, though I employ all the Philosophy I
am master of to prevent it. We have lately discovered
a scene of vilany amongst our servants in the House, who
have a long time been robbing us of every thing they
could carry off, or dispose of amongst a score of my out
of door servants, I mean every eatable & drinkable, for
I do not know that they have gone any further, but in
these matters they have form'd such a correspondence &
proceeded to such a degree as is not easy to imagine, &
this will render it necessary to sweep the House of every
serv" we have in it Male and Female, some from the field
men & others from the Works. My head Farmer is in
this list, whom I have turn’d adrift, & given several of
my Tennants notice to quit their Houses. Add to this a
combination amongst our servants at the works, the usefull
Works I mean, though it may for aught I know extend to
266 HARASSMENT OF MIND AND BODY. CHAP. VI.
the other, to have their own prices, which are most ex-
orbitant ones, or to leave us. . . . . In this situation, it is
true, I can convey my body from the works, & from my
domestic concerns in the house, but till these matters are
in a little better order, my mind will be with them, &
the more I absent myself, or my attention from them, the
more difficult they will be to manage. I have therefore
resolv'd to set myself in earnest to redress these matters,
that I may the sooner come at a little peace and comfort.
The most distressful part respecting my household affairs
is Mrs. W’s being so ill prepared to bear any uneasiness
in her family, on which account I had kept the knowledge
of these things to myself near two months, & now have
taken all upon myself, & charged the servants not to say
a word to her upon the subject, for I found them inclin’d
to attack their mistress in my absence. We have hired a
Housekeeper & two other servants, who can come at a
day's notice, & I intend to complete the revolution whilst
Mrs. W. is on a visit to her Bro" in Cheshire, that she
may see & feel as little of it as possible. She knows and
consults with me about these matters, but then we do it
quietly, which could not be the case betwixt the servants
& her if they were to transact these affairs in propria
persona.” The housekeeper hired (a Mrs. Massey) was
of sedate age, and proved an admirable and confidential
helpmate. She had kept house at Findern in Derbyshire,
and boarded Bentley whilst he was a boy, attending the
Dissenting Academy there, and recollecting him with great
affection, an interest was added to her services. But
Wedgwood had yet more anxiety to endure for his wife.
In the last month of the year she again had a severe
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, Oct. 27, 1772.
CHAP. VI, WEDGWOOD'S CHILDREN. 267
relapse, through taking a premature journey to Man-
chester, and it was not till after many weeks' confinement
to her room, and a further lengthened stay at Lichfield,
that she was restored to her husband and children.
In this year, 1772, Wedgwood's three eldest children
first left home for school. His daughter went to Man-
chester, his sons to Hindley, and his wife being ill, and
his sister, Mrs. Willet, unable to go a journey, he was
necessitated to be their conductor. From this date,
whilst they attended school in Lancashire, whatever
might be the pressing nature of his engagements, we find
him pleasantly travelling to and fro in their company.
In the December of this year he speaks thus to Bentley
of one of these holiday trips, ‘We had a very pleasant
journey, the weather fine, & found all our little folks well
& happy. I have brought the Boys from Hindley, but
Mrs. Holland did not care to part with the Lasses' till
they had finish'd their work, which will be about ten
days hence, and to reconcile them to staying behind, as I
have almost promis'd to fetch them at the expiration of
that time. Mrs. Wedgwood bore her journey very well.
My sister Willet made one of the party, & we were all
very much delighted with the Ball, and particularly in
seeing our Own young sprigs perform such wonders there,
as you may imagine we all thought they did.” But
Sukey fell ill from confinement at school, and her parents
were advised to try sea-bathing at Liverpool. On her
way thither with her father and little cousins, an accident
occurred which nearly proved fatal. “I began this letter
at Etruria, he writes, “but finish it at this place (Knuts-
* Mrs. Willet's daughter, Jane, * Wedgwood to Bentley, Dec. 12,
accompanied her cousin to school, 1772.
very probably at the expence of the
good uncle. -
268 LESSONS IN GEOGRAPHY. CHAP. VI,
ford), where I am arriv'd with two neices & a daughter,
& to morrow we hope to take possession of a Bachelor's
house in his absence. We should have slept at Warrington
to night but were stopped 6 hours upon the road by an
accident which proved nearly fatal to my poor Girl. She
was in high spirits, playing her pranks upon a high
horse-block, miss'd her footing, and pitch'd with her head
upon a stone, which was sharp enough to make a wound,
but I hope no other harm will ensue.” A few days later
all was well, though, as he told Bentley, her skull ‘is
certainly rather of the thick than paper species, or it had
been crush'd to pieces.’
As time wore on and his children grew older, we find
Wedgwood in the new office of a teacher, and a very able
one he was. His views in respect to their mental, moral,
and physical training, derived in some measure probably
from Darwin, Edgworth and Bentley, were far in advance
of the age ; and as they became more his companions the
more his influence was operative. On one occasion he
wrote thus to Bentley, ‘I got safe to this place (Man-
chester) with my children (John and Josiah) on Saturday,
& leave it to go to Bolton in the morning, where I have
promised to spend a day or two with my Pupils. They
having made me Professor of Metallurgy to the College,
& I cannot do less than stop a day or two with them to
examine what progress they have made in the Art. The
young Ladies at this School are learning Geography, &
are very fond of the Science. I have promised to
send them some short accº of what is peculiar to each
County, & for this purpose must beg the favour of you to
enable me to keep my promise by sending me a Tour
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 21, 1773.
CHAP. VI. WEDGWOOD'S BROTHERS. 269
through Great Britain.” In our days of good maps,
geographical manuals and school books, we smile at this
as puerile—but far less than a century ago—the popular
ignorance on all these commonplace points was supreme,
and the general method of teaching in schools grossly
deficient. In the majority of instances it was ignorance
striving with the ignorant. It is therefore much to see a
man who had had to teach himself—and who was
absorbed literally night and day in an infinite variety of
business, thus unbending to give lessons in rudimental
science, and to bring ‘the Land we Live in 'like a picture
before children's eyes.
It is not known when or where Mr. Wedgwood's
brother John died. He is referred to as “my late brother
John’ in April 1773—and it is not improbable that his
death took place towards the close of 1771, and that the
account of it is lost with the letters of that period. A
brother less loved, but with whom he had always been
on friendly terms died at this date, February 1773. This
was Thomas Wedgwood of the Overhouse, who had been
long previously ill, and whose affairs were in a sadly un-
settled state. He had been married twice, and by both
wives had children. A few days prior to his brother's
death Wedgwood tells Bentley, “The Eldest son is a sad
Rakish Boy. I am afraid it will not be an easy matter
to bring about a settlement to the satisfact" of all parties,
& as my brother is very sensible of the difficulties attend-
ing it, I fear he will be very backward to begin. How-
ever it is very necessary something should be done, & I
am solicited on all sides to attempt it with my Bro".
My sister Wedgwood has been lamenting to me this
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 30, 1773.
THOMAS WEDGWOOD.
270 CHAP. VI.
morning, that she hears I am going to leave them,' &
when I am gone nobody else she fears can manage these
matters with my Brother, & he will have nobody to con-
sult &c. &c. I told her I wo" stay a few days, & try what
I could do in that time. I believe I may have told you
that my Broº has had vexations & frettings enough for ten
years past to have destroyed half a doz. constitutions, &
I am afraid it has worn him down scarcely to be recover'd
again.” The conjecture was right as to Josiah Wedg-
wood's influence with the sick man, for he prevailed upon
him to make some settlement of his affairs on the basis of
a will drawn up in 1765; and after his death, he set about
the more difficult task of an arrangement of affairs
between the widow and her step-son. The uncle had
great pity for the latter, who had been rendered wild and
reckless by this woman's cruelty. “Since my return from
London my mind has been so taken up by a series of
disagreeable business, & melancholly events, he tells
Bentley, “as to unfit me for almost anything. My sister
Wedgwood by her extreme narrowness, & something
rather worse, makes the trust my late Brother left with
me extremely irksome and difficult to execute, so as to
keep any measures with her at all. One of the boys you
may remember was very weak, the shock he received
from his Father's Death, & the foolish talk & behaviour
of his mother to him made him for some time quite an
* Wedgwood was about setting off
on a visit to London, but he delayed
it for some days. His brother died
on the 23rd of the month whilst he
was absent. With the exception of
the coffin the articles necessary for
the funeral were furnished by Mrs.
Byerley, thus showing that her
trade was curiously miscellaneous.
The bill, which is too long to quote,
contains many curious particulars
relative to the funerals of that period.
Thus the crape and silk hatbands
cost more than 201. Buckles and
sleeve-links were supplied to some
of the attendants. Two gallons of
wine provided was charged 15s., and
the biscuits consumed cost ll. 28.
The account for the funeral is dated
February 23, 1773. Mayer MSS.
lºwedgwood to Bentley, Feb. 3,
CHAP. VI. HIS ELDEST SON. 271
Idiot, but he is geting better again, though he will never
be qualified to do any business, & what we shall do with
him I do not know." The mother was evidently herself
of weak intellect, for shortly after her mind gave way,
under the constant goading of a guilty conscience; whilst
her husband's son, whom she had so deeply injured,
soon began to show what worthy influence his uncle
had over him. Wedgwood made him his companion,
cheered him in every way, and soon wrote of him thus to
Bentley. “The improvement of my Nephew, & his Re-
formation w” is daily improving, gives me a very sensible
pleasure, & I have great hopes it will be continued to me.
But his poor step-mother is now in so deplorable a situa-
tion, that her ill-treated & allmost ruin’d step-son
cannot refuse a tear to her misery. She confesseth that
it was her daily study to set his Father against him, in
which, alass, she succeeded too well, that she had
wrong'd him every way, & cheated her own Bro" & sisters,
& has been the vilest wretch that ever liv'd. That her
children cannot prosper for her sake, & that she has
ruin’d them & herself too. She has returned Tom about
£15 in money, & many other things which she had
secreted upon my Brothers death at some of her good
Neighbours houses. She says she never dares see me
again after my telling her so plainly that she must
deliver all up, & she assuring me she had done it.
The poor Boy I am taking home to this melancholly
scene, who is a sensible thoughtful Lad, & must in a
day or two meet a mother deprived of reason, & over-
whelmed with guilt and despair; and a Brother as un-
willing as he is incapable of being taught or managed
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March 15 and 16, 1773,
272 SETTLEMENT OF CLAIMS. CHAP. VI.
to any good purpose. My heart bleeds for this poor
Boy, & I would rather take him any other way, but
his mother must & will see him.” “For some con-
siderable time Mr. Wedgwood seems to have retained his
late brother's affairs into his hands.” He established his
nephew in his father's Works, assisted him with loans
of money, and so far as was possible made a general
settlement of all the claims upon his brother's estate, even
to paying the legacies bequeathed by his, Josiah Wedg-
wood's, own father in 1749, to his daughters Margaret
Byerley and Catherine Willet.
This state of Thomas Wedgwood's affairs at his death,
not only shows him to have been an incompetent careless
man, but the soundness of his brother's judgment years
before in turning a deaf ear to his timid counsels and
narrow-minded prognostications. Thomas Wedgwood
had belonged to the old sleepy race of potters whose days
were gone by, and had owned nothing in common with
the generation around him, or with the great industrial
period then rising into view, and of which his brother
was already a foremost leader. Never were characters
more strongly contrasted ; or the sons of one father more
strikingly different.
Mr. Wedgwood had returned from London at the close
wood's Will were his brother Josiah
* Wedgwood to Bentley, May 30,
3 and John Knight. They were im-
177
* The Inventory of the Household
Goods of Thomas Wedgwood of
Burslem, taken July 30, 1773, is ex-
tremely interesting but too long to
quote in this edition. We learn from
it that the house was substantially
furnished after the simple fashion of
the time. There is also evidence
that the step-mother took her share
of goods, and left the place free to
the heir within two months of her
husband's death.
The Executors to Thomas Wedg-
powered to raise a sufficient sum by
mortgage to pay all necessary ex-
penses and legacies. The Churchyard
Works had been already mortgaged,
and recovery was not made till 1780
when Josiah Wedgwood became
the mortgagee. The house was
tenanted by Aaron Wood, and the
works from 1788 to 1793 by Joseph
Wedgwood. The legacies Thomas
Wedgwood of the Overhouse left his
daughters, were a charge upon the
Churchyard Estate.—Mayer MSS.
CHAP. VI. CATHERINE OF RUSSIA. 273
of February; and was scarcely settled down again to his
multifarious employments—executorship duties included
—than Bentley wrote to him relative to the Russian
service. The Semiramis of the North—coarse, licentious,
and brutal as she was—had yet enough of the woman
in her to be at times influenced by the arts of civilisation,
and by the refined taste and judgment of the foreign
ambassadors and ministers at her Court. France had
been thus instrumental in imparting some degree of taste
for arts and letters, but an influence of a far more solid
character had connected Russia to England since the
days of Peter the Great; and though occasionally in-
terrupted by war, or by periods of internal discord or
revolution, had visibly increased since the days of
Chatham's splendid foreign administration and Lord
Cathcart's embassy. French and Saxon porcelain reached
Russia by the usual channels of trade, but it was Lord
Cathcart who introduced to the Empress's notice Wedg-
wood's exquisite yet unservile copies of antique art; and
she had probably seen at the ambassador's or her nobles'
tables, that an English manufacturer had been the first
to unite in modern days, obvious utility and simple
grace. This unity of artistic truth was accepted the
more readily from its meeting an idiosyncrasy of the
Russian character, in which we find the Northern love for
the practical and objective in connexion with the Ori-
ental taste for rich and harmonious colouring. Hence
perhaps, in a day yet to come, the arts of the North may
in originality and adaptiveness vie with those of the South
in the antique ages. With these exquisite productions
thus brought to her hand, Catherine II. became a truly
royal patron. Through the agency of Lord Cathcart and
the merchants of St. Petersburg, she adorned her palaces
WOL. II. T
274 EXPORTS TO RUSSIA. CHAP. VI
with the finest vases, bas-reliefs, and gems, Wedgwood and
Bentley had yet produced ; and soon after, as we have
seen, she commissioned Mr. Baxter the British Consul to
procure the dinner and other services completed and sent
to Russia in the autumn of 1770. Many of her nobles
vied with her in this patronage. To meet this new
demand for English fayence the great commercial houses
became gradually large exporters. The amount of useful
ware which passed through the hands, chiefly of Boulton
and Fothergill, and Mr. Radcliffe of Manchester, at this
date is almost incredible, as we find orders for a hundred
dozen, a thousand dozen, and often more, of plates, in
addition to other pieces, necessary for sorting out into
services, and the merchants of Narva and Revel increased
this demand by commissions gathered from a wide area."
Thus gradually habituated to these necessary luxuries
of a civilisation more advanced than that of her country,
the Empress at the close of 1773, in imitation probably
of those German princes whose favours were lavished
upon the porcelain works of Dresden and Berlin, com-
missioned Mr. Baxter, through one of her nobles, to open
negociations with Wedgwood and Bentley, for the manu-
facture of a vast cream-ware service, for every purpose of
the table, and on which should be enamelled views of
British scenery. Each piece was to bear a different
scene, and as the service was for use at the ‘Grenouillière,’
a place so called, and forming part of the palace of
Tzarsko-Selo near St. Petersburg, a child and frog were
to be painted on the under-side as a distinctive mark.
The child was subsequently omitted, and the frog alone
appeared, painted green within a shield.
* The patterns of these orders for were blue ivy, antique purple border,
Narva, Revel, and others, for export- laurel border, and green feather edge
ation to Leghorn by Mr. Radcliffe, and flower. Mayer MSS.
CHAP, VI. THE GREAT SERVICE. 275
Bentley had the pleasure of announcing this royal
order to his friend, and in reply Wedgwood thus wrote
on March 23, 1773: “I have a score or two of Execu-
torship letters, to finish and send off to day, & have
Mr. Gardner with me, agreeing about the finishing of my
works & some other buildings which makes me rather
busy, but I must say a few words to you about this s”
service for my Great Patroness in the North, which the
Consul has been so obliging to bring me. Be so good to
make my best compliments & thanks to him, & in the
next place, if you please to accept a moiety of the honor &
profit in finishing this very supurb commission, for such I
truly esteem it, it is very much at your service. I suppose
it must be painted upon the Royal pattern, & that there
must be a border upon the rims of the dishes & plates &c.
of some kind, & the buildings &c. in the middle only.
The Child & Frog, if they are to be all in the same
attitudes, may perhaps be printed. I have no idea of
this service being got up in less than two or three years
if the Landskips & buildings are to be tolerably done, so
as to do any credit to us, & to be copied from pictures
of real buildings and situations, nor of its being afforded
for less than £1000, or £1500; why all the Gardens
in England will scarcely furnish subjects sufficient for
this sett, every piece having a different subject. I think
Mr. Baxter sho" be spoke to very particularly to know
what expense he thinks it would be prudent to lay upon
the service, for he cannot but know that any sum
almost may be expended upon this comm”. What our
hands can do in this business I do not know, you
will try the likelyest, & get what other help you can,
which you think necessary. I suppose this service is
order'd upon the idea of the two services geting up by
T 2
276 POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION. CHAP. VI.
the King of Prussia which I suppose have taken, or
will take many years to complete. One with all the
battles between the Russians & the Turks, drawn
under his Majesty's inspection, & intended as a pre-
sent, you know, to the Empress, & the others with all
the remarkable views and Landskips in his Dominions,
for his own use. Suppose the Empress sho" die when the
service is nearly completed, as it will be a very expensive
business, it may not be amiss to mention something of
the kind to the Consul.” A few days later, Mr. Wedg-
wood again recurs to these necessary precautions:—‘I
think we sho" have some assurance that no revolution
in the North sho" affect the validity of the Consul’s order
to us. To paint a number of pictures which can only
suit one particular situation, to the amount of one or two
thousand pounds without any assurance of their being
accepted farther than a verbal order which may be
countermanded at pleasure, is rather too great a risque.
And as these paintings will enhance the value of the
pieces so monstrously beyond the prices Earthen Ware
Dishes & plates Ought to bear; this alone, if there is not
a thorough understanding of this circumstance with the
Consul before the execution, may furnish a plausible
excuse for rejecting the order when completed. Other
causes, many other causes may have the same effect.
The Death of the Empress, a revolution in her Govern-
ment or ideas, a War, or bad understanding with our
Government. The Death, or change of the present
Consul, or even our offending him (a very possible chance,
you know) may cause a countermand of this order, unless
it be given in Some way to make it binding. One wo"
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March 23, 1773.
CHAP. VI. PRICE. 277
on the other hand avoid giving offence by over-much
caution.”
Bentley with his accustomed zeal to serve his friend,
and his generous disregard of self, offered every neces-
sary aid without desire to share in any profit which might
result. To this Wedgwood would not listen. “I am much
oblig'd to my Dear Friend for his kind offers of assistance
respecting the Russian service but I do not see how I can
do anything in it myself at this distance, & when I can
come to you is extremely uncertain, so that the whole
burthen must lie upon you, & how can I think of you
having all the trouble, and sharing none of the profit P
but if you think it cannot be kept distinct, or have any
other objections to its being a Partnership service, we must
order it some other way, for I must insist on your sharing
it with me in some way or other. You think the subjects
must be all from real views & real Buildings, & that it is
expected from us to send draftsmen all over the Kingdom
to take these views—if so, what time, or what money
wo" be sufficient to perform the one or pay for the other.
As to our being confin'd to Gothique Buildings only, why
there are not enough I am perswaded in Great Britain to
furnish subjects for this service. I think before we begin
upon this capital work Mr. Baxter should give us some
idea of the expense he would venture upon in the service
as it may be done to any value above £1500 or £2000,
but I think not for less to do us any credit.”
In addition to this of price many artistic difficulties
presented themselves, as that relative to the impossibility
of painting on tableware buildings which required mathe-
matical lines; and it had also to be considered if painting
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March 27, 1773.
* Ibid. March 29, 1773.
278 ESTIMATE OF COST. CHAP. VI.
or printing, or both combined should be resorted to in
respect to decoration. In the latter case the ware would
have to be sent to Liverpool to be printed, and to Chelsea
to be bordered. Bentley had another interview with the
Consul, but the perplexity relative to cost was not cleared
up. He thought the service might be completed for 400l.
or 500l. ‘which indeed it may, replied Wedgwood; “but
not fit for an Empress's table, or to do us any credit at
double that sum. The Dishes very moderately painted
with real views & buildings cannot surely come at less
than 20°/ a dish which will be £200 of the money, and
the plates at near half the price will almost make out
the £500.’" In order to give a practical solution to
one part of this difficulty Bentley set his enamel painters
to work to make some first essays ; but Wedgwood
foresaw that many new hands would be required, and
asks this question, “Dare you undertake to paint the most
embelished views, the most beautifull Landskips, with
Gothique Ruins, Grecian Temples, and the most Elegant
Buildings with hands who never attempted beyond Huts
and Windmills, upon Dutch Tile at three halfpence a doz. P
And this too for the first Empress in the World ! Well,
if you dare attempt and can succeed in this, tell me no
more of your Alexanders, no nor of your Promethueses
neither, for surely it is more to make Artists than mere
men.’” -
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 5,
1778. -
* As thus indicated, the painting
of the Russian service was com-
menced on April 3, 1773. On that
day James Bakewell and Mrs. Wil-
cox were set to paint landscapes, and
Nathaniel Cooper the inside borders.
On April 10, Joseph Linley began
the oak-borders, and Mrs. Wilcox's
husband took in hand the same work
as Cooper. In May, Samuel Arm-
strong was set to edging the service,
and in September and November
William Mence and Thomas Mills
were added to the list of inside bor-
derers. Ralph Unwin began painting
landscapes in May. With brief in-
termissions these painters were at
work upon the great service for the
rest of the year; at which date, or
somewhat earlier, a number of very
CHAP. VI. STRINGER OF KNUTSFORI). 279
Whilst these tests were in progress at Chelsea, business
took Wedgwood to Hindley near Manchester, and on his
way back he made Liverpool and Knutsford. At the
former place he consulted Green his printer, and at the
latter, a young painter of considerable ability, and who,
not improbably, was a distant relative on his mother's
side. “On my late journey,’ he writes to Bentley, ‘I
spent an evening at Knutsford with Mr. Stringer & looked
at his Landskips & pictures, & told him something of the
business we had in hand which I supposed would amount
to 2,000 views. He said it was a very arduous under-
taking, & must be a most expensive one if we did tole-
rable justice to the designs. That there were very few
Men in England clever at painting Buildings, & on asking
his opinion about the expence of painting each View upon
our ware; he said it would be necessary to have each
view sketched out from any that were now published by
some good draftsmen, in order to adapt it to the piece, to
take & leave with skill & judgment, &c., & that this wo"
deserve half a Guinea for each design. The painting it
upon the ware perhaps as much more; as to the borders,
value of the ware, &c. he could say nothing to them but
at a rough guess he supposed it could not be done for
less than 3 or £4,000, nor in less time than three or four
years. So far Mr. Stringer. I have now your good letter
of the 3" before me, & am glad to find you have made a
beginning upon the service, by which you will soon find
the value of these paintings better than from all the
reasoning in the world, & to that tryal I resign all further
thoughts about it.”
able enamel Painters were hired. Of paper, ‘To Painting the Russian ser-
these, as we shall see, several were vice, 1773.’ Mayer MSS.
young, well-educated women. They * Wedgwood to Bentley, April 9
all worked by time. Abstract of 1773. -
280 FORM AND COLOUR. CHAP. VI.
The form chosen was the Royal pattern, and the ordi-
nary cream colour toned with a delicate sulphur, so as to
give effect to the tints of the landscapes and borders; and
after much discussion between Wedgwood and Stringer,
it was settled, in order to avoid formality, that the views
should not end in a circle or line, but break off, as many
Small landscapes do, without any encircling line at all.
Bentley was meanwhile trying these two modes of paint-
ing, the free and the bounded, and he seems ultimately to
have made choice of the latter."
Mr. Wedgwood paid a visit to Chelsea a few days
after this was written, and over their pipes, or in the en-
amelling rooms, the friends solved this and many other
relative perplexities. It was a pleasant time indeed,
for Mrs. Bentley had her sister and brother or father
staying with her : other company was invited, and, amidst
generous hospitality and natures congenial to his own,
Wedgwood was in his glory. Upon his return into
Staffordshire he set busily to work to model new forms
for compotiers, soup-tureens, glaciers, flower baskets,
fruit dishes, and all those other gimcrack articles used
then as now in the service of the foreign dinner table.
His cousin Thomas Wedgwood was equally occupied.
Plates and dishes, cups and bowls, of faultless form and
precisely matching, were perfected under his guiding eye,
and soon waggons solely laden with this exquisite ware,
which resembled ivory, began to roll their way to distant
London, thence to feed the incessant needs of the
Chelsea enamellers. Etruria had greater and yet more
artistic days close at hand, but none more busy or full
of utility than these.
But the money question yet shackled the hands of
! Wedgwood to Bentley, April 18, 1773.
Chap. VI. AN APPEAL TO THE EMPRESS. 281
those whose hearts burned within them to do justice to
their great task. The Consul knew nothing of art or
its cost, and wished Wedgwood and Bentley to bind
themselves down to a certain sum for the production of
the service; but, as the latter very justly said, ‘we cannot
tell to a £100 or two what the expense will be, and
should therefore have some such latitude in our agree-
ment.” It is very evident that the Consul persisted in
his limitation, for the Empress herself was eventually
appealed to, with a result worthy of her rank, and of the
great Englishmen she had commissioned to honour her.
At once they were delivered
from their bondage, and a new
spirit was theirs. Previously
they were at work upon an
ordinary dinner service; now
they felt and acted like men
who had a great work of art to
set before the world. Previously
they could only hope to make
sketches from prints; now they -
had power to appeal to the ºr so ºn a wº
freshness of Nature herself. MLAYER COLLECTION.
Henceforth they worked with something like an inspira-
tion. “I thank you for the good account from St. Peters-
burg. The Empress has again prov’d herself to be what
we had before all the reason in the world to believe she
was a woman of sense, fine taste, & spirit. I will have
some real views taken & send them to you, from Trentham,
Keel, Lawton, Booth, Swinnerton, Shutboro, Ingestry,
Etruria, & many other places. The Consul should not
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 18, 1773.

282 A CAMERA. OBSCURA. CHAP. VI.
talk of doing them as much lower as we can. If his
Mistress heard him she wo" rap his knuckles. We could
do them as much lower as he pleases, but to do them
in the manner the Empress wishes to see them ; &
as we (I mean the Consul and all of us) may receive due
honour from the execution of the noblest plan ever yet
laid down, or undertaken by any manufacturers in Great
Britain, the price agreed upon is cheap beyond com-
parison with anything I know, & you will I make no
doubt of it convince the Consul of it in due time.’”
Thus with full liberty to do his work as his genius
prompted, it occurred to Mr. Wedgwood to call Mr.
Stringer to his aid. He lived within a reasonable dis-
tance, and his patronage he generously knew would aid
a young and clever artist. ‘Mr. Stringer, he tells
Bentley, “has promis'd to get me a few views for the
Russian service, but I do not expect more than perhaps
half a doz. Do you think, it would be worth while to
ingage Stringer for a few months to paint and instruct
our hands in London P. Upon this plan I would bring
him up to London, have a Camera Obscura with us, &
take 100 views upon the road.” There are many
pictures from real views of seats in the good houses in
London. These must be come at, as many as possible.
Suppose a written advertisement asking that favour was
put up in our Rooms. A Gent" at L" Gowers gave me
a good hint if it could be put into execution, which was
to apply to Mr. Brown, tell him what we had to do, &
that with respect to fame no man in England was so
* Wedgwood to Bentley, dated must have made its use familiar to
from Trentham, July 30, 1773. him, and this in turn undoubtedly
* From this we see how early the led his youngest son, Thomas Wedg-
camera was in Wedgwood's hands. wood, to his first essays in photo-
His practical knowledge of optics graphic art.
CHAP. VI. VIEWS AND SKETCHES. 283
much interested as himself in the execution of our plan.
He could procure us a great number of designs, tell us
who had the views of their pleasure grounds taken, &
might lend us a hand to take others, & perhaps do more.
I wish you could send me a good Camera Obscura, not
too cumbersome, that I could take to the Neighbouring
Gent” seats here, as I find it will be in my power to
pay some acceptable compt” in that way to some Gent"
in our Neighbourhood.” . -
The camera obscura Bentley procured folded up and
took large sized views. In addition to Mr. Stringer, a
nephew of Mr. Henshall's was employed, and through
September and October they were busy taking views in
Cheshire and Staffordshire. On October 28 they were,
as they had been for several previous days, at Trentham ;
and here Mr. Wedgwood joined them, as he did else-
where whenever possible. Yet with landscapes thus
supplied, and other resources, the enamel printers were
often at a standstill. “If your prints are nearly out,’
writes Wedgwood, ‘where must the thousands we still
want come from ?’ The answer was obvious; real views
must be still further resorted to. In November they
were still busy. “For some time past, writes Wedgwood
in apologising to his friend for delay in answering
letters, ‘young Stringer has taken up a good deal of
my time. He is still with me, and I suppose we shall
continue taking views for ten days or a fortnight longer,
it being abo' two days’ work to fix upon a situation, take
a rough sketch, & finish & copy another from that,
which is the course he takes.”
The Staffordshire gentry entered heartily into Wedg-
* Wedgwood to Bentley, August 14, 1773.
* Ibid. November 4, 1773
284 STAFFORDSHIRE VIEWS. CHAP. VI.
wood's plan of taking sketches of their respective seats,
and when once it was begun, he found it necessary, in
compliment to them, to finish this artistic business, prior
to taking similar sketches on a more extended scale.
This priority in So famous a matter seems to have been
highly gratifying. The cry from Chelsea was for views—
more views. Bentley was in despair. Heswrote that he
‘must finish with such things as he had, and John Wood
added, ‘ that if fresh views were not sent, they must pro-
ceed in copying those they had over again. To this Mr.
Wedgwood replied, “We could not send you the views
we have taken, for the Gent" here will see not only the
views of their own seats, but their neighbours' likewise,
to compare them together, so that we must finish our
Staffordshire views, at least those about us, before we
can send you any of them. The Gent" seem highly
pleas'd with the compliments, as they are pleased to say
I am paying to them, and from what I perceive in the
little we have done, I could make it well worth my
own while to pursue the same plan all over the kingdom.’
After begging Bentley not to be in too great haste to finish
the service, and desiring to have a list, with size of pieces,
of the quantity already completed, Mr. Wedgwood adds:
‘By the above I shall know what sized landskips to take,
for we finish them to the Oval of the dishes; and let
me tell you whilst I think of it, that L" Gower & some
others of my neighbours, will expect to be shown upon
some of the larger dishes, and their views are taken
accordingly. With respect to views within 20 or 30
miles of London, if you or your frº know of any
young Artists who have not yet made their way into full
business, I am sure you might serve them extremely.
The Ladies and Gent" here talk of coming up to London
CHAP. VI. SHALL THE SERVICE BE SHOWN ? 285
on purpose to see the service if we shew it before it is
sent away. I tell them we will get leave if we can,
for I am not yet positive as to the consequences of
shewing it at all in England. On one side, it would
bring an immense number of People of Fashion to our
Rooms, wo" fully complete our noteriety to the whole
Island, & help us greatly, no doubt, in the sale of our
goods, both useful & ornamental. It wo" confirm the
consequence we have attain'd, & increase it by shewing
that we are employ'd in a much higher scale than other
manufacturers; we should shew that we have paid many
comp" to our Friends and Customers and thereby rivet
them more firmly to our interests, but then we must do
this pretty universally, or you see the danger. For
suppose a Gent" thinks himself neglected, either by the
omission of his seat, when his neighbour's is taken, or by
puting it upon a small piece, or not flattering it suffi-
ciently. He then becomes our enemy—Gains some of
the Artists to his party, & Damns it with the R" Ambass"
& with every one he is able. This is a rock, & a
dangerous one too, & I cannot see indeed how we can
avoid it, shew, or not shew, for if a Gent" asks if we
have taken his seat, we must tell him, & if he further
asks to see it, I do not know if we can deny him.
These ideas have been floating in my head a long time,
twenty on one side & a score on the other, so that I am
not able to determine anything, but your opinion thrown
into either scale will make the other kick the beam, & I
shall be very impatient to hear from you upon the
subject.’’
With the consciousness that all great work perfects
itself as it goes on, Wedgwood still advised delay, and
| Wedgwood to Bentley, November 14, 1773.
286 LANDSCAPES ON DISHES. CHAP. VI.
this evidently not without an ulterior ambition, “for I
think,’ he says to Bentley, ‘by what you mention in your
last, & by what I have seen and learn’d lately, we shall
do much better in every respect than we have hitherto
done, & by the time this service is completed we shall be
about prepared to execute such an order for our own
Good K. & Q., but this is under the Rose.” Lord Stam-
ford lent many fine views, and his brother, the Honble.
Booth Gray, not only recommended Mr. Wedgwood to
seek the services of Devis and Smith, two landscape
painters of merit, but eventually aided him in procuring
beautiful sketches from paintings in the town-houses
of the London nobility. “The line we have thus got
into, adds Wedgwood, “is very promising, & I hope will
succeed. We have sent you a doz, Views, & shall send
you more and those from Enville, 2, 3 or 4 from Soho
soon, I am most afraid of our not having large Dishes &
other large pieces enough left to oblige our Friends who
sho" be put into capital situations.’"
The antithesis between a dish and a fine landscape is
so striking as to make their grave association in One
common idea wear something of the ludicrous. But to
Wedgwood the views and the dishes were very perplexing
things. Though the Empress's order was on a scale
worthy of Brobdignag, there was limit even here to
dishes and their size; and the point was to give the
largest dishes to the greatest folks, or rather the greatest
patrons. It proves how little Wedgwood and Bentley
leant on patronage, even that of royalty, that they forgot
it altogether till the service was half completed; and we
have other remarkable instances to give of this absorption
| Wedgwood to Bentley, November 23, 1773.
CHAP. VI. THREE OLD WOMEN. 287
in the ideal portion of their work. Bentley was in this
respect even more oblivious than his friend; but Wedg-
wood generally corrected the error before it was too late,
for George III. and his kindly Queen had held out a most
generous hand to their great potter. ‘It is a Pity,’ writes
Wedgwood to his friend, “but we had more large Dishes
in the service. As it is, it will seem & be in reality, too
great a partiality for a Country Esq. though he does
happen to be one's neighbour, & a good man, to Occupy
so Capital a situation as a large Dish when there is but
2 or 4 in the whole Service. If we can afford one of
them to Lº Gower will be as much as the Bargain, for
we have in my opinion been guilty of a Capital Omission
in not waiting upon his Majesty to acquaint him with the
Comm" we have rec" from the Empress & to know his
Maj—s pleasure if he would permit us to take any
views from the R–l Palaces or Gardens—but it is better
late than never & I am firmly of opinion it ought to be
done, & beg leave to submit it to your consideration.”
To one of the large dishes was assigned a fine view of
the Works at Etruria ; and on the top of the glaciers
or ice-bearing vessels for creams, jellies, and such things,
were set the figures of three old women, as an emblem of
Cold or Winter.” Wedgwood himself made the drawings
for the form of these vessels; and probably superintended
the modelling of their most appropriate emblem.
Mr. John Gilbert, Lords Radnor and Talbot, and Mr.
Anson, supplied views of their seats and gardens. Most
of the finest Staffordshire views had been painted by Dere,
of Newport Street, for Mr. Anson; and these, through
the liberality of their owner, Wedgwood and Bentley
were permitted to copy.
| Wedgwood to Bentley, December 1, 1773.
* Ibid. November 27, 1773.
288 TERRA-COTTA ORNAMENTS. CHAP. VI.
We have already seen that the rooms in Newport
Street had become much too small for the vast and
increasing business carried on there, and that the partners
had been for some time looking around them for more
suitable premises. The scheme for awhile entertained,
of renting one of the large houses then building in the
Adelphi by the brothers Adams, and adapting it to their
purpose, had been given up chiefly because Mr. Wedg-
wood did not consider that the advantages offered were
likely to balance the cost to be incurred, and he had also
a distaste to the Strand. He shared in an opinion then
prevalent, that the Strand was a vulgar part of the town;
and he considered all the approaches to it bad; a point
on which Bentley differed from him. Mr. Wedgwood
nevertheless kept up a genial intercourse with the Adamses.
He wished to introduce terra-cotta ornaments both for the
internal and external decoration of houses; and he was
aware, from the wide range of their employment, they had
much power in this respect. Individually, as Wedgwood
says, the brothers were well inclined, and occasionally
he prepared them slabs or other pieces with enamelled
grounds upon unglazed biscuit; but, as abody, the architects
opposed what, in the narrow dogmatism of their art, they
considered an innovation. Even Sir William Chambers,
who as the royal architect could have effected so much in
this respect, passed by unheeded this noble source of archi-
tectural ornament, and in one instance especially, that in the
building of Lord Melbourne's house, where full liberty
had been given to him to introduce at will any striking
yet simple style of decoration. Occasionally a gentleman
of wealth and taste, who was not a slave in the hands of
his all-wise architect, had recourse to this class of orna-
ment, as in the case of Sir John Wrottesley, in a fine
CHAP. VI. ARCHITECTURAL ORNAMENTS, 289
room he added to his seat in the autumn of 1772. Mr.
Wedgwood told him of the difficulties thrown in his way,
but Sir John replied “he pleased himself and not the
architects.” At a later date we find these ornamental
tablets more in request, and Wedgwood busy with fresh
designs and new amalgamations of colours, as a white
upon a black body; but public taste, and the architectural
accessories necessary to any truly artistic use of terra-
cotta, were not sufficiently in advance to give encourage-
ment to the great potter's designs in this respect. Here,
as in so many other of his artistic ideas he was far greater
than his age. Yet he seems never to have lost faith, that
clay as the plastic medium of what was most exquisite in
ornament, would yet fill a great void in architectural
decoration; and though our own day but sees the faint
beginning of these things, and recognises but obscurely the
true laws of colour and form in ornament, the first steps
have been taken, and there may be yet realized, in an
architecture more adapted thereto, some of those concep-
tions which as a great artist only moved before his ideal
vision in phantasmagoric beauty.
At a later date, one of the brothers Adams appears to
have supplied a fresh estimate with respect to a house in
the Adelphi, but Mr. Wedgwood declined to re-open the
treaty. Other houses in the Strand were offered, Lord
Bateman's town house was inspected, but the rent was
too high. Newcastle House was almost decided upon,
and even the notorious Mrs. Cornelly's house in Soho
Square was considered. But another chance offered, and
its advantages weighed the balance.
At this date Soho Square and its neighbourhood, though
declining as a place of fashion, was to the medical world
what Leicester Square was to the artistic. The fashion-
WOL. II. U
290 GREEK STREET, SOHO, CHAP. VI,
able doctors had noved west from Red Lion Square, and
settled down in this vicinity; and there necessarily
gathered round them, the theatres of anatomy, the lecture
rooms, and the students who profited by both. Soho
became gradually what a portion of the Borough is now;
and many of the houses were built or adapted to the
demand for a certain class of accommodation. -
At the rear, and yet communicating with a spacious
house in Greek Street, a large dissecting room had been
erected, and in November 1772 both were to let. Bentley
reported the matter to Wedgwood, who liked it well; for
he had laid it down as a rule not to remove to new
rooms till those suitable in every respect could be obtained.
The requirements were large both for the purposes of
show and of artistic labour; for by this time it had
become evident to both partners that Chelsea was too far
away, and that much would be gained by having the
enamelling works and the wholesale and retail business
once more in immediate connection. We first hear of
Greek Street in November 1772, ‘ I like the idea of the
dissectº room if a gallery can be had to it, it wo" make
our Rooms most complete.” A few days later Mr.
Wedgwood says again, ‘I cannot get the Dissecting room
you mentioned to me out of my head, that with Mr.
Bevers House & a Gallery to the former would be about
the quº of Shew Room we want, & come much cheaper
than the Adelphi buildings. That plan I now look upon
as given up, & should therefore be very glad if possible
to make some capital addition to our own, or get a better.
What has become of Mrs. Cornelley's Rooms? She is I
hear to remain in prison, & I cannot think anybody else
| Wedgwood to Bentley, November 14, 1772,
CHAP. VI. ENAMELLING BUSINESS. 291
will venture to take up her plan. Soho Square is not a
bad situation I think, but then you know better than I
do.” We hear nothing further of Greek Street in Mr.
Wedgwood's letters for some time; though his negotia.
tions respecting the premises in question commenced
early in 1773, and at the close of that year or the
beginning of the next, they passed into his occupation,
as we find from an attorney's bill.” In April 1774 the
show rooms though yet incomplete were opened; and in
July Mr. and Mrs. Bentley removed their household hither
from Chelsea.
Far earlier than this, we find Bentley and his enamellers
at work upon a grand scale. The number of hands, both
male and female, have been largely augmented, for the
demand for enamelled ware, particularly dinner and
dessert services, is steadily increasing, and there is work
enough, even without the great labours connected with
the Russian service. He supplements his partner's labours
with untiring zeal. He looks around him everywhere
for artists, books, and prints. He goes to Boydell, Major,
Cadell and Hooper; employs Pye the engraver; and
Mr. Pennant of Lichfield, as well as some others, send
presents of prints. In February, Mr. Wedgwood may
well write to him thus, ‘Yes my Dear Friend I am very
well pleas'd with what you have done, & thank you very
cordially for it. That business is now as it should be,
& the 7 months will be pretty well advanced by the time
the Goods are shipp'd. The money in June will be very
acceptable too, for I shall want some about that time for
for twenty things too tedious now to mention. We
have sent some covers for the R" service by the last
| Wedgwood to Bentley, Nov. 23, 1772. * Mayer MISS.
U 2
292 FEMALE PAINTERs. CHAP. VI.
Waggon, & I am preparing the Glauciers, the only things
now wanting from hence that we know of to complete it."
From forty-six bills relative to wages paid at Chelsea
during 1774, it is seen that on an average twenty-eight
enamellers were constantly employed, of whom seven were
female hands.” Of these Miss Pars and Miss Glisson,
evidently belonged to a superior situation in life. They
are almost always indicated by the prefix of ‘Miss, a title
not so readily bestowed then as in our own day, and the
rate of payment indicates superior ability. Thus, Miss
Glisson who painted steadily at the works throughout
the year received 12s. per week; Miss Pars, who was
absent during a portion of the Summer, 10s. 6d. per week.
The latter seems to have lived near at hand, and was,
without doubt, sister of William Pars, who in 1764 gained
the Society of Arts' twenty-guinea premium for historical
painting, and in 1770 was chosen associate of the Royal
Academy. He was also appointed draughtsman to the
party sent out to Greece by the Dilettanti Society to make
researches amongst the ruins of antiquity.
Bentley's opinion had in Mr. Wedgwood's words ‘kicked
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Febru-
ary 27, 1774.
* As the Russian service holds a
high place amongst Wedgwood's most
famous works, it is well to record the
names of those who assisted so ably
in its decoration. The males were
David Rhodes master, James Bake-
well, John Englefield, Joseph Barret,
William Quirk, Samuel Armstrong,
William Henshaw, Nathaniel Wal-
lace, William Thomas, John Roberts,
George Simons, George Seignund,
Nathaniel Cooper, William Mence,
Thomas Mills, Joseph Linley, Ralph
Unwin, Thomas Simcock, Ralph
Wilcox, Thomas Hutchens, John
Roberts, and Mr. Mather, clerk of
works.
Their wages averaged from
1, 11s. 6d. to 10s. weekly. The
female painters were Miss Pars, Miss
Glisson, Catherine Dent, Catherine
Wilcox, Ann Mills, Grace Roberts,
and Ann Roberts. Their wages
ranged from 18s, to 7s. weekly. Mrs.
Wilcox received the highest rate
of wages, Dakewell and Unwin
painted landscapes, Cooper the frogs
at 24d. and 3d, each. Linley the
fruit and flower baskets, and Glover
the tea-ware of the service. The
females were chiefly employed in
bordering; and all the larger pieces
as the chief dishes, tureens, and com-
potiers, were distributed amongst
those who had great reputation as
landscape painters.
CHAP. VI. THE SERVICE SHEWN. 293
the beam’ in favour of shewing the Russian service.
Accordingly, early in June, its completion being suffi-
ciently advanced, advertisements were inserted in the
chief papers to the effect that the service was on show at
the new rooms of Wedgwood and Bentley in Greek Street,
Soho, and that admission was by tickets. The nobility
availed themselves of this privilege in great and increasing
numbers; so that before a week was out, the Russian
Service was one of the most popular sights in London.
Mrs. Delany with her fine taste and artistic eye, was one
amongst the earliest of these visitors. On June 7, she
thus writes, ‘I am just returned from viewing the Wedg-
wood-ware that is to be sent to the Empress of Russia.
It consists I believe of as many pieces as there are days
in the year. They are displayed at a house in Greek
Street, “Soho " called “Portland House,” there are three
rooms below and two above filled with it, laid out on
tables, everything that can be wanted to serve a dinner;
the ground, the common ware pale brimstone, the draw-
ings in purple, the borders a wreath of leaves, the middle
of each piece a particular view of all the remarkable
places in the King's dominions neatly executed. I sup-
pose it will come to a princely price; it is well for the
manufacturer, which I am glad of, as his ingenuity and
industry deserve encouragement. Among the views (and
the prettiest there, tho' justice has not been done to it), is
Thorpe Cloud as it appears at the end of the improve-
* As usual Bentley made the draft House, Greek Street, Soho. The
of this advertisement, which was
published through the month of
June 1774 in the St. James's Chro-
nicle, the Gazetteer, and the Public
Advertiser. Later in the same year,
they again advertised the removal of
the principal part of their business
from Newport Street to Portland
public were at the same time in-
formed ‘ that at the warehouse in
Newport Street is a considerable
variety of vases and other ornaments
after the finest antique models, that
are not quite perfect, and will there-
fore be sold much lower than the
usual prices.”
294,
MRS. DELAN.Y.
ments at Ilam ; but my indignation was roused when I
read the words “A view of Thorpe Cloud belonging to
Mr. Adderly.”
I rectified the mistake with the person
who had the charge of them, and hope Tlam will ac-
knowledge its true master to her Imperial Majesty.”
Though the service was thus on view, there was yet
a considerable amount of enamelling to be done.
Shuter was busy with a sketch of Lord Fortescue's house
in Wimpole Street.
Major Rook, the well known anti-
CHAP. VI.
* John Port Esq., husband of Mrs. industry, and moral worth, whether
Delany’s niece.
* Correspondence of Mrs. Delany,
vol. i. second series.
* We gather some idea of the
fashionable tone of the day relative
to the social position of trade and
gentility, from these somewhat
patronising remarks of Mrs. Delany
on Wedgwood. To spend money
instead of earning it, or in other
words, the difference between active
mental and manual industry, and
luxurious idleness, made an almost
impassable barrier between class and
class. Nor as yet was the business
of the potter, or the decoration of
pottery ranked as a fine art, or its
masters yet placed in their true posi-
tion. Wedgwood was the man who
did essential service in this respect.
Pottery in his hands became a noble
art, worthy of the devotion of princes;
and his energy it was, in conjunction
with that of the other mighty in-
dustrial leaders of his time, which
increased the productive powers of
the nation to an extent before un-
dreamt of, and saved it from some of
the natural results of the very idle-
ness which thus affected to praise
and patronise. In our generation
the danger is on the other side; from
the still more intolerable and offen-
sive alliance between riches and
ignorance. And we shall have made
no advance in the solution of this
old and difficult question, or advan-
tageously testified to what consti-
tutes true civilisation, till intellect,
in alliance with poverty or riches,
rank or humble state, are valued for
themselves and all the immeasurable
blessings they bestow.
Mrs. Delany has two earlier notices
than this of Wedgwood. In the
autumn of 1770, when his rapid im-
provements in ornamental ware left
a large amount of what he naturally
considered an inferior stock on hand,
he wrote thus to Bentley, “Suppose
we have an auction at Cobb's room
of Statues, Bassrelief pictures, Tri-
pods, candelabrum, lamps.' But
nearly all the letters of 1771 are lost,
and we have no account of this sale.
It appears however from Mrs. De-
lany's report, to have taken place at
Christie's auction rooms in April
1771. , ‘I am this moment going to
Christie's, she wrote ‘to see the fine
productions of Staffordshire which
they say are superb.’ To this she
added after her visit “I have seen
the fine show at Christie's, and am
much pleased with the neatness and
elegance of the work, but it bears a
price only for those who have super-
fluous money.”—Vol. i. second series,
p. 434–5. In the following year,
December 1772, there is another
notice of Wedgwood, ‘I found on
my table a profile of Captain Ed-
ward Hamilton in Wedgwood ware
in imitation of the antique, very
like.’—Ibid. p. 487. Later still we
shall see that Mrs. Delany visited
Mrs. Bentley in Greek Street on
terms of friendly intimacy.
2
9
5
CHAP. VI. DUPLICATE PIECES.
quarian, whose acquaintance Mr. Wedgwood had made
by this time, lent amongst other views those of Lord
Paget's house and stables; and Mr. Vernon and the
Duke of Buccleugh permitted various fine landscapes
hung up in their houses in town to be copied, From
Lord Carlisle they had a view of Castle Howard, and
one of Lord Buckingham's house from Mr. Barret."
Early in June Mr. Wedgwood was in London; and at
Dunstable on his way home he wrote thus to his friend.
“I should be glad to have a few duplicates of the
Russian service sent to Etruria next Monday. The Soup
Plate of Lº Gowers, & a few other good ones, Dishes
&c., none of the slight ordinary things, they will not
be worth shewing. I think the fine painted pieces
condemn'd to be set aside whether it be on account of
their being blister'd, duplicates, or any other fault,
except poor and bad painting, should be divided be-
tween Mr. Baxter and Etruria, & we may paint more
without the Frog, to be shown in Greek Street. Be so
good as to let Simpcock examine by the Alphabet
Catalogue if Mr. Fitzherbert's House is painted, if not,
let it be done upon a plate, or some piece that will hold
it. Amongst the duplicate pieces thus painted without
the frog, was a small tea-service, of which the cup and
saucer engraved are specimens. They show the general
style of composition and effect, though necessarily far
* Wedgwood to Bentley, memo- ness in the verdure of his landscapes.
randa without date, but written at . In 1764 he gained the 50l., premium
Barnet. This is without doubt from the Society of Arts, being the
George Barret the landscape painter, first prize given by them for the best
and not the Joseph Barret employed landscape. He became subsequently
as an enameller. It is another name - a Royal Academician. Though
added to the list of distinguished patronised by Burke, Lord Powers-
artists whose services Wedgwood court and others, he was always,
and Bentley occasionally made their's. from the extravagance of his habits,
He was an excellent painter, being a needy man.
remarkable for fresh and dewy bright-
296 STYLE OF DECORATION. Cnap. VI.
less decidedly, than one of the fine pieces of the great
service itself; say a soup tureen, a compotier or an oval
dish. Still as the only specimens, now extant, at least
in this country, they are of the highest value, in an
artistic, and historic sense.
Both cup and saucer are of somewhat Johnsonian size,
and fitted for a generation who spent hours at the tea-
table; sipping the beverage as flies do honey, whilst
(Fig. 50.) saucer, Russian SERVICE.-MAYER COLLECTION.
scandal, politics, or gossip moved their tongues. The
body is of a highly toned cream or light saffron colour;
and the form, the old oriental. The edge and other
lines are the pale black of Indian ink which against the
other colours assumes a purple hue, the inner antique
border the same; the wreath or outer border, amaranth
or dark mauve, for the flowers, with the leaves green.
The result of this mass of pale purplish black is very

Chap. VI. CUP AND SAUCER. 297
striking, and imparts to the charming landscapes some-
what that of the effect of an autumnal sunset. The
subject of the landscape on the saucer is that of a
castle standing amidst woodland. A river of importance,
exquisitely shown, winds about it in sylvan reaches; and
in the foreground are two gentlemen or keepers, on their
way home from shooting; one shows the game to the
dog whilst the other converses, probably with the master
of the domain who has approached from a distance.
The cup, which though small is extremely elegant, both
in itself and the annexation of the handle, is edged
(Fig. 51.) CUP AND SAUCER, RUSSIAN SERVICE.-MAYER COLLECTION.
with the same purple black border. Within are the oak
leaves referred to in the bills, composed of different
shades of green. The landscape without the cup is said
to be a scene amidst the Welsh hills; for on the side
not shown by the artist, green hills and their blue
distances are prominently seen.
From a list still extant of the table and dessert services
prior to enamelling, we learn that neither tea nor
breakfast ware formed any portion of either. But Mr.
Mayer in becoming possessor of these beautiful speci-
mens learnt that they had formed a portion of certain

298 VISIT FROM THE QUEEN. CHAP. VI.
supplementary pieces, painted as seen in the letter
already quoted, at the request of Mr. Wedgwood,
for the purpose of gifts or personal use. To these, this
cup and saucer belonged. -
The Russian Service was on show for nearly two
months ; a period longer than the partners desired. ‘I
agree with you that our shew in Greek Street' writes
Wedgwood early in July, “has been continued open a
sufficient time, & am glad to hear you are preparing the
Catalogue & making the goods ready for packing. I shall
congratulate you most heartily when this tedious busi-
ness is completed, & I cannot repeat my thanks to you
too often for the great & continued attention you have
for two years past bestowed upon this elaborate work.’’
Prior to its close the shew was honoured by a visit
from the Queen and Prince Ernest of Mecklenburg her
brother. Mr. Wedgwood was just then unable to be in
London, but Bentley was his courtly deputy ; and the
letter descriptive of the Royal visit must have conveyed a
vivid picture, as it is thus referred to. “I thank my Dear
Friend for his two last good letters, & congratulate him
upon the high honour he has just receiv'd from our good
& gracious Queen, & I hope one of these days to repeat
my congratulations upon his receiving the like honour
from his Majesty. I am very much oblig'd to you for
the particular account you have been so obliging to give
me of this visit, & the disposition of the Rooms, which
I am sure must have a charming effect, & I not there-
fore so much wonder at her Majesty, & the Prince her
Brother expressing their approbation in pretty strong
terms. As I could not have the honour of waiting upon
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 8, 1774.
CHAP. VI. BENTILEY'S LABOURS. 299
her Majesty at Greek Street in Person, you are very
good to make the pleasure approach as near to that as
possible, by the very clear and minute description you
have given me of this visit: & I thank you most
sincerely for this amongst a thousand other polite and
kind attentions I am every day receiving from you.’’ ”
Whilst Royal and aristocratic visitors thus paid
homage to the genius and untiring labours of Mr.
Wedgwood and his partner, the latter was fully occu-
the new premises in
the Catalogue of the
away at Etruria, was
pied in improving and arranging
Greek Street, and in elaborating
great service. If Wedgwood, far
still ceaselessly bringing what he called his ‘visions’ to
and
the
practical results, Bentley's energy, exquisite taste,
sound judgment supplemented these labours to
utmost. By their perfect unanimity, by deferring one
to the other, where there was cause for doubt, by their
entire faith in each other, an amount of work was
accomplished, equal to anything known, under the more
organized system of the present generation. There was
much to do to “Portland House, as it was named ; and
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 15
and 16, 1774,
* In 1769 or 1770, when the minor
Russian services were in progress,
her Majesty, made a far less cere-
monious visit to Newport Street.
Mr. Wedgwood, who happened to
be in London with his wife, got
some intimation of her Majesty's in-
tention, and tried to put it off or defer
the visit as but little ware was ready,
and the shop not in fitting order, but
without result. He had therefore to
dispatch a messenger with this hasty
note to Chelsea. “I)ear Sr. I have
seen Lady Hold—& I told her all I
could, the result is that she says it is
impossible to put it off; the Q
wants to see the Shop, & we must
shew what we can of the R service,
& as well as we can, and that must
do' I shall send you our packer, &
a Cart. You'l please to order what
you think proper to be put up of the
R" service, vases, &c. Mrs. Wedg-
wood will bring the Carre, & I shall
be doing what I can here, & shall
be glad to see you here after dinn',
Y” affectionately, J. Wedgwood.
This note is without other date than
Thursday morning. It is addressed
‘Mr. Bentley, Chelsea.” We know
nothing further of this royal visit;
Queen Charlotte, as Mr. Charles
Knight tells us in his charming
Autobiography, was somewhat given
to thus “popping in without cere-
mony, upon her good subjects,
300 PORTLAND HOUSE. CHAP. VI.
the arranging the dissecting room to the needs of the
enamellers was no easy task. Eventually it was divided
into seven small rooms, in One of which was the kiln or
Another was used for the reception of finished
ware, and the rest were used for the purposes of the
clerks and enamellers."
Time, fire, and alterations of various kinds have so
changed the premises occupied by Wedgwood & Bentley
in Greek Street, Soho, that it is impossible now to trace
the alterations advised by the one, and doubtless carried
out by the other. So much of the original building has
perished, that no truthful illustration could be obtained ;
though till very recently it is said Wedgwood's name was
muffle.
to be seen traced with a diamond upon a window pane.
A great artistic interest is associated with the old premises
and their immediate neighbourhood, for here it was that
Wedgwood's fame culminated in the greatest of his
matchless works, the jasper tablets, the medallion por-
traits and busts, the cameos, and the Barberini Vase.
As the great task of the Russian Service thus drew to
a close, the point of cost came necessarily under consider-
ation in a letter already quoted from.” Mr. Wedgwood
says, after thanking his friend for the attention he has
* An enamelling kiln is similar to
a glass blower's muffle. The one
spoken of was moveable. In a
bill of sundries dated August 6, 1774,
is the following, ‘Carriage of the
kiln to Lambeth to mend 1/6; 2
pints of beer to the bricklayers
mending the kiln 33d.”—Mayer MSS.
All Wedgwood's enamelled ware
was fired after painting with wood
or charcoal; the charcoal being used
for certain colours, or after firings
which required an intenser degree of
heat. The carbonaceous gases act
chemically upon many colours, and
competent judges consider that the
fineness of the enamelled hues, and
in some measure the permanency of
the gilding is referable to the use of
charcoal. Amongst Mr. Mayer's
papers are many bills for billet
wood and charcoal. The latter cost
1s. 3d per bushel. The consumption
of both during the progress of the
Russian service was enormous. Be
tween March 7 and August 6, 1774.
one dealer supplied 18,000 billets at
the cost of 171. 2s. In June of the
same year, 10,000 small billets were
bought, and in August Mr. Bentley
paid one Francis Edgeley 18l. 3s. for
22,000 billets at 16s. 6d. per thousand.
Mayer MSS.
* That of July 8, 1774.
CHAP. VI. ESTIMATES. 301
bestowed upon this elaborate work, “I hope one other
trespass upon your patience and good nature will complete
the whole. I mean settling the price of this work with
our good Patron, Mr. Baxter—you are much better
qualified to do this than myself in many respects, as you
have negotiated what has hitherto been done in that
matter, & must have clearer ideas what was, & was not
included in the estimate you gave of this work than I
can. According to my ideas, taken from your letters at
the time you were endeavouring to give this estimate,
there are many extras to be brought into the account
upon our final settlement with Mr. Baxter, which I have
no doubt he will readily assent to, & I wish you to con-
sult with him upon the properest mode of making them.
I will name some of these extra expenses, though they
must occur to you without it. Taking original views,
copying Pictures & Drawings, Buying Books & Prints to
a large amo". The compartments to the Landscapes, &
the Frogs and Shields, I believe did not enter into your
estimate. Insurance upon the works at Chelsea, Making,
Translating, & Printing the Catalogue. These things, to
say nothing of the expenses of my journeys to London,
& stay there at different times on account of this service
near six months, & what is much more, the taking up so
much of your time, & the constant exertion of your taste
& Talents for two years. I say not to bring these things
to any account, this service has cost several hundred
pounds in the extras above recited, which were not
included in the estimate at all; and you very well know
that with this addition, if you call it 500l. there will not
be near the profit upon this service that we have upon
our commonest painted goods.”
| Wedgwood to Bentley, July 8, 1774,
302 ESTIMATES, CHAP. VI,
The two services contained 952 pieces, and their cost
as plain creamcolour ware was 51 l. 8s. 4d. being 36l. 6s.
for the dinner service, and 15l. 2s. 4d. for the dessert
service. The lowest estimate of decorative cost amounted
to the sum of 2,3591. 2s. 1d. and this without calculating
many extras. The whole is thus set forth by Mr. Bentley,
and partly by his own hand.
£ S. d.
‘Table Services. º © ſº e tº & * 51 8 4
1244 Enamel Views & Paintings at 5/3, 10/6, 21/,
31/6, & 42/–say at 21/ upon an average . . 1306 4 0
1244 Borders & Compartments including 1244 Green
Frogs & Compartments at 5/, 10/, 15/, 20/, &
25/—say 15/ upon an average . tº t . 933 () ()
#2290 12 4
Original Drawings, Copying Pictures & Drawings, &
Books of Natural History & Prints—Suppose
half the Expence . º e - • ... 100 0 (0
Insurance of the Service in the works at Chelsea . 2 18 6
Translating & Printing the Catalogue . e º 9 14 0
22 Packing Cases & Shipping . º º º o 7 5 7
- - §2410 10 5
The Borders, Compartments, & Frogs & Compartments
upon a great many pieces have cost as much as the
Pictures; & in general full 3/4" as much. The above
Estimate is made upon the same Principles, & in the
same Proportion as upon our Common Enamel'd ware,
without any allowance for Journeys & extraordinary
attention, & time given up &c. to the amount of some
hundred Pounds, or for extraordinary risque of ware
damaged in the firing, or otherwise defective; which in
common cases may be sold at an Inferior Price. And of
this in the present case there has been & still remains a
very considerable quantity; at least to the amount of
£100.71
The price which the Empress ultimately paid is not
precisely known, though stated to be 3,000l. This, as
*... List of the Russian Service. Mayer MSS.
CHAP. VI. THE 4 GREAT PATRONESS.” 303
Mr. Wedgwood well said, afforded them no adequate re-
muneration for the incessant anxiety and immense labour
involved in its production. But it served as a splendid
advertisement to the whole continent of Europe, and
spread Wedgwood and Bentley's fame to the most distant
foreign courts. Catherine was fond of using these services
at her state dinners; and as she outwardly at least attached
herself to the English policy, favoured Englishmen, and
dealt in a liberal spirit with all that concerned the com-
merce of our country, there can be no doubt that in the
abstract this generous spirit which looked more to great
work than great gain, was richly and amply rewarded."
Catherine was no niggard. Her vices, her duplicity, her
cruelty, her ambition, shed nothing but infamy around
her name ; but she could do royal and noble acts when
she pleased, and she thus differed from many of the other
royal tyrants of her day, in not adding meanness to
her sins.” Had she known that barren honour was
almost the sole reward, it is certain ‘ his Great Patroness’
as Mr. Wedgwood loved to call her, would not have
stayed her generous hand. But her Consul, or the Russian
officials through whom he acted, kept these things from
1 Mr. Harris, afterwards Lord
Malmsbury, who went as English
Minister to St. Petersburgh in 1777,
was quite aware of Catherine's innate
duplicity of character. During his
residence at her court, he had to
struggle against the implacable
hatred of Frederick the Great to-
wards England, and to guard against
the Empress's false professions of
friendship towards a country which
she was rejoiced to see engaged in a
hot war with France, whilst she
matured her projects against Turkey.
* Horace Walpole, who was no
Puritan, and flippantly regarded the
vices of his time, had no word of
charity for Catherine. ‘My dear
Sir,’ he writes to his friend Sir
Horace Mann, “leave it to Voltaire
and the venal learned to apologize
for that wretched woman. I am
not dazzled with her code of laws,
nor her fleets in the Archipelago.
La Charlotais in prison or exile is
venerable. Catherine will be detest-
able though she should be crowned
in St. Sophia, and act a farce of
Christianity there. Pray deny her
a place in so pure a heart as your
own. The proper punishment of
mighty criminals is their knowing
that they are, and must be for ever
despised by the good.’—Walpole's
Ietters, Cunningham's Edit, vol. v.
p. 234.
304 THE RUSSIAN CONSUL. CHAP. VI.
Catherine's ear. Three years later, it would seem that
Baxter made some curious enquiries with respect to the
views painted on the service. But Mr. Wedgwood was
as usual cautious. “I have just time to say, as a first.
thought, he wrote to Bentley in answer, “that I would
not let Mr. Baxter into the knowledge of the books from
whence we had, or may now have our views, nor sell our
originals; but if the Empress, or he chuse to have copies,
we may make them out to any price according to the
finishing. Must I send you the books you mention, or
any part of them P”
The pecuniary claims for the Russian services were,
after some negotiation, finally and amicably settled, and
the partners ready to serve the Consul in other ways. “I
cannot sufficiently thank you,' writes Wedgwood to his
friend ‘for the trouble you so kindly take upon you in
everything relative to the R n service; I hope Mr.
Baxter will make the remaining part easier to you, than
we expect at present.” In another letter he says, “I beg
you will present my respectfull compliments to Mr. Baxter
& if he has any commands for me with Mr. Henshall,
(our Engineer), I will gladly execute them, & he will
find Mr. Henshall dispos'd to do everything in his power
to furnish the Consul with such Plans & models as he
may wish to be supplied with.” At a later date, Baxter
visited Staffordshire and the adjacent counties for the
purpose of seeing the Grand Trunk Canal, and tracing
out some of Brindley's surveys, and this probably in an
official sense for the Russian government. Catherine
strenuously endeavoured to improve the inter-communica-
tion between One part of her kingdom and another, and
| Wedgwood to Bentley, December 15, 1777.
* Ibid. August 16, 1774. * Ibid. July 8, 1774.
CHAP. VI. CATALOGUE OF THE RUSSIAN SERVICE. 305
thus Wedgwood whilst looking only to the perfection
of one art, was the indirect means of promoting others of
as great efficiency to the ends of civilisation.
Not the least of Bentley's labours in connection with
the Russian Service was its Catalogue. He wrote the
introduction, which afterwards, with the list of views, was
translated into French. It is unknown what number of
copies were printed. They are now so utterly lost sight
of, that that possessed by Mr. Mayer" is unique in its
kind. A portion, no doubt, was printed in English,
and distributed amongst the nobility and gentry, who
had so generously contributed to the adornment of the
service ; and in the hidden recesses of country halls some
few copies may be extant. There was a patriotic feel-
ing abroad amongst the higher classes in favour of the
service; many regarding with pride the graceful art
which conveyed to remote distances facsimiles of the
old ancestral homes, where generations of their race had
dwelt in honour and peace.
Wedgwood and Bentley's desire to please their Royal
Patroness was more than fulfilled; Catherine was warm
in her praise. She conveyed her thanks not only
through the English Consul, but her own Ambassador.
She enshrined the service in the most fantastic, and yet
most beautiful of her country retreats, and showed it
there to Lord Malmsbury in 1779.” It was used in those
* It was translated for this edition any stranger is used to. She admits
but press of matter necessitated its me to all her parties of cards, and a
omission. It will appear, with many few days ago carried me with only
other interesting notes, subsequently. two of her courtiers to a country
* Petersburg, June 3, 1779. “I | palace, where she has placed the
have the good fortune,’ wrote the portraits of all the crowned heads of
future Lord Malmsbury to his fa- Europe. We discussed much on
ther, ‘to have made myself not dis- their several merits, and still more
agreeable to the Empress. She on the great demerits of the modern
notices me much more than any of portrait painters, since in the whole
my colleagues; more I believe than collection, except one of our two
WOL. II. X
306 FAME OF THE GREAT SERVICE, CHAP. VI.
splendid entertainments she gave from time to time, in
the palace of Tzarsko-Selo, and she preferred it to royal
gifts of Berlin and Dresden porcelain. As its fitness and
beauty, its simplicity and taste thus came before her eyes,
let us hope, if for the moment only, art exerted a portion
of its divine prerogative, and inspired in her breast feelings
more worthy of woman's nature, than those habitual to
her. The great service was in every sense a national
work, and its fame was not only national but European.
eldest princes done by West, there
is not a single picture that has either
design, colour, or composition. She
calls this place la Grenoulliere, & it
was for it that Wedgwood made
Some years ago, a very remarkable
service of his ware on which a green
frog was painted. It represented
the different country gardens &
houses in England. This also was
shown, & this led us to a conversa-
tion on English gardening in which
the Empress is a great adept.' Lord
Malmsbury's Diaries and Corre-
spondence, vol. i. p. 231.
CAMEO, DESIGNED FOR GERMANY.

CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.
CHANGE IN THE FASEIIONABLE TASTE FOR CREAM WARE–WEDG-
wooD DISINCLINED TO FAVOUR THIS CAPRICE—IMPROVES THE
ORDINARY BISCUIT IBODY-BEGINS HIS EXPERIMENTS FOR ONE
STILL FLNER—TEIE CORNISEI CLAYS — FIRST TRIALS OF THE CAR-
EONATE OF BARYTA—HIS DELIGHT IN CHEMICAL EXPERIMIENT-
TEIE TERRA PONDEROSA OR CARBONATE of BARYTA—ITS PROTEAN
CHARACTER—A HINT FROM PRIESTLEY-THE SULPHATE OF BARYTA
OR CAWK—ITS USE AS AN INGREDIENT IN THE NIEW BODY-JOACHIM
SMITH's PORTRAITS IN WAX—CAWK FOUND TO BE THE TRUE MATE-
RIAL–PORTRAITS AND SMALL STATUE BAS-RELIEFS-PROMISE OF
LARGER COMPOSITIONS – THE TERRA PONDEROSA NOT WPIOLLY
DISCARDED, THOUGH REDUCED TO FRACTIONAL USE—CHANGE IN
PROCESSES-CAWK ON MIDI) LETON MOOR-PRECAUTIONS NIECESSARY
IN OBTAINING: IT-DISGUISED BY POUNDING—WEDGWOOD OVER-
WORKED–TABLETS FOR CHIMNEY-PIECES — FLAXMAN —BIIS FIRST
WORK FOR WEDGWOOD-MODELLERS' BILLS.–STAINED RELIEF
WORK-CAMIEOS—MANUFACTURING PROCESSES –THE TERM. JASPER
APPLIED TO THE NEW COMPOSITION — ITS INGREDIENTS – DIFFI-
CULTIES WITH ITS SECRET-TABLETS BY HACKWOOD-CAMIEOS—
A CABINET OF GEMS-A BOOK OF WASES-SUBJECTS IN WEIITE
EISCUIT AND UNCOLOURED JASPER—THE CHOICE OF HERCULES-
PLAQUE OF POMONA—EIEAD OF MEDUSA—THAT OF MINERVA
—WASE OF EXOUISITE FORM-SACRIFICE TO PAN AND ITS
COMPANION-INCREASE IN ENAMELLED WARE–BORDERS–OTHER
PATTERNS-PRINTING—SHELL AND SEA-WEED PATTERNS-FURTHER
IMPROVEMENTS – PROPOSED PRINTING MANUFACTORY ON THE
BANKS OF THE GRAND TRUNK CANAL – PRICES.– TILES – GREEN’s
LENGTHENED SERVICES TO WEDGWOOD,
CHAPTER VII.
THE NEW COMPOSITION AND ITS RESULTS.
N spite of its artistic tone of colour, its exquisite glaze
and its wide spread popularity, both at home and
abroad, there were those, who from caprice of taste, or a
restless desire for novelty, wearied in time of the Queen's
ware, and through the retail dealers, and often of the
manufacturers themselves, began to enquire for a new sort
of table-ware which should approach, or indeed exceed
stoneware in whiteness. Sir William Meredith was one
of those who aimed at change, and reported amongst his
friends that Wedgwood would soon adorn their tables
with a whiter ware; but the latter, though he entertained
the idea for a time, dropped it as it would seem without
even making an experiment. ‘You know, he says to
Bentley at this date, “that I have given over the thoughts
of making any other colour but Queen's ware. The
white ware would be a great deal dearer, & I apprehend
not much better liked; & the Queen's ware, whilst it con-
tinues to sell, is quite as much business as I can manage.”
But the improvements in manufacturing processes are
usually in themselves the cause of change. The substitu-
tion of Derbyshire chert for boulders of blue granite, in
the process of grinding flint, necessarily purified and
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 2, 1770.
310 A FINER BODY. CHAP. VII.
slightly whitened the ware from the absence of all par-
ticles of granite from the ground substance; and with this
purer colour, Wedgwood after much consideration, was
content for a further period. Three plans floated in his
mind; one to continue his manufacture of the cream-
colour as heretofore, a second to deepen the colour ‘so as
to make it as deep a straw colour as possible, and a third
to make a ware entirely white. After much corre-
spondence with Bentley on the subject, and elaborate
calculations on the cost of manufacture, he decided, and
wisely, in improving as far as possible, but not altering
the colour of the ware his skill and industry had raised
into a staple.
A white biscuit body variously compounded, had long
been in use in the Potteries, and Wedgwood, at an early
date, turned his attention to its improvement by the use
of purer clays and other substances. Writing to Bentley
in 1770 he says, “I shall go about white biskit immedi-
ately.” He kept his word; and the result was soon
apparent in the colour and sharpness of the early cameos,
whether the grounds were an ordinary earthenware body,
a crystalline jasper, or other variation. But this served
only for a time. As artistic excellence increased, it was
evident that the medium itself of this expression needed
further improvement. Bentley knew that his friend had
already made experiments with this view, and he urged
their renewal. ‘You want a finer body for gems?’
replies Wedgwood ‘I think a fine China body would not
do. I have several times mixed bodies for this purpose,
but some of them miscarried, and others have been lost
or spoiled for want of my being able to attend to and go
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 13, 1770.
CHAP. VII. EXPERIMIENTS. 311
on with the experiments. At present I cannot promise
to engage in a course of experiments. I feel that close
application will not do for me. If I am stronger in the
spring something may be done.” Instead of waiting for
the spring, he soon afterwards set earnestly to work, and
early in February 1773, just prior to a visit to town, he
reports, “I have made some very promising experiments
lately upon finer bodies for Gems and other things, some
proof of which I shall bring along with me.”
This experimental business, both relatively to useful
as to Ornamental ware, brought prominently under
Wedgwood's notice the whole question of the south-
western native clays, and the Patent which restricted or
monopolised their use. We therefore find him referring
to Cookworthy's Patent, in order to see how far he might
proceed in his improvements. The Patent restricted him
not only with respect to improvements in useful ware
but with bodies for ornamental purposes, as moor-
stone was in some of them a necessary ingredient ;
although the substances which at this period principally
engaged his attention for the improvement of bodies
designed for ornamental purposes, were those only used
hitherto by the porcelain makers of France and Germany,
and occasionally in porcelain glazes by Our Own potters.”
Wedgwood, as we have seen, had already turned his
attention in this direction,” and the new experiments for
a finer body for gems, undoubtedly included some portion,
—and as it seems at first a considerable one—of the terra-
ponderosa, or carbonate of baryta. Writing on January 1,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Febru- lain fusible spar is mentioned as
ary 6, 1773. one of the ingredients of the glaze.
* Ibid. December 31, 1772. Specification of Patent, No. 1096,
* In the patent granted to Richard * Vol. i. pp. 436, 437.
Champion in 1775 for making porce-
312 CORNISH STONES AND CLAYS. CHAP. VII.
1774 to Bentley he asks, “By white tablets for
chimney-pieces do you mean to have them of the fine
white composition or of the cream-colour body, we have
sent you some of the latter for painting, but cannot yet
make them long & narrow enough for chimney-pieces.
It is the narrowness of the tablets in proportion to their
length which makes the principal difficulty. I am now
trying to make them hard enough for two tablets, and to
saw them in two when fired.’ He also seems to have
tried the carbonate of baryta as an ingredient in other
formulas of body; or at least discovered that the porosity
inherent in these substances admitted an easy application
of colour, for he adds, “One or two of the greens will
make beautiful grounds, & perhaps the green basaltes
form busts &c. Figures and vases too may be made in
these coloured clays, but I am at some loss how to have
the principal ingredient without making a noise.' I
rather think you must get a friend to order it up to town,
disguise it there, and send it hither in boxes or casks.”
Bentley was widely known amongst scientific men, and
there can be no doubt that both the Cornish stones and
clays, as well as the specimens of fusible spar first used by
Wedgwood, were procured through his agency; the
latter from the Lancashire mines. -
This class of experiments, as well as others carried on
at the same time gave Wedgwood infinite pleasure. ‘The
main things we want at present to complete our cameos
and bas-reliefs, & to add a little variety to our vases,
Candlesticks &c. I believe will be managed, & as to the
Blanching of our Ware in general—when that step is
* The principal ingredient here stone, the use of which was yet
alluded to, , was probably not the restricted by Cookworthy's patent.
spaith fusible, but Moor or Cornish
CHAP. VII. DELIGHT IN EXPERIMIENTS. 313
absolutely necessary I hope it may be done. I have for
some time past been reviewing my experiments, & I find
such Roots, such Seeds, as would open and branch out
wonderfully, if I could nail myself down to the cultivation
of them for a year or two. And the Fox-hunter does not
employ more pleasure from the chase, than I do from the
prosecution of my experiments when I am fairly enter'd
into the field, and the further I go, the wider this field
extends before me. The Agate, the Green & other
coloured Glazes have had their day, & done pretty well, &
are certain of a resurrection soon, for there are & ever will
be a numerous Class of People to purchace Shewy & cheap
things. The Cream colour is of a superior class & I trust
has not yet run its race by many degrees. The Black is
sterling & will last for ever. These are a few of the Roots
which have been selected, & put into a state of cultivation,
& I never look over my Books, but I find many more
which I should very gladly bring into action; but the too
common fate of schemers is ever before my Eyes, & you
have given me many excellent lectures upon the bad policy
of hurrying things too fast upon one another. I have not
been on Horseback for a week? This morning some busi-
ness calls me from my Books & Vases & trumpery, & I am
very thankfull for it, for I have scarcely power of my own
mere motion, to quit my present pursuits for a few hours."
But these intellectual enjoyments, keen as they were,
had their drawbacks and penalties. No two pieces of
fusible spar were found to be alike. Nature, as he well
said in a future letter, did not weigh her materials, and
here her vagaries were supreme. But he was not dis-
heartened. He was philosopher enough to know that
| Wedgwood to Bentley, March 7, 1774.
314 VARIABILITY OF MATERIALS. CHAP. VII.
her bounty was infinite ; and that he had but to search
to find her substitutes and analogies. Writing to his
friend no great while after, he says:
It is not possible for me to tell you what can be done with
the heads you mention, as large as life, & as to the price it is
more in the offing still. I have no knowledge, nor can any
be acquired but from experience, how our white Bodies will
stand in such large masses, & provided they will stand ever
so well, you know I have no raw materials & do not know when
I shall get any. M-- stone, & Spaith fusible are the two
articles I want, & the several samples I have of the latter are
so different in their properties, that no dependence can be had
upon them. They have plagued me sadly of late—At one time
the body is white & fine as it sho" be, the next we make perhaps,
having used a different lump of the Spaith, is a Cinnamon
colour—One time it is melted to a Glass, another time as dry
as a Tob. Pipe—And this way it has led me a dance ever since
I came home without my knowing why, till I tried each seperate
lump by itself. I am afraid this said S. Fusible is too Proteous
like to make a fixed solid basis for a Manufacture, & I have now
begun a series of experiments upon Materials easy to be had in
sufficient quantities, & of qualities allºways the Same."
It was but a natural induction from a simple truth,
that if one body possessed certain qualities, another suffi-
ciently alike, for it to be classed under the same
category, would possess similar affinities, even if in a
varying degree. Wedgwood therefore sought further
amongst the class of spars for what he required ; namely,
a substance which should possess a porcellaneous texture,
intense whiteness, and the ability to give density and
hardness to large and compact masses. It was probable
that at that day of imperfect chemical knowledge, the
distinction between the sulphates and carbonates of a
mineral substance, was but little understood, and that the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 21, 1774.
CHAP. VII. CAWK OR SULPHATE OF BARYTA. 315
terms were indifferently applied. Wedgwood had rather
to conceal, than to publish the processes and results of
his chemical experiments; and therefore we have no clue
as to whether he made his discoveries through exhaustive
analysis, or by happy but empirical induction. Priestley,
there can be little doubt, supplied hints that were valua-
ble; for by a somewhat singular coincidence he was at
this time busy with experiments for the second volume of
his work, ‘Observations on Air and one of these related
to an acid contained in what chemists at that date called
fluor, the Derbyshire spar, of which vases and ornaments
were made. The air was procured by pouring on the
spar oil of vitriol, and receiving the produce in quicksilver."
But it was to another substance of the same class that
Wedgwood's attention was now directed. He had tested
the carbonate of baryta, and found, as seen, its charac-
teristics too variable to form any efficient basis of a
manufacture; he therefore turned to the Sulphate of the
same substance. A variety of this, locally called cawk,
was abundant in Derbyshire; and this, after repeated
tests, was found to answer in a preeminent degree all the
purposes required.
At this date, and for some time previously, a modeller
of merit named Joachim Smith residing in Berners Street,
Oxford Street, had been employed by Wedgwood &
Bentley in making portraits in wax of the nobility and
gentry; and these had been copied by them, first in the
ordinary white biscuit ware, and next from about the
middle of the previous year 1773, in the fine white terra
cotta body; which containing some portion of the Spaith
fusible or terra ponderosa, is the one referred to in the
* Rutt's Life of Priestley, vol. i. p. 275. Observations on Air, vol. ii.
316 JOACHIM SMITH. CHAP. VII.
first and second editions of the Catalogue, as ‘A fine
white Terra Cotta of great Beauty and Delicacy; proper
for Cameos, Portraits & Bas-reliefs.” Many of these por-
traits were very popular; and Joachim Smith's sale of
them to his customers occasionally large. The heads of
Lady Finch and her beautiful daughters were exceedingly
admired; and the demand became far greater than the
supply, troubled as Mr. Wedgwood was for a time with
materials on which he could have no dependence. “I
must go into Derbyshire, he writes to Bentley at the
close of July, “to search for spaith fusible or No. 19.
When I have got this of a right sort, we may be able
to go on with Mr. Smith's heads, but I have been
teased with unperceived variations in this compound.’
The substance, however, when procured was even more
Protean than heretofore, and made him again resort to
his experiments. These were again successful. “I believe”
he writes in September after a month's absorbing labour,
“I shall make an excellent white body, & with absolute
certainty without the fusible spars.’ Two days later he
forwards specimens to Bentley.
By To morrow's Coach we shall send you a parc" in which
will be a sample or two in Gems of the new white composition
of less delicate materials which I mentiomed to you & of this I
believe it will be in my power to make Mr. Smith 10,000
Heads of the same colour, texture &c. &c. If he pleases we will
make the whole number of L–s Finches of this composition
(It will be little expense now the stamps are made) & this body
is so delicate a colour and so fine in every other respect that I
hope both the Ladies & he will think it worth while waiting a few
weeks for. If you think them too white (is that possible) I can
give them the Onyx bluish cast. Pray shew these to Mr. Smith
as soon as you can, & tell him I am preparing a quº of this body
for his use, & whatever he sends shall now be done immediately."
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, September 5, 1774.
CHAP. VII. PROPERTIES OF THE NEW COMPOSITION. 317
By November, Mr. Wedgwood had succeeded in bolder
attempts with this composition.
I have made a few small oval statue bas-reliefs of the same
composition as the gems which Mr. Smith brings with him."
Please to try how they will ground, & let me know how you
will like them. I shall proceed by degrees to larger & larger
bas-reliefs of the same composition & do not at present see any
reason to doubt of success in them.”
It must not be thought that the carbonate of baryta
was now wholly discarded in the composition of these
beautiful bodies. It formed, as we shall see, a fractional
portion of the true jasper, and was variously applied in
other mixtures.
Wedgwood soon discovered another property in his
new composition. That of porosity, by its ready incor-
poration of certain metallic oxides; of cobalt especially.
Hitherto colours had been applied to these gems, by
ground-laying enamel colours; but this fine property
revolutionised many of these laborious processes; and
whilst thus lessening the manufacturers’ and artists’ labour,
cheapened the article itself.
I am glad you think the white body of sufficient fineness &
have no reason to doubt of being able to continue it so. The
blue body I am likewise absolute in of almost any shade, and
have likewise a beautifull Sea-Green, and several other colours
for grownds to Cameos, Intaglios &c. & shall be able to make
almost any of our Cameos in figures, from the Herculaneum
size to the least Marriage of Cupid &c., in heads from Peter
the Great to the smallest Gem for Rings, of the blue and other
colour’d grounds, with the figures & heads in our fine white
composition. Look at our heads of Eminent men, Greeks,
Romans, & Moderns, & let me know which way you would
have them ; whether the heads seperate & color'd grounds for
1 Smith was at this date paying a visit to Etruria,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, November 6, 1774,
318 MANUFACTURING PROCESSES. CHAP, VII,
you to polish, which will doubtless with metal frames make the
richest cabinet pictures imaginable. And more especially, as
the heads will, in this case, be a little under cut in the manner
of the finest Gems—or would you have them in the style they
now are, only the relief on fine white with color'd grounds.
These improvements may be introduced in part, either now, or
may make a most capital change for the next year—I say in
part, for as the seperate Heads, if we make any quantity of
them, must have new stamps made for them, it will take some
time to be fully prepar'd to execute our plan with dispatch."
This last passage is very important, as it proves that
hitherto the grounds and reliefs of the various sized gems,
if not the tablets, had been made, generally speaking,
from one mould and by one process; or at least if
moulded separately, conjoined previously to being fired
biscuit.
Many facts of deep interest gleam out in respect to
these and other compositions. Scraps of London crown
glass were pounded and used, either in glaze, or some of
the bodies. Wedgwood also, whilst in Derbyshire in
search of No. 19 or spaith fusible, first came upon
specimens of cawk, or to use his private sign for it, 74, the
substance he required. His father-in-law, Richard Wedg-
wood, and Bentley were in his company at the time, and
he thus recalls the facts to the memory of the latter.
This letter going by the Coach, and not by the Post, I
will give you a full description of the substance I want, for I
have not a single piece unpounded. It is a white chalky
looking substance, in form generally flatt, about an inch, or
from one to two inches thick & often inclosing small lumps of
Lead Ore. We found it in great plenty at the first mines we
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, January there for . Joachim. Smith. He
1, 1775. In the same letter Wedg- gathered his information from a man
wood states that at this time, heads out of work, who had been employed
were made at the Derby chināworks, twenty eight-years in the factory,
& that a number were in progress
CHAP, VII. A MORE RELIABLE INGREDIENT. 319
visited short of Middleton, going from Matlock, where my
Father call’d Godbehere to us, & asked him “if he knew what
we wanted.’ He call’d it Cauk, but we were then in search of
Spath fusible or No. 19 which he afterwards found for us upon
Middleton Moor, & call’d it Wheat Stone, I inclose a little of
this Cauk, pounded in a paper A. I apprehend Mr. Stamford
has a share in some of the mines which produce this substance.
Some Person from Birm” had a quantity of it lately to try as
an Ore, & that will perhaps be the best idea for us to procure it
under ; but it must not be pounded till it is under our manage-
ment, or that of our friend, for the Lead Ore must be carefully
picked out of it at the time it is pounded & before it is made
small. I am not yet certain that some of the 19 may not do as
well as this 74 (for that is my No. for this Cauk, & so I shall
hereafter call it) but the different specimens of 19 I have had,
have possess'd very different qualities one from another, as they
regard my experiments, and the 74 has been all alike ; no one
piece differing from another, which is of great consequence to
us, & would induce me to give the preference to 74, if 19 should
be equal to it, in every other respects. . . It will be next to
impossible, we are such motorious & suspected Folks, to come
at the 74 unnoticed, & we must be cautious in our first steps,
not to appear in it, if it be possible to avoid it. Godbehere
works at the mines near Middleton—we mentioned Mr. Stamford
to him, so that if Mr. Stamford is a link in the Chain, we shall
be blown at once. But we will let this business lie dormant,
if you please, till I have tried the 19 you have sent me, & you
have got some quantity of it."
A few days previously he says, in relation to this
necessary precaution in procuring the cawk, and his ability
to make all the cameos wanted, not only of a fine white,
but likewise with blue and other coloured grounds, and
at something less expense than Bentley could have them
grounded :
The only difficulty I have is the mode of procuring & con-
veying in cog the raw material above mention'd. It is some-
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 15, 1775.
320 WEDGWOOD INCESSANTLY OCCUPIED. CHAP. VII.
thing round about by way of London, but if it was sent by
the West Indies the expence would not be worth naming in
comparison with other considerations. I must have some before
I can proceed & I dare not have it the nearest way, nor un-
disguised, though I could only wish to have it pounded & put
through a coarse hair sieve, but even this I would not have done
with your People, nor have them to see it at all. Could not
Mr. More set some poor man to work upon it in some of the
uninhabited buildings at the Adelphi. Every body knows him
to be a conjurer, & this may well pass for an Ore for him to
operate upon."
At this date, as so often afterwards, Wedgwood's en-
gagements were incessant. Business so largely pre-
dominated over pleasure, as to tell grievously upon his
already somewhat outworn frame. Apologising to Bentley
for delay in answering his letters, he thus writes:
Yesterday I dimed with Lº Stamford & his Bro" & company
of Fox hunters at Trentham, & to day I have two of Doct"
Darwin's sons come to stay with me, so that I have but little
time for writing, & besides I dare not do much just now, for my
business has at this time secur'd itself so firmly in the Capital
that it will not give place to sleep, sometimes for whole nights,
two out of the last three nights, I could not go to sleep till seven
in the morning, & then only for an hour or two, so that I find
it absolutely necessary to relax a little.”
Thoroughly aware of the immense importance of his
friend's experimental advances with the new white body,
and as enthusiastic as himself in the desire to place it in
exquisite forms before the world, Bentley pressed upon
his attention the desirableness of having tablets made of a
proper size for chimney-pieces, and the consequence it
was likely to be in extending their trade in ornamental
ware. Wedgwood at once responded by work and words.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 5, 1775.
* Ibid. January 5, 1776.
CHAP. VII. FLAXMLAN. 321
In reference to these suggestions as to chimney-pieces, he
Says :—
Having tried all the hands I have who were likely to execute
them, but in vain, I have taken the business up myself, & am
not much afraid of being able to complete it to your satisfaction,
but stand in need of your directions relative to the blocks &
ovals to the Tablets."
Bentley had already made other attempts to carry out
the highest artistic work—he had looked around him for
a modeller—that modeller was Flaxman.
Wedgwood's words in response, are memorable. “I
am glad you have met with a Modeller, & that Flaxman
is so valuable an Artist. It is but a few years since he
was a most supreme Coxcomb, but a little more expe-
rience may have cured him of this foible.” This must
allude to Flaxman's competition for the gold medal of
the Royal Academy, and his subsequent disappointment.
Reynolds, who knew comparatively nothing of sculpture,
and too often depreciated its merits, showed little judg-
ment in his award of the prize to an inferior artist like
Engleheart. Time proved, that Flaxman's certainty of
success arose from no overweening conceit of his own
merit, but from an intuitive perception, however offen-
sively expressed, of his possession of high artistic power.
But, as yet the world saw only an untutored stripling,
in whom self reliant genius wore the appearance of Vanity.
Wedgwood who always visited the Academy's Exhibitions,
had probably caught the current story, and bore it as we
thus see in his vigorous memory. £
In his next reference to the sculptor, Mr. Wedgwood
says:—
Perhaps Flaxman can model you a good Tablet for a chimney-
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, January 14, 1775. ? Ibid,
WOL. II. Y
322 FLAXMAN'S FIRST BILL, CHAP. VII.
piece—you know we have not one of a proper size. It should
be modelled upon a piece of ground glass or marble, & you may
allow an inch at 8 for shrinking. I need not tell you that the
Figures should be open, & managed properly for a coloured
ground. What do you think of Vases of our fine blue body with
white laurel festoons, medallions &c. or for Grecian painting 2*
Fortunately Flaxman's first bill " to Wedgwood is
preserved. We learn from it, that two models of vases
1 Wedgwood to Bentley, January 15, 1775.
* Messrs Wedgwood & Bentley,
To J. Flaxman.
1775. £ 8.
March 25. A Pair of Vases, one with a Satyr & the
(
ł.
other with a Triton handle . º º 0
A Basso Releivo of Melpomone . e tº 10 6
A D9 of Thalia . º © 9. • . 10 ($
A D9 of Terpsichore . º e º e 10 6
A. D* of Euterpe. º & º e º IO 6
A D" of Sappho . e º º º e 10 6
A D9 of Apollo . º º e e º 10 6
A D9 of Hercules and the Lion . º ſº 10 6
A D9 of Hercules and the Boar . º & 10 6
A. D* of Hercules and Cerberus . º e 10 6
A D9 of Bacchus º o * tº e 7 ()
A D9 of Ariadne. º * tº g º 7 O
A Packing Case . g tº g g & 3 9
April 11. Four Bass Releivos of the Seasons . . 2 2 0
A D° of Jupiter. º g te e g 10 6
A D° of Juno . º º e º e I () 6
A D9 of Minerva º to g e & 10 6
A D9 of Justice , & tº te te o 10 6
A D9 of Hope . e s e º ſº 10 6
An Antique Vase sculptured with figures . 1 15 0
A Packing Case . tº 2 6
Moulding & making a cast from a Medali
of Lennaeus. º º º º g
Mending a Wax Medall & making a Mould
from It e tº O
#15 9 3
March 17, 2 Statues g ſe & 2 2 0 2 10 6
6 Cups & Saucers . * - 8 }}
12 18 9
1775.”
Jany 3d
Received the Contents in full of all Demands.
for my father, JoIIN FLAXMAN, Junr.
* The figure 5 here is clearly in mistake for that of 6, as work which
only closed in the middle of the year could not be paid for in the previous
January. This mistake is often made when a new year first sets in.
The vases first mentioned in the bill will be found figured in the next
chapter,
CHAP. VII. EARLY PORTRAITS AND BAS-RELIEFS. 323
were supplied, that he worked on account of his father,
and we also ascertain what were the subjects of the bas-
reliefs. They were all classical, and prove with what
eyes of love he already looked upon antique art. We
hear nothing further of his modelling till July, when
Wedgwood writes:—
Sir Tho" Broughton has two boys at School near London &
wishes to treat his Lady with their portraits for a pair of brace-
lets in our blue and white compositions, but desires to know
what the expense of modelling will be to have them full or three
quarter faces, & if the modeller would alter them if he should
not think them good likenesses. I suppose Mr. Flaxman will
be more moderate than Mr. Smith. Please let me have an
answer as Soon as may be."
A few days later, Wedgwood suggests further work for
Flaxman. “Suppose you were to employ Mr. Flaxman
to model some figures. They would do for Tablets,
Wases, inlaying, &c. We have nobody here that can do
them.” As the autumn set in, and Bentley prepared to
pay a visit with his wife to Etruria, the sculptor is again
mentioned, and we learn that he is modelling the portraits
of Mr. Banks” & Dr. Solander.
I have little to say (wrote Wedgwood to his friend) only I
wish you to see Mr. Flaxman before you leave London & if you
could prevail upon him to finish Mr. Banks & Dr. Solander,
they would be an acquisition to us, & and as we shall now make
with tolerable certainty any moderate sized bas-reliefs of the
composition sent you last in a Conqueror's Province & com-
panion I submit it to you whether we should not have some of
the finest things that can be modelled, & originals which have
not been hackney’d in Wax and Plaister for a century past, &
if you think we should, would it not be saving time to set Mr.
Flaxman upon some business before you leave him Mr.
Grenville you know gave us permission to copy or mould from
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 3, * Ibid. July 11, 1775.
1775, 8 Afterwards Sir Joseph Banks.
Y 2
324 MODELS FROM HOSKINS AND GRANT. CHAP. VII.
any of the fine things in his possession. He has a vase or two
in town full of Bas-relief figures which would do for us charm-
ingly. If we had a number of such figures as would compose
into Bacchanalian processions, Sacrifices, Births, &c. we could
make many wonderful things from them. Mr. Grenville told
me that many of his best things were at Stow & invited me to
call in my way to or from Town to look at them, & see what
would convert to our purpose. This invitation was you know
to W. & B. & I wish you would make Stow to or from Etruria,
it is a very few miles aside & Mr. Grenville will be glad to see
you.
From the year 1769, when last referred to, the work
of modelling, apart from that carried on at Etruria by
Hackwood, Tebo, and others, had not been stationary and
from the bills of 1773, 1774 and 1775, we gather many
interesting particulars both as to the artists employed, and
the subjects of their labour. The annexed bills' of
1. Mr. Wedgwood and Co.
. To James Hoskins.
Jany 16. £ s. d.
1773. To 2 Moulds from a heade a M. Paiske 0 0 4
To 2 Mould from a Gem . & & 0 0 4
To 2 Moulds from a Medal of St. Peter 0 2 O
To 2 from Sulpher Medals. & 0 2 O
To 2 from Ivery e 0 0 6
To 1 from a Seal of Cicero. tº º ſº 0 0 4
To Moulding a Wax Model of Mr. Bentley 0 1 6
To 2 from Sulpher of Mr. Garrick & , () () 8
To a mould of Likeness of Mr. Bentley , () I. 6
Dec. 8. To 6 small moulds from Wax & Sulpher ... O I 0
To 7 Moulds from Sulphers & , 0 1 4
#0 11 6
Receiv'd 24th July 1774
The Contents in full of all demands,
JAMES HOSKINGS,
Mr. Wedgwood and Bentley to Hoskings and Grant for Plaster
Casts Prepaird to Mould from
March 21, 1774.
£
i
|
i
To a Busto of Zeno
To Ditto Pinder
To Ditto Faustena
To Ditto Germanicus. º
To Ditto Anteninus Pius .
Carry forward
f
5
5
0
CHAP. VII. SUBJECTS. 325
Hoskins and Grant, Mrs. Landre, Richard Parker, and
P. Stephan, throw a flood of light upon the earlier
editions of the Catalogues, and enable us to assign dates
Brought forward .
To Ditto Senica. º
To Ditto Augustus
To Ditto Cato . & e
To Ditto Venus de Medicus
To Young Marcus Aurelus
To Ditto Minerva, . e e
To Ditto Inico Jones and Palladio
To Ditto Homer º e
To Ditto Antenos
To Ditto Solon .
To Ditto Epicurus º
To Ditto Marshus Brutus .
To Ditto Junus Brutus
To Ditto Plato . to
To Ditto Agrepina . e º
To Ditto Large Marcus Aurelus
To 4 Ovels of the Elements
To a Tablit Syche & Cupid
To Ditto Sphyncks & Lyre º g • •
To 2 Moulds from a Sulpher Cast of Sº Robert
I|
1
1
I
:
Warpole . . . e g d s
To 2 Moulds of Antique Stone with 2 Heades
To 2 Moulds from a Seale . º • •
To 2 Scrole Bracketts º g
To Cases Etc."
}
i
#3sºeg
3
0
Deducted for Portridge 8s. 6d.
29 13
August ye 27,
Receiv'd the Contents of this Bill in full
for Self & Co.
B. Grant.
Messrs Wedgwood & Bentley,
Jany 1. To Hoskins & Grant.
1775.
In the To 2 Busts of the Medonas
First Case Do. of Swift & Milton
Do. of Virgil & Horace .
Do. of Galin & Hipocrates
Do. of Sappho & Vestal.
Second Case. Do. of Spencer & Chaucer
Do. of Addison & Pope .
Do. of Lock & Newton .
Do. of Dryden & Johnson &
Do. of Demosthenes & Democrates
Do. larger Ben Johnson Sir W. Reighley
Do. of Prior & Congrave º e
Carry forward . e e #1
326 EARLY MODELS. CHAP. VII.
and artists to many objects in ornamental ware which
are now enshrined in the collections of connoisseurs.
None of the modelling bills for 1770, 1771 and 1772 are
Brought forward
& , 13 2 ()
Do. of Fletcher & Beaumont . 1 4 0
Do. of Seneca & Ceciro . e g . 1 4 0
To 2 figures of Mk Antony & Cleopatre . 1 4 0
To a Bust Julia tº & * , 0 12 0
Fourth Case. Do. larger Bacon & Boyle 2 10 0
Do. of Harvey & Newton 2 10 O
Do. of Socrates . § g , 0 15 0
To a Tablet of Adonis & Venus . ... O 15 0
Sept. 16 To 2 mould of a copper meddal of } O 1 0
1774, Charles the Third g g º
To a mould of a little Seal 0 0 4.
$23 17 4
By 1 Vestal ret" g 2 tº 10 6
23 6 10
Wedgwood & Bentley,
Boº. of Mary Landre
#3 s. d.
Christ & the Virgin . 0 10 6
12 Signs of the Zodiack. 1 4 0
4 plaister Casts & 0 2 0
4 Medals &c. O 5 6
Horse º O 5 O
T}as-relief Cast . 5 g § () 8 O
—— 2 Round Medals in Brass . 0 4 O
4 Boys in metal, 7/ . tº 1 8 ()
4 Long Bas-reliefs, 15/. 3 O ()
7 7 O
Recº June 15 the Contents in full
Mary Landre.
Messrs Wedgwood & Bentley.
Bott of Richard Parker,
Busts
Zingara
Vestal at 16s. . g § & & 3. , ſ1 12 0
Pug Dog at . te e g & e & 10 6
12 ft. Packing Case at 3d. . § $ § s 3. 3 O
2 5 6
Strand 10th Febry 1774.
Received the Contents
P Rd Parker.
Receiv'd August 5, 1774 two Pounds, ten shillings for two Wax Models,
Hope & Conquered Province, £2 10s.
#2 10s. In full. P. P. Stephan.
CHAP. VII. SPECIALITY OF THE NEW COMPOSITION. 327
extant, and of even those of the three succeeding years, we
have undoubtedly but a small part of the whole. Such
as remain are precious relics spared from the wreck
of time, as they permit us to individualise objects of a
most interesting character.
One of the specialities of the new composition whether
compounded of the Sulphate or carbonate of baryta, or
as finally with the Sulphate in maximum, and if present
the carbonate in minimum, was, as already mentioned
its ready incorporation of metallic oxides, especially that
of cobalt. But much difficulty was at first incurred by
the colour of the ground staining during firing through
the white relief. Practice and experience ultimately
conquered this defect; but for a time it acted deterio-
ratively upon the modellers’ work; as in such portions of
London 1st Sept. 1774.
Messrs Wedgwood & Bentley.
Bot of P. Stephen.
£ s. d.
1 Model of Lion for Teapot . 0 10 6
1 D9 of Grayhound for dº ... O 10 6
1 De Lap Dog for Dº , () 10 6
3 Moulds of the above . , 0 10 6
#2 2 0
Sept. 2, 1774.
Received the above contents in full.
P. Stephan.
Wedgwood does not seem to have
thought very highly of Stephan. “I
have received' he writes to Bentley,
* & examined Mr. Steven's moulds
of Hope & the Conquer'd Province,
total want of finishing in both the
pieces. They are in my opinion far
from being equal to our figures of the
same class, & I am afraid we shall
not be able to make them so. Mr.
& am glad to find the drawing &
proportions so well preserved, but in
everything else they are infinitely
short of the exquisite originals. The
Drapery is hard & unfinish'd, & the
characters of the Faces are those of
common mortals of the lower Class.
The armour in the Conquer'd Pro-
vince comes out too much a great
deal. The face of the figure is
crooked, greatly so, and there is a
Stevens can do it better than us, if
he would bestow a little more atten-
tion & labour upon them. You per-
ceive I am very explicit, but I am
not writing to Mr. Stevens, I wo'd
not hurt him ; but when you have
the naked truth before you, you may
cloath her in silk, or serge as you find
it most expedient.’ Wedgwood to
Bentley, August 22, 1774.
328 DIFFICULTIES FROM STAINING. CHAP. VII.
their reliefs as required thinness, and even pellucidity,
extreme delicacy had to be avoided." For a period there
seemed no method of obviating this great difficulty, but
in firing the ground and relief separately, and then
fastening them together with cement. But further im-
provements in the application of colour conquered this
and similar difficulties. What some of these were,
Wedgwood himself shows.
I must next say a few words to some proofs sent you in the
box. By the proofs in the paper B, you will see that the brown
ground fluxes, dissolves, & eats away the white compos", & by
the proofs in C, you will observe that the blue & Green Grounds
stain it. These are new and unforseen difficulties, & how far
I shall be able to conquer them I do not at present clearly See,
but I will attempt it & let you know the result. By the proof
in D, you’l perceive that this quality of staining does not affect
the larger heads, or masses of the white, but the ground of this
head being much too easy fired, I will not answer for it when
the ground is bro" up to its proper heat, & degree of vitrification;
only this I may assert, that the thinner the white relief is, the
more liable it will be to be stained. That those heads, and
figures which can be made seperately, undercut a little at the
edges, then fixed to the ground, & fired biscuit will be less
liable to staining still than the Head in paper C. But the
Heads & Figures which can be made & fired seperate & fixed
on afterwards will be totally free from this inconvenience, &
may have the great advantage of a perfectly even & polish'd
ground. This will be the ultimate perfection of our Cameos.”
They will then be absolute. I shall not attempt to proceed any
further in improving them, but apply my attention to multipli-
cation only. Let me add, this is the state they must come to
at last. I can do it now in a great variety of cameos, & if we
do it at once, we shall thereby avoid another dead stock, which
would accrue from a third or 4th improvement of our Cameos,
* In every considerable collection * There can be no doubt that all
of cameos, this defect is to be ob- the finest of Wedgwood's cameos,
served, though at the same time it is the portrait cameos especially, were
a proof of early manufacture. | executed in this manner,
CHAP. VII. ULTIMLATE PERFECTION FORESEEN. 329
when we can carry our improvements to the utmost at this next
alteration. There is but one objection to this plan which seems
of any considerable importance to me, & that is, If our An-
tagonists should overtake us at this stage, we cannot again take
another step before them to leave them behind again. And to
this I would answer, that we shall leave them at so great a
distance & they have so many obstacles to surmount before
they can come up to us, that I think we have little to apprehend
on that account—besides, taking it for granted that they will
in time come at our compositions & we shall still have variety
of Subjects—Eacecution, Character, & connections in our favour
sufficient to continue us at the head of this business, & lastly we
must not forget a good resolution we have long since made of
not permitting any apprehension of being robbed of our in-
ventions, prevent our putting them into execution, when we
think it proper in other respects. I am afraid you will think
me tedious, but I wish’d to say all I had in my mind upon this
subject at once & so have done with it. This leads me to the
contents of the paper D. The Marrº of Cupid &c. by which
you will perceive that Groups of Figures as well as heads may
be adapted to this mode of execution, & if my imagination does
not mislead me, it has very great capabilities, & will take place
in a vast variety of works from Rings to Chimney pieces—what
can be richer & more beautifull, than a Tablet or Friese of a
fine blue, ground true & polish'd, & ornamented with Figures
in our fine white, not mere Bass-reliefs, such as one sees at
once may be made out of a mould, but under cut, & made free
in the manner of this marrº of Cupid—I do not apprehend any
difficulty in fixing this, or any other piece, with cement, so as to
cut the back of them as flat as the workman pleases, nor in
fixing it afterwards to a polished blank with a soft flux by fire,
or with a proper glue or cement without fire, which in many
cases may be sufficient. The Birm” manufactures go thro’ more
tedious & delicate operations, & are sold at a very inconsiderable
price at last."
From this letter, which is valuable alike to the artist,
the connoisseur, and the potter, we learn some of the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 15, 1775.
330 APPROACHES TOWARDS PERFECTION, CIHAP. VII.
most valuable secrets of Wedgwood's art, and the stages
by which he brought this branch of it to perfection.
Considering what this perfection ultimately was ; that in
quality and character of body, in beauty of colour, in
mastery of minute and most exquisite details, the jasper
ware far transcends anything known to us of the works
of the potters of antiquity, every successive effort by
which Wedgwood gained this mastery has profound
interest. It was the enthusiasm of Palissy, conjoined to
a sobriety which arose from the consciousness of power,
and an accurate judgment of probabilities. It was the
artist transferring the finest of visions to clay, whilst the
man of severe science steadied and watched the hand
that wrought. -
But this advance towards perfection was slow. Al-
though in the month succeeding the date of the letter
last quoted, six modellers were at work at Etruria, the
difficulties connected with the grinding of the materials
and the firing of these compositions greatly perplexed
Wedgwood; often to a degree that would have dis-
heartened less hopeful, accustomed, and resolute men.
Writing to Bentley in July, he says:
When all the circumstances attending this delicate composition
have happened to jump together just right as they should & the
firing exactly to suit it, the result is very fine, but we are very
far from certainty & ever shall be, though by study & appli-
cation we may approximate nearer & nearer to that truth &
certainty which we can never perfectly attain.
To this truly philosophic idea, that we approach, but
never realize—an absolute perfection of results—he adds
a few days after : *
Fate I suppose has decreed that we must go on. We must
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 23, 1775.
CHAP. VII. PROSPECTS. 331
have our Hobby Horse, & mount him, & mount him again if he
throws us ten times a day. This has been my case & I suppose
it is pretty general amongst the fraternity.
The very next lines show how he had ridden and
meant to ride his hobby to the end.
Count Sthall (how do you spell his name?) did us the honour
of a visit yesterday. I attended him through both works, &
he express'd the highest satisfaction with what he saw. He
told his companion, which the interpreter afterwards told me,
that nothing he had seen in England had given him so much
pleasure. The manufactures of Dresden & Berlin Porcelain
both of which he had visited were not, he said to be compar'd
with ours for taste, Elegance of designs, & fine modeling. If I
am not greatly deceiv'd in my expectations, your shew will be
greatly superior to anything your good Princes & customers
have seen. I am going upon a large scale with our models &c.
which is one reason why you have so few new things just now,
but I hope to bring the whole in compass for your next Winter's
shew and ASTONISH THE WORLD ALL AT ONCE, for I hate piddling
you know."
When first brought into use, the supplies of cawk fell
often short. On one occasion, Wedgwood with charac-
teristic energy set off by himself to the mines near
Matlock, where it had been hitherto procured. Here
he obtained a large quantity, and of excellent colour;
his scientific knowledge enabling him to direct the
miners rightly in their search. With part of this he
filled his chaise and returned home. The rest was sent
to London, there to be pounded to a fineness sufficient for
disguise, and from thence to be dispatched in casks and
boxes, by waggon or canal into the Potteries.
The first time we hear the new body called by the
name of jasper is in November 1775. Considering that
Wedgwood already applied this term to one variation of
* Wedgwood to Bentley, August 6, 1775.
332 THE TERM. JASPER. CHAP. VII.
his crystalline bodies, it is to be regretted that another
more distinctive had not been found. Onyx would have
been a more relative and appropriate name. But except
to the student and connoisseur the crystalline jasper is
unknown; whilst the latter use of the term is immor-
talised in a thousand forms of beauty and utility. A
few months later we come upon the revelation of the
ingredients of the new body. It is quite clear, that
Wedgwood prepared it under several formulas. “You
desire’ he writes to Bentley, “to have a mixture—will you
be content to have part of it now, & the remainder
another time? It is too precious to reveal all at Once, . .”
The ingredients are then given, though afterwards care-
fully struck out with a pen. Bentley however writes
them fair on a blank part of the letter, as though for his
own use. As written by Wedgwood they are in French
thus: “ 17–Cailloux. 22—Argiles des Potiers. 20–
Albatre, 3 part. 24–Saphire. 74–6 ' " or in plain
words: Flint, potters' clay, carbonate of baryta a
quarter part—Zafire, and sulphate of baryta a sixth
part: for by the word albatre is undoubtedly meant,
the carbonate of baryta, or terra ponderosa.” In a
succeeding letter Mr. Wedgwood writes, “Our Jasper
is one of 17—six of 74—three of 22—and a quarter
of 20. You can hardly conceive the difficulty and
trouble I have had in mixing two tons of this com-
position, and leaving everybody as wise as they were.”
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Febru-
ary 3, 1776.
* In some of the French diction-
aries the word is put thus, Albatre
Vitreux sorte de faut albâtre, or
spath fusible. . .
* Wedgwood to Bentley, February
6, 1776.
Brongniart does not give any for-
mula for the jasper body. In Knapp
and Ronald's Chemical Technology,
vol. ii. p. 476, we have two, which
show distinct but not conjoint use of
the sulphate and carbonate of baryta.
Mr. Wedgwood's composition clearly
included , both, though in quanti-
tive portions widely different. The
modern formulas are as follows —
CHAP. VII. ITS INGREDIENTS. 333
One of the peculiarities of this mixture when put to
ferment in a cellar, was that unlike other bodies it
acquired an intense coldness. This was soon observed
by Wedgwood, who to test the degrees of cold, sent
to Bentley for a new thermometer.
Continued practice and unwearied patience produced
their true result. With occasional failures, almost every
firing produced finer and finer things, till by the end of
1776 absolute perfection was nearly attained, except in
the case of the largest tablets. The difficulty with them
lay in the firing, and to conquer it, Wedgwood in July
1777, built a kiln on purpose. ‘Our common Bisquit
firing' he tells Bentley “will not be brought to suit it,
nor will the composition be altered to agree with the fire,
and we have now nothing but the firing which stands
between us & making the finest thing imaginable.” A short
Sulphate of Barytes . 48 or Carbonate of Barytes . . . 34
China Clay . . . . . . 16 China Clay . . . . . . 15
Dorset Clay . . . . . . 24 Dorset Clay . . . . . . 15
Flint . . . . . . . . 10 Cornish Granite . . . . . 33
Gypsum . . . . . . . 2 White Lead . . . . . 3
These mixtures produce a fine
white body for ornaments, and are
stained blue by the addition of # per
cent. of oxide of cobalt, or green, by
sesquioxide of chronium.
So far Knapp and Ronald. But it
is very certain that modern jasper as
a body is greatly inferior to that
prepared by Wedgwood. The dif-
ference is not only apparent to the
touch, but to the eye; and it is to
be hoped that this publication of the
great master's secret will be of value
to the manufacturer.
At Etruria Hall, the places are
still to be seen in which Wedgwood
stored the cawk and other materials,
and made his secret mixtures. They
are a range of cellars shut off from
the rest by thick partition walls, and
heavy doors. Wedgwood's means of
access was a trap-door, and a flight
of narrow brick steps leading from a
room which was probably his study.
The cicerone of modern days says a
nursery, but he was too cautious a
man to trust his business secrets to
children and nursemaids. The trap-
door steps ended in a wide passage,
and from this opened a door to the
outer air, as also the cellar in which
the mixtures were made, the bins or
troughs still remaining. The out-
post of this fortress is equally well
guarded. It is approached from the
rear of the Hall by a double wall
screen, forming a sort of winding
passage. At the end of this are wide
steps, and the door before mentioned.
Thus guarded and masked, barrels
and boxes could be brought in with-
out the cognizance of anyone, except
the immediate agents in the secret.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 17,
I777,
334 IMPROVED PROCESS. CHAP. VII.
time previous to this another greatimprovement had been
made, that of washing the grounds of the tablets and
cameos, instead of as heretofore mixing the colour with
the composition. The improvement grew out of a
necessity. Cobalt, from its increased consumption by the
potters, had greatly risen in price; and more economical
use naturally followed. ‘In the box by the coach, says
Wedgwood to his partner, “are two heads with exquisite
blue grounds. I wish we may be able to make you
some tablets in this way. They are coloured with the
cobalt at 36/ p. lb., which being too dear to mix with
clay of the whole grounds we have washed them over, &
I think them by far the finest ground we have ever
made.’" The new kiln was a great success, and certainty
in firing the finest tablets thus ensured. After years of
patient toil, Wedgwood thus records his triumph to his
friend, and this in connection with a masterpiece.
Suppose, (he writes to Bentley) we were to make Sº Wm.
Hamilton a present of an Etruscan tablet Homer ? The
expense to us would be trifling in comparison to the value of
the present, & the compliment paid to him, which he well
deserves at our hands, & it would be the best introduction they
could have in the country where he resides . . . I have now
conquer'd every difficulty, which have not been a few in the
management of the Jaspers, great as well as small, and wish
much, very much to diffuse them properly.”
From this date, therefore, till Wedgwood's death—a
period of seventeen years, the finest things in the jasper
body were produced—both in Ornamental as well as
useful ware.’”
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 13, wood says, “I have tried my new
1777. mixing of Jasper, & find it very
2 Ibid. October 16, 1778. good. Indeed I had not much fear
* Even before this date, success of it, but it is a satisfaction to be
was certain. Writing to Bentley certain, & I am now absolute in this
in November 1777, Mr. Wedg- precious article, & can make it with
CHAP. VII. RESULTS OF EXQUISITE CHARACTER. 335
But prior to this many of the smaller cameos and bas-
reliefs were very fine. Of these a portion were without
coloured grounds, as in the case of the Greek heads.
Writing at the close of 1775, Wedgwood says:
We have sent a complete set of the Greek heads in white
with gilt frames. Some of the same, (but not a complete set)
with blue grounds. Some Anthonies & Cleopatrias very fine,
& a few bas-reliefs, all of which I wish you to look at before
they go into the Rooms. The blue grounds are out of the last
kiln & the Cleopatrias, both of which are the finest things
imaginable. It really hurts me to think of parting with these
Gems, the fruit of twenty years' toil for the trifle I fear we
must do, to make a business worth our notice of it."
A little later he says:
We send a Night & Day. The best we have made of the
new white. A Medusa large & very fine—& heads blue grounds
—too fine to Sell ! Reasons for sending this cargo is that you
may see our firing of the new white altogether. I think we
improve in the science of firing, & that seems to be the only
point we are deficient in respecting this very fine body. Hack-
wood has nearly finished the two tablets of the Birth & Triumph
of Bacchus; * but am afraid we shall not be able to make either

of them in one continued Tablet so // ;- 4& § y )
we could make them to fill a friese very cleverly in separate

* * ſa) () (º) () (2]
antique. Both the former tablets
are in the choice collection of T. O.
Barlow Esq., the eminent engraver.
as much facility & certainty as black
ware. Sell what quantity you
please. I would as readily engage to
furnish you with this, as any pottery
I make. We have only now to push
it forward with the world, keep our
secret,’ &c. &c.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem-
ber 5, 1775.
* Neither of these tablets are in
the first and second editions of the
Catalogue, and were consequently
new models. Of the Birth of Bacchus
there was another model from the
In the Birth of Bacchus the in-
feriority of Hackwood to Flaxman
in style, composition, and grouping,
is prominently seen. The figures
appear to have little to do with each
other; whereas one of the canons of
Flaxman's art, both theoretically
and practically, was that of a whole;
each figure in its relation to the other
serving to complete a perfect idea.
336 GEMS FOR CABINETS. CHAP. VII.
the grounds of the ovals blue, & the figures white & all the
pieces together making up one subject would be better to fill
a friese than detached statues & figures which have no con-
nection one with another."
As early as 1772–1773 the head of Shakespeare and
those of the English kings from Astle had been modelled.
By the beginning of 1774 the medals of the Popes were
in hand, and the figures of Morpheus and Autumn. A
little later the Continence of Scipio was the subject of a
tablet; and the heads of Scavalo and of Hippocrates were
considered very fine. Cameos were multiplied both in
size and form ; and this not so much for ornamental
purposes as for assortment and preservation in cabinets.
This was Wedgwood's original idea, and one which was
a favourite to the close of his life. In November 1775
he tells Bentley ‘We are putting up one set of im-
pressions of Gems in my Cabinet, & putting another at
the same time for you, but this business goes on slowly.’
This idea of making a collection of his works was no new
one to Wedgwood.
We are moulding from Mr. Stuart's sulphurs (he informs his
friend). We also mould all before us in Sir Wm's gems & I
mean Some time to make each of us a complete set of them, &
all our good things to be left as a sacred deposit for the use of
our children and children’s children, which with some accº of
what has been done, & what may be done, some hints, & Seeds
for future discoveries might perhaps be the most valuable trea-
sure we could leave them. But when shall we get time to
write P when we have not time to say half we wish to do on
the business of the current day.”
In the succeeding year he pursues the same idea, and
on the occasion of a visit from his London friend,
Mr. More, he tells Bentley,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 6, 1776.
* Ibid. June 14, 1773.
CHAP. VII. BAS-FELIEF—CHOICE OF HERCULES, 337
We have had some serious deliberations upon a cabinet for
each of us. Mr. More thinks, which I believe we have talked
of before, that we should, each of us have, in our private pos-
session, a specimen of all our fine Bas-reliefs, Cameos, Intaglios,
& whatever else of our manufacture we think would be valuable
to our Children, or Friends of the next Generation.—I mean not
merely by way of a collection of fine things to shew our Friends,
or amuse ourselves with, but to serve as a model to form such
another Manufacture as our own upon, supposing our other
works and warehouses be no more.—I had often wish’d I had
saved a single specimen of all the new articles I had made, &
would now give twenty times the original value for such a
collection. For ten years past I have omitted doing this, because
I did not begin ten years before. I am now from thinking &
talking a little more upon this subject with Mr. More resolved
to make a begimming & we have sketched out a Cabinet for
some of the smaller & finer things, which Mr. More is so kind
to promise to see executed for me, if you approve of the plan."
Previously to this, Ralph Unwin had made coloured
sketches of all the finest of the Etruscan painted vases
with some others; and a set when bound was assigned
to either partner.
A vast number of cameos and tablets were made in a
white body; in fine biscuit, or as it is termed in the
invoices of Ornamental ware, ‘common white' and in
uncoloured jasper. The ‘Choice of Hercules' as here
given is in the former body.” It is an oval tablet
18 inches by 13, and as it is mentioned in the first edition
of the Catalogue,” it cannot be with any probability
referred to Flaxman (fig. 52). It may be Tebo's work, as
he excelled in large bas-relief figures. Both ground and
figures have been formed in a mould together, and not
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Septem- particularly in the choicest specimens
ber 3, 1774. of the white bodies, both biscuit and
* In the collection of T.O. Barlow jasper.
Esq. The invoices of 1779 abound 3 Page 20, No. 69.
WOL. II. Z
338 DESCRIPTION OF THE BAS-RELIEF. Chap. VII.
by distinct operations, as in the majority of bas-reliefs
whether in cameos or tablets. The central figure of
Hercules is well modelled from the antique. On the
right hand a beautiful female figure leans on a bank and
lures him, but in vain, to a life of pleasure; for he turns
away and looks to a rocky steep towards which another

CHAP. VII. OVAL TABLET. POMON.A. 339
figure more chastely clothed, points and leads the willing
god. The group is illustrative of a well-known passage
in Xenophon. It is ably conceived, and both in style and
composition heads the list of these early works. The
second illustration is an oval tablet, likewise white. It
is in the Mayer collection, and represents Pomona, the
(Fig. 53.) oval. TABLET. 1-oxioxa--MAYER COLLECTION.
goddess of gardens and fruits (fig. 53). The figure, which
is aérial, descends towards the earth, bearing in one hand
a cluster of fruit, in the other a short wand. The drapery
is exquisitely rendered; the relief strongly undercut, and
the whole emblematic of motion and grace. The figure
is said to have been modelled by Flaxman, and certainly
z 2

340 HEAD OF MEDUSA. CHAP. VII.
bears the impress of his hand. Yet, if intended to
represent Pomona, it is not named as such in any of the
Catalogues." The annexed head of Medusa (fig. 54), and
the vase (fig. 55) in which the purity and truth of the
elliptical outline are obvious, are likewise in the fine
(Fig. 54.) HEAn or MEDUSA.--Sibsox collection-
white biscuit body or early jasper. Of the jasper as
finally perfected into a porcellaneous body of exquisite
fineness, sharpness, and adaptability to the highest require-
ments of the modeller and artist, the examples are endless.
They include many of the finest cameos, some intaglios,
heads of illustrious ancients, and figures or small
statuettes. The oval cameo of Minerva (fig. 56), from Mr.
Barlow's collection, will show to what perfection, body,
* Mr. Mayer purchased this plaque field. They are in their original
or tablet in Milan. There are two gilt frames, and are said to have
similar, though if the writer re- been bought at a sale at one of the
collects correctly, the ground in these Prebendal houses.
cases is blue, in the Museum at Lich-

CHAP. VII. CAMEOS IN THE WHITE BODY. 341
modelling, and finish were brought. The French in
particular admired and patronised the various works of
art in the white bodies. Wedgwood
himself delighted in his cameos and
bas-reliefs of a single colour. In one
case some cameos were so fine that
he bid Bentley hide them in a wrapper
for ‘they are too good for common
show.”
The Sacrifice to Pan and its com-
panion-tablets, were also in the white
body, and highly considered by the
great master. In his own words,
they are
The most exquisite things I ever saw. -
Pray examine the texture, the surface, & (Fig. "ºn.
the workmanship with y” glass, and then BARLow COLLECTION.
if you can find in y' heart to sell them, set what prices upon
them you please, but it will be really a sin & a shame to part
with them for 15s, a pair.
This reluctance to sell the pre-
cious fruits of his long and weary
labours was not only the natural
result of a fine artistic taste, of a
sense of truth and beauty in their
highest forms, but of a keen appre-
ciation of the power which creates.
True genius loves its work, and gº tºº.
conserves it where it can. Some BARLow Collection.
of the greatest sculptors and painters, both ancient and
modern, have kept a favourite work beside them whilst
they lived, and at their death left it to careful hands.
This is not so much the result of egotism, as a worship


3
4
2
ENAMEL PATTERN. S. CHAP. VII.
of the spirit of truth in which they wrought; and an
intuitive perception that in working to the height of
their ideal, and in regarding only that, they had done
justice to themselves and their art. Unlike the sculptor
and the painter, Wedgwood could easily multiply his
works. Still, with the knowledge experience forced upon
him that perfection is rarely gained, he was naturally
willing to conserve these precious testimonies of his
success in an hitherto untried field.
We have already shown that the enamelling of cream
ware table services reached a point of great excellence
in the works at Chelsea. But the patterns were still
further improved and a great variety added after the
removal to Greek Street. The sales which gradually
increased for some years," were in 1776 very large, and
so continued with little variation to the close of Wedg-
wood's life. The patterns were, many of them, taken
from the antique, from the Etruscan and Greek vases,
from lamps and paterae, in some few cases from bas-
reliefs, mouldings and freizes, or from objects belonging
to a later and more debased period of art, the fresco
wall-paintings found at Herculaneum. In all these,
admirable as many of the patterns are, there is a certain
degree of monotony. Even where the artist sought to
vary, it was upon the old types of wreaths of ivy, laurel
and myrtle, helices or tendrils, as of the vine, the egg and
tongue border, spirals, maeanders, waves or the cymation
border, and others. As already said,” Wedgwood does
not seem to have had access to, or else his attention
directed to the richest and most original source of border
| Wedgwood to Bentley, September 18, 1776.
* Vol. i. p. 26.
CHAP. VII. THEIR SOURCES AND CHARACTER. 343
patterns, the red lustrous ware of antiquity." There we
find the poverty of the ancients in this respect–varied
by an exquisite grace and fertility, which bear a nearer
relation to Oriental or the best phases of mediaeval art,
than to Etruscan or Grecian in its other branches. The
patterns Wedgwood copied directly or relatively from
the antique were greatly in request by our own nobility
and by continental states, as Italy and Germany. He
exported largely such patterns as Nos. 3, 13, 14, 27, 29,
30, 32, 35, 37, 39, and 40, in the annexed plates. The
colours of some of these patterns were greatly varied,
though Nos. 13, 14, 22, 27, 29, 35, 37, 39, and 40 were
generally a rich brown red. Pattern 3 is a some-
what complex variation of the egg and tongue border,
and in different colours was much prized in this country.
Figure 13 was the maeander pattern, with a slight
addition of dots derived likewise from an antique source.
Nos. 14 and 22 were amongst the most popular patterns
enamelled by Wedgwood. They were called the red,
green, black, blue and purple antique, as they happened
to vary in their colour; though the latter pattern was
more generally a rich brown red—occasionally this was
called Etruscan. Both borders were rather exquisite
adaptations than direct copies. The first was derived
from an ornamentation peculiar to the fine vases of Nola,
and the latter was the adaptation of a pattern Originally
Egyptian. Nos. 30, 32, and 37 were in common use.
Of patterns strongly characteristic of Wedgwood's taste
for simple ornament and subdued colouring, Nos. 7, 9,
10, 16, 21, and 23, are examples, and their number
* For many exquisite specimens reader is referred to the plates in
of embossed borderings in the red Roman London, by C. R. Smith,
lustrous ware, the ceramic artist or F. S. A.
344 FAvoURITE PATTERNs. CHAP, VII,
might be greatly multiplied. No. 21 was the pattern of
the table ware supplied for Mr. Eden, afterwards Lord
Auckland, on the occasion of his embassy to Copen-
hagen. The grape and ivy-leaf borders, Nos. 24 and 28,
were simple, graceful, and beautiful, and thus always in
demand. The former pattern in purple and gold was
painted on a dessert service for Lord Chatham just prior
to his decease. The ivy leaf was the pattern of the
dessert service prepared as a marriage gift, in 1778, for
young Mr. Davenport, the son of Rousseau's friend." It
may interest the reader to learn that Nos. 3, 9, 14, and
28, are copied from the original coloured slips appended
to an order of M. Rost a German merchant. Nos. 8
and 11 are from an Italian order, and 5, 15, 17, 33, and
36 were patterns sought by the French merchants and
dealers. Most of the other borderings are taken from
invoices and papers; though we may with certainty
assume, that with the exception of Nos. 3, 9, 10, 14, 16,
21, 22, and 24, we have not before us the finest of
Wedgwood's border designs. What remain as speci-
mens are now for the most part treasured up as precious
relics, and are thus not easily accessible. The invoices,
particularly those of the Chelsea period of enamelling,
prove this to be the case; as we have borderings men-
tioned in these, and similar papers of a later date, which
point to designs of a most exquisite character. Edging
in various colours was a very popular method of decora-
tion; and feather-edge, No. 28, whether simply embossed
on the edge of the ware, or tinted, was extremely so.
Of this edging there were several varieties. Sometimes it
* Wedgwood to Bentley, May 4, friend. Mr. and Mrs. Davenport are
1778. referred to in Madame D'Arblay's
He married a daughter of Mr. diary. Vols. i. and ii.
Sneyd, Wedgwood's neighbour and
*-
º _º GIEEſº



-
T.
C. Pearson, Chrono-Lith
LoNDON-HURST & BLACKETT, JAN. 3, 1866.


CHAP. VII. THEIR INFINITE VARIETY. 345
was placed between gadroons, sometimes it had a
serrated edge, at others the serrated edge died away on
the plate; but the general rule was for the feathering to
fade away into the body colour. The husk border was
a favourite pattern with George III. The vermicelli
pattern, No. 23, was chiefly exported."
Beyond the limit of these received patterns, the range
Flowers, fruits, shells,” weeds, plants,
arms and crests, were all subjects for the enamellers.
The simple hedgerow plants and flowers of our country
predominated in such designs over those cultivated in
garden and green-house. The borders used with ware
having family arms or a crest in the centre, or on the rim,
were most varied. Sometimes they were the ordinary
patterns; at others a riband of a favourite colour, waved.
Landscapes were occasionally painted, and after the date
of the great Russian Service, ware so decorated came
Certain patterns also bore names
was very wide.
much into vogue.
significant of the purpose for which they were intended
as the “Cottage pattern' or ‘Naval pattern’. When form
and colouring were alike copies from nature, the name
given to the ware was equally expressive, as the “Au-
tumnal leaf pattern and the “Shell pattern.”
From some
* It may be interesting to give
some few items as to the prices paid
for enamelling useful ware. Sweet-
meat baskets edged with purple,
each 13d. Soup ladles, 3d, a doz.
Bowl shaped dishes, 5%d, each.
For bordering more was paid. Small
plates with blue ivy or laurel, 2/ a
doz. Sauce boats and stands with
the green antique border were 6d.
each. The same for flowering royal
feather edge compotiers. Plates with
husks and green edge, 2/6 a doz.
Dishes with grape border, 10d. each.
1} each. Glaciers with antique bor-
ders, 2/. Plates with black flowers,
3/ a doz. Blue antique plates, 3}d.
apiece. 10d. for a teapot, arrow
pattern. Grape bordered dessert
plates, 2}d. each. Cups and saucers,
purple antique border, 1/3 doz. Ditto
blue shell edge, 23d, each. Teapots
purple edge, 2d. each. Purple an-
tique bordered plates, 3/ a doz., and
2/ for laurel pattern. 1 tea-tray green
antique music 1/6. Invoices & bills
1774. Mayer MSS.
* Shell edge bordering made its
first appearance during the summer
Dishes with sprigs in the centre, of 1776.
346 THE COTTAGE PATTERN. Chap. VII.
small plates preserved of the “Cottage pattern' in the
collection of Dr. Hooker, we give the annexed example
(fig. 57); and the borderings Nos. 1, 2, 4, 7, 12, and 34 are
selected from others in the same set. The plates are small,
and in the centre of each are the varied implements of the
(Fig. 57.) COTTAGE PLATE.-HookER Co.,LECTION.
dairy, the farm, and the garden. The “Autumnal Leaf”
was for dessert. Each plate and dish was an enlarged
representation of nature both in colour and form. Occa-
sionally the pectons or valves of plants were simulated
with wonderful truth to nature. During 1778 and
afterwards, Wedgwood made conchology his study, and
formed an admirable collection of shells. From this date
may be traced his adaptation of these exquisite natural
forms to his art. The flatter or valve-like shells were
* A beautiful dessert service of ‘Autumnal Leaves’ is in possession of
the writer's friend, Mrs. Todhunter of Willesden.

CHAP. VII. FORMS AND PATTERNS FROM NATURE. 347
copied for plates, whilst the larger and occasionally more
convoluted, served as basins, baskets and dishes. This
exquisite example (fig. 58) from M. De la Rue's collection,
is an absolutely perfect copy of the nautilus, though
colouring is needed to convey to the reader's eye the
matchless beauty of the pinky and pearl-white tints of the
original ware.
– tº
- = ~ i. …
-->
-
(Fig. 58.) Nautiºus DISH--Dº LA RUE COLLECTIox.
For many years previously to his death, in December
1789, John Sadler of Liverpool seems to have retired
from the printing business, or at least resigned to his
partner, Guy Green, the chief details of its management.
The latter was probably a younger man. Thus, from
about 1772, we find Green referred to solely by Wedg-
wood; and from this date a great, if slow, improvement
in printed patterns took place. A greater variety of
colours were used, and the art of their contrast and
assimilation improved upon, so that by the end of 1776
many of the patterns hitherto enamelled were printed in
outline and then filled in with the requisite colours. For
this latter business Green employed young girls at wages





348 UNION OF PRINTING AND PAINTING, CHAP. VII.
of 18.6d, each per week. One of the patterns brought
into use at this date was that of shells and sea-weeds.”
It was suggested by Wedgwood, and he thus writes to
Bentley on the subject:—
The shell pattern is a first essay, the borders in particular
are so too. I have wrote to Mr. Green that the groups are too
large for the plates, that the green is of too common a colour
upon some of the weeds & lies too high above the glaze. But
that I think them very promising proofs & have desired to have
the prices.”
A few days later Wedgwood adds:–
Yes, I make no doubt Painting & Printing may exist
together. I hope we shall do both in quantities both in Table
and Teaware. Many patterns cannot be Printed & these will
employ the pencils. I had wrote to Mr. Green upon the first
sight of the Shell patterns that they were coloured too high, &
must be kept down, especially the green—Shells and weeds
may be colour'd as chaste as any subjects whatever, & I hope
we shall get into the way of it in time. But this pattern was
intended chiefly for abroad, & foreigners in general will bear
higher colouring & more forcible contrasts than the English.”
A considerable quantity of the shell and seaweed pattern
painted and printed ware is yet in existence, and this
dish (fig. 59) from Mr. Mayer's collection, will suffice to
convey to the eye of the reader the truth to nature of
the details, and the delicacy of effect attained by their
separation and distinctiveness, although so much is lost in
the print by the absence of colour.” From this date
Green greatly enlarged his range of colours and subjects.
* A mere shell border had, how- great reduction in size. In Mr.
ever, been in use for some years
previously.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Decem-
ber 5, 1776.
3 Ibid. December 15, 1776.
* The original dish is nine inches
by seven, so that the engraving is a
Mayer's Museum, Colquit Street,
Liverpool, there is a considerable
variety of this ware, and Mr. Falcke's
collection contains many choice spe-
cimens of enamelled table ware, and
that in which enamelling and print-
ing were so effectively combined.
CHAP. VII. SHELLS AND SEAWEEDS. 349
Most of the crests and coats of arms were thus first
printed and then coloured, and even more elaborate
patterns were successfully attempted. Wedgwood had
long complained of the limit put on the extension of sales,
by the cost incurred by the manufacturer in enamelling.
(Fig. 59.) snº.1. AND SEA wºn DISH.-MAYER Col. Lºttox.
Some shell plates (he writes) I have just recºd from Liver-
pool, convince me of a revolution being at hand, but our Painters
may nevertheless be continued, if it is not their own fault. The
tawdry appearance is all vanish’d & I am fully convinc'd that
the Ivy and Grape bord" may be done at one third of what I
now pay."
The result fulfilled Wedgwood's expectations, and he
soon came to see that the printer at no distant day
would make a further step in his art, and free himself
altogether from a connection with the enameller. In
the spring of the succeeding year, 1777, he proposed to
Green to build enamel works upon the banks of the
Grand Trunk Canal somewhere between Liverpool and
Etruria, and near enough to some town—Middlewich
* Wedgwood to Bentley, December 28, 1776.

350 ENAMEL WORKS PROTPOSED. CHAP. VII.
was proposed—to employ the children there; but the
scheme, after further consideration, fell to the ground,
owing, as it would seem, to Green's objection to reside at
the proposed works. At first the Liverpool enamellers
were exceedingly jealous of this union between painting
and printing, and sought to nullify it by charging an
exorbitant price for colouring the groups of shells, &c.;
but when Green complained of this to Wedgwood, he
suggested a true remedy: “I told him, he wrote to Bentley,
“he might do the whole without them, at which he shook
his head, but I plied him upon the subject till he promised
me to try, & I am fully persuaded he will accomplish it.”
This revolution in the monopoly sought by the enamellers
was nearer than expected. From the improvements in
the art of printing, and the competition amongst masters,
the reduction in the prices paid to enamellers became,
as early as the succeeding year 1778, surprising.
Another point brought Green and Wedgwood's busi-
ness into still closer alliance. With occasional exceptions,
as for some noble patron or personal friend, the latter
gradually declined tile making, and thus when wanted
tiles were usually procured from Green. The Stafford-
shire clay was not so well adapted for tiles as some
qualities imported into Liverpool, the potters there were
more accustomed to manipulating and firing a coarse
body which approximated that of delft, and Green more-
over had space and conveniences for the business. ‘If I
began a new manufacture it would be that of tile making
on an improved plan,’ wrote Wedgwood about this date;
but he was not inclined to build a special manufactory,
or turn his thoughts in this direction. If he had, there
can be no doubt he would have anticipated some of the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 8, 1777.
CHAP. VII. TILES. 351
improvements of our Own day in encaustic tile work, and
perhaps aided in the recovery of the lost arts of the
mediaeval tilewrights; as that of the retention of colour
and glaze through long periods of atmospheric change.
But he was more worthily employed in those higher
departments of his art, to which so few aspire, and in
which fewer still excel.
Green carried on his interesting labours for Wedg-
wood till the death of the latter. In 1783, Wedgwood
furnished a table and tea-service to the executors of
David Garrick, on which Green had printed an edging
and the cypher D. G. at the cost of 8l. 6s. 1.d." The
great actor had ordered it, but he died previous to its
completion. But before this date, and after, printing
upon the glaze was very generally introduced into the
Staffordshire Potteries, and at Etruria after the death of
its founder. Yet, possessing the blocks of the old patterns,
Green still printed matches and occasionally other articles
for Wedgwood's successors, till he gave up business in
1799 to enjoy the honest fruits of a long and laborious
life.
* Bill of Guy Green to Wedg- pack-horse days, still conveyed
wood, November 7, 1783. Mayer Wedgwood's ware to and fro for
MISS. printing in his wagons and carts; a
These bills, which are scattered singular fact, considering that the
over a lengthened period, furnish Grand Trunk Canal had been finished
many interesting particulars, besides eighteen years. Probably Wedg-
those connected with patterns and wood found there was less stealage
colour. They inform us that in and breakage in the old method of
times of peace a considerable export transport; or it may be explained on
trade in pottery was carried on be- the ground of the tenacity with
tween Liverpool and Holland, in- which he held by his tried and faith-
cluding Belgium; and that the sale ful servants. Morris's services to
was large of a peculiar kind of coffee Wedgwood must have extended over
cup, which was made at Etruria of a a period of full five and thirty years.
thick white ware, on which was The bills also show us that Wedg-
printed by Green some religious wood's shell patterns in various
device or monogram. We also learn colours, had a great run, and that
that even so late as 1793, Daniel red landscapes and green flower
Morris of Lawton, the old carrier of patterns were equally popular,
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.
THE CATALOGUES–VARIOUS EDITIONS.–SUBJECTS IN THE FIRST,
SECOND, FOURTH, AND FIFTH EDITIONS.–FLAXMAN 'S WORK–THE
“GENIUs of sculpturf, '-HIGH AND LOW RELIEF —THE MUSES-
FLAXMAN’s PORTRAIT IN WAX —TABLETS FOR CHIMNEY-PIECES —
LoNGTON HALL, SIR WILLIAM BAGOT-NO FIXED AND UNVARIABLE
PRICE FOR FINE WORKS-A CHIMNEY-PIECE FOR TRENTHAM—BROWN
TEIE GARDENER AND ARCHITECT-ORTHODOX THEORY IN RELATION
TO COLOUR — OPPOSITION OF THE ARCHITECTS — SIR. W. CHAMBERS
PERSUADES THE QUEEN THAT WEDGWOOD's TABLETS ARE NOT FIT
FOR CHIMNEY-PIECES-A BAS-RELIEF FOR SIR. W. HAMILTON.—HIS
LETTER—WEDGWOOD'S CHIMNEY-PIECES WIDELY, THOUGH SPARSELY
SCATTERED — SLABS FOR ENAMEL PAINTING – STU BBS — HIS PER-
SISTENT CHARACTER — BLACK BAS-RELIEF WASES — THE EARL OF
WARWICK–BUSTS-THE DE WITTS — GREAT MEN OF OTHER COUN-
TRIES-SEALS — POLISHING—ROBERT POLLARD–PIRATES — PALMER
AND voy Ez AGAIN–VOYEZ's SEALS-TRAVELS About THE COUNTRY
— Forges wedgwooD AND BENTLEY’s NAMES-IN TROUBLE AT
LAST-WEDGWOOD'S DIGNIFIED SILENCE—VOYEZ DISAPPEARS FROM
THE SCENE–PALMER's BANKRUPTCY—RESULTS – TASSIE – HIS ME-
DALLION PORTRAITS-CAMEOS—CABINETS-COPESTAKE, THE LAPI-
DARY AND JEWELLER AT UTTOXETER — SOHO —GROUND-LAYING IN
WATER-COLOURS — THE DECORATION OF FURNITURE AND FANCY
ARTICLES witH CAMEOS—BOULTON AND FOTHERGILL's WARES AT
THE RUSSIAN COURT-KNIFE AND FORK WASES-STORER AND HIS
PATENT—ROSSO ANTICO—CANE AND BAMBOO WARES-GOLD BRONZE
—INKSTANDS— MORTAR MATERIAL INTRODUCED — IMPROVEMENTS
—MORTARS AT APOTHECARIES' HALL–MULTIFARIOUS works.
WOL. II. A A
CHAPTER VIII.
THE CATALOGUES AND THEIR CONTENTS.
N 1773, four years from the commencement of their
partnership, when their stock of ornamental ware had
accumulated sufficiently for such a purpose, Wedgwood
and Bentley published the first edition of their Catalogue.
It is an insignificant-looking little pamphlet of sixty pages
12mo, printed on very bad paper, and stitched in a thin
marbled cover. Yet considering its contents, the position
of the fine arts at that period, the advance therein it
shows, and its excessive rarity, this little book is far more
precious than many a larger and costlier volume. A
second edition appeared in the following year, 1774, and
in this we find in the last sheet a printed reference to
Portland House, Greek Street, Soho. Shortly afterward
this edition was translated into French, and called the
third. A fourth in English was published in 1777; a
fifth in English and a sixth in French in 1779; and a
sixth in English in 1787, and this was again translated
into French in 1788. The English edition of 1787 was
reprinted in Liverpool in 1817 by Mr. Boardman, under
the title of ‘Museum Etruriae.” Bentley wrote the intro-
duction to the first edition; the various modifications and
additions up to 1779 proceeded from his pen, though
always with reference to the judgment and corrections of
his partner.' Wedgwood thought highly of this per-
* A rough draft of this, written by Bentley on the back of an old letter, is
amongst the Mayer MSS.
A A 2
356 VARIOUS EDITIONS OF THE CATALOGUES. CHAP. VIII
formance, for he added, after suggesting some improve-
ments and alterations: ‘The whole is extremely well done.
I thank you for it, and hope it will bring us both credit
and profit.’" Again he writes, in relation to the second
edition, its improvement and added matter: “The intro-
duction you have been so kind to send for my perusal is
very clever and will do honour to the composer, and, I
hope, will be attended with the desired effect. I cannot
do anything to mend it, and would not willingly make it
worse.” The Catalogue was also translated into German
and Dutch, if not into Italian. M. Veldhuysen, the suc-
cessor of Du Burk and Cooper in the Amsterdam branch
of Wedgwood and Bentley's business, translated it into
Dutch, and published it in that city in the early winter of
1778.* The edition for Germany was undertaken by
M. Rost, a wealthy Leipsic merchant, who translated
and dispersed it at his own expense.” For his energy
and friendly aid in this matter, the generous Englishmen
presented him with some choice pieces of their manu-
facture. Besides these were Catalogues of intaglios for
seals and rings;” and Lists of useful ware, in almost every
continental language, were scattered wide and far."
The Catalogues are of singular value in tracing the
history of the ornamental bodies and the subjects modelled.
With two exceptions, the Rosso Antico or red ware, and
the cane colour, this history of material has been given ;
although it is still curious to trace the simple white
Wedgwood to Bentley, March and the names of their owners are as
15, 1773. follows: 1st Edition. I. Falcke, Esq.
* Ibid. March 2, 1774. 2nd. Library Great Seal Patent
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Nov. 4, Office. 4th. Dr. Rimbault, 5th.
1778. J. A. Tulk, Esq. 6th. French and
4 Ibid. June 14, 1779. 6th English. Joseph Mayer, Esq.,
* Several editions were published, Museum Etruriae—the writer's own.
the first in 1773, the last in 1779. In the Mayer Collection is also the
* The editions used by the writer, Catalogue of Seals, 1779.
CHAP. VIII. FIRST EDITION OF THE CATALOGUE. 357
body of the first edition, confirmed in the second into a
fine white terra-cotta through the use of the carbonate of
baryta; and this in the fourth edition into the still finer
jasper, by the substitution in maximum of the simpler and
less Protean sulphate of the same substance. Here was an
exquisite material ascension, which, once grasped, reflected
itself in the highest provinces of a most beautiful art |
The lists of cameos and intaglios in the first edition of
the Catalogue prove how diligently Wedgwood and his
able partner had applied themselves to the study of the
antique gems. Of these they purchased impressions from
Tassie the well-known modeller of gems in sulphur, wax,
and a white paste or plaster composition; or more gene-
rally, as at a later date, they modelled from the gems
themselves; as from those of the Duke of Marlborough,
Lord Bessborough, Lord Clanbrassil, Sir William Hamilton,
Sir Watkin Wynne, Sir Roger Newdigate, Mr. Anson,
Mr. Foley, Athenian Stuart, and various other possessors
of these exquisite specimens of antique simplicity and
grace in art. Sir W. Wynne was one of Wedgwood's
earliest and most munificent patrons. He contributed 172
intaglios and 173 gems or cameos to Wedgwood's first
lists." Amongst the number are some of the finest sub-
jects of antique art as interpreted by the gem engravers of
the Alexandrian, and later of the Augustine age. At the
close of the earliest list of cameos we have the Marriage
of Cupid and Psyche (fig. 60); thus first obtained from a
sulphur cast by Tassie, but afterwards freshly modelled
from the original gem, and given to the world in both the
fine biscuit and uncoloured jasper, as also in jasper with
* These were largely added to, numbers from 2 to 290 in the edition
from the same source from time to of 1787, with the exception of sixty-
time. The lists in MSS. are still four varied numbers.
extant. The intaglios include the
358 MARRIAGE OF CUPID AND PSYCHE CHAP. VIII.
blue grounds, and in sizes from the largest oval plaque
to the minutest ring gem for a lady's finger. The
accompanying illustration is a reduced copy of a large
(Fig. 60.) CAMEo MEDALLION. MARRIAGE OF CUPID AND PSYCHE.-MAYER collection.
sized blue and white cameo in Mr. Mayer's collection.
Its original may be well called one of the finest speci-
mens of ancient art. The whole subject, as an allegory
upon marriage, is full of delicacy, truth, grace and feeling.
It has none of the grossness of a later day of art, when
such symbols would have been so differently expressed.
It may well be said that purity is an inherent principle in
the highest expressions of art—for it is not to be con-
ceived that a mind looking only at the outer and grosser
forms of truth, can represent them under their more
subtle and ideal aspect—in a word, psychologically and
not sensually. What modesty and grace in the veiled
* This exquisite gem, first engraved by Bartolozzi, is to be found in the
1st vol. of Bryant's Ancient Mythology.

Chap. VIII. NIOBE'S CHILDREN. 359
face, the downcast looks, the half reluctant, half willing
steps of Psyche! What equal truth in the half bold, half
sly expression of Cupid's face, in the cradle filled with
fruit, and in the loose fillet—chain of love—by which the
other Cupid, more resolute because less impassioned, leads
them onward to that which, another Cupid uncovering,
we may presume to be the symbol of the marriage bed!
None but a mind of the highest order could have given
artistic expression to this allegory of the great passion of
human life, and the results, which in causation, constitute
the generations of the world.
The tablets in the first edition of the Catalogue are
eighty-two in number, and include various fine subjects
from the antique, as the Destruction of Niobe's Children,
(Fig. 61.) cameo Medalliox. Niobe's cºuldn'Ex-Bonn collection.
the Feast of the Gods, the Death of a Roman Warrior, the
Choice of Hercules, and many others. A reduced copy
of Niobe's Children from a cameo of a later day is here
shown (fig. 61), as also a Centaur with Perseus or Apollo,

360 CENTAUR. CHAP. VIII.
and the Death of a Roman Warrior. The Centaur (fig. 62),
around tablet and framed, and 16 inches in diameter, is in
the black basaltes body, and is an exquisite work of art,
showing, that eventhus early, great skill had been acquired
(Fig. 62.) Cºstaur. PLAQUE BLAck Basaurºs.-DE LA RUE collectrox.
in modelling. It is one of the gems of the De La Rue Col.
lection. The Death of a Roman Warrior is another 1 (fig.
63). It is a longitudinal tablet in black, 20 inches by 11,
and was copied from an ancient sarcophagus at Rome.
Its bas-relief gives all the attributes of the Roman soldier.
His shield, his helmet, his sword, and the ensigns he
* By some it is said to represent the death of Julius Caesar, but Caesar fell
pierced with wounds in the senate-house, and not in battle.

CHAP. VIII. DEATH OF A ROMAN WARRIOR. 361
carried on his march, or in battle. The drapery on the vari-
ous figures is finely rendered, and the figure of the Dead
Warrior, as it rests inert on the arms of the soldiers, may
(Fig. 63.) TABLET. BLACK BASALTES.-DE LA RUE COLLECTION.
have served as a study for some of the painters of the
Renaissance, as it is not unlike various representations of
the dead Saviour.
Heads of illustrious Greeks, Romans, and Moderns
follow. The busts in bronze or black basaltes are twenty-
three in number, and of these the annexed one of Horace
(fig. 64), 19 inches high, modelled from a cast by Hoskins,
is a fine specimen of Wedgwood's earliest works in his
bronze ware. It was probably modelled by Hackwood,
who at that date, and later, employed a large part of his
time in this direction. Writing to Bentley shortly after,
Wedgwood says, “We are going on with the busts," but we
proceed very slowly, it being a fortnight's work to prepare
* They were as follows: Homer Palladio, unknown large head, Inigo
large and small, Solon, Pindar, Plato, Jones, Junius Brutus, Marcus Bru-
Epicurus, Zeno, Minerva, Venus, tus, Agrippina, Seneca, Antoninus,

362 BUST OF HORACE. Chap. VIII.
and mould one of these heads, & whilst this business
continues we have no one to work at the statues.” A
month later he says:–
We are going on very fast with the busts, having four of our
principal hands almost constantly employed on them. You
will find our busts
much better finished
than the plaister casts
or models we take
them from. Hackwood
bestows a week upon
each head in restoring
it to what we suppose
it was when it came
out of the hands of
the statuary. Pray do
not let our labour be
unobserved when they
are under your care.”
In the second edi-
tion of the Cata-
logue, 1774, the
various classes of ar-
tistic work are added
to considerably and
(Fig. 64.) Bust of HoRace.—BARLow collection. we find mention of
Joachim Smith and
his portrait models. The cameos and intaglios are many
of them superb; and the bas-reliefs, tablets, and medal-
lions, show a small increase. The busts are Very numerous.
In the fourth edition of the Catalogue, 1777, the intaglios
for seals and rings are spoken of as improved by giving a
Faustina, Augustus Caesar, Antoni- long piece of work. Wedgwood to
nus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Ger- Bentley, June 24, 1774.
manicus, Cato. These I believe are Ibid. J uly 24, 1774.
from Hoskins; to make the moulds & Ibid. August 16, 1774.
from these busts will be a great and

CHAP. VIII. BUST OF VIRGIL. 363
ground of pale blue to the surface of the stone, and by
polishing. The jasper and waxen biscuit bodies are also
first referred to; and the bas-reliefs, medallions, and tablets
exhibit an increase.
For two years Flax-
man has been more
or less at work for
Wedgwood, and the
fine heads of illus-
trious Greeks, as also
those of Iris, Ari-
adne, Bacchus, Pan
and Syrinx, may be
referred to him. The
busts are numerous
and fine, and those
of Virgil and Seneca
(figs. 65 and 66)
which are thusgiven,
indicate the mastery
obtained by Hack-
wood and his assist- are sº
ant modellers.
In 1779 appeared the fifth and last edition of the
Catalogue, prior to the death of Bentley. In this we have
clearly much more of Flaxman's work, as the Apotheosis
of Homer, the Muses with Apollo, the Dancing Hours.
Priam begging the body of Hector from Achilles,' and one
Bust of virgil-BARLow collection.
or more of the Sacrifices. It has been questioned whether
the Apotheosis of Homer, as that also of Virgil, are Flax-
man's work; but a reference to the former (fig. 67), as
It will be seen in a future page that there was another version of this
tablet modelled by Dalmazzoni.

364 BUST OF SENECA. Chap. VIII.
here given, and to the other in a subsequent page, will,
we think, confirm the generally received opinion that
both were modelled by him. There is a distinctness in
the grouping and figures, and a peculiarity in the graceful
folds and flow of the drapery which belong essentially to
his style; and to him
surely, of all the mo-
dellers employed by
Wedgwood, would,
we think, be as-
signed the task of
copying the deifica-
tion of the greatest
of the ancient poets;
and this from some
print or model of
the original bas-re-
lief which at that
date formed part of
the collection in
the Colonna Palace,
Rome. It now forms
part of our na-
tional treasures, have
- ing been purchased
(Fig. 66.) Bust of sºca.-De La Rue collectrox. for the British Mu-
seum in 1819.1
In January 1776, we find Flaxman at work upon large
bas-reliefs for chimney-pieces,” and a little later a com-
mission is given to him for a few Greek heads.” It is at
* The invoices shed great light future edition.
upon the history and prices of the * Wedgwood to Bentley, January
ornamental ware. But extracts must 4, 1776.
be referred, for want of space, to a Ibid. February 14, 1776.

CHAP. VIII. APOTHEOSIS OF HOMER. 365
this date that Wedgwood styles him the ‘Genius of Sculp-
ture, and it is probable that Flaxman has raised his terms
for modelling, for the former restricts his commissions
on account of cost. Wedgwood began now to form his
moulds in clay, which, as he said, ‘made them ever-
lasting;' but as the firing reduced them a full size, the
(Fig. 67.) Jaspea TABLET. Aporheosis of Hoxtºn.-MAYER contº
sculptor had to increase the size of his models in pro-
portion. He had in hand at this date, June 19, 1776,
the model for the tablet of Silenus and Boys, the heads
of Julius Caesar, Pan, and Syrinx: two Fauns, the figures
of Day and of two Bacchanals. Of one of the first copies
of the former, Wedgwood writes—for it had got slightly

366 FILAXMAN'S MODELS. CHAP. VIII.
broken in the fire: ‘The Tablet of Silenus, if it had been
whole, would have been worth four or five guineas.
Nothing so fine can be had for five times the money, if
at all, and these things can be had only from us, nor
shall we have any competitor in haste.” Tater in the
summer he is at work upon a draped female figure, holding
a cornucopia under her arm ; and also upon those of
Plenty and of Medea. In relation to one of these, Wedg-
wood's critical judgment comes into play, bearing out
what we have already said, ‘that the artist's model was
one thing and its transference by the potter's hand into
his art another.’’
Mr. Flaxman's model (he says) is too flat in several parts to
be made in coloured grounds, & we can sooner finish our own
than raise our models. I am aware of the necessity a modeller
will plead for making some of the parts so flat in order to keep
those parts back, and to give a proper relief to the whole. But
you will soon see by turning to our blue & white Jaspers that
we cannot admit of such delicate parts, & must be content with
such effects in our Figures as can be produced without them.
In some things the blue shade which our ground is so apt to
cast through the thin parts of the white may be of advantage
to the subject, as in the Armour by the side of the Conquered
Province.—Any parts of drapery which require to be thrown
back, or other apendages to the Figures.—But when the naked
part of the Figure is penetrated with the colour of the ground,
it is generally injurious. See the poor Queen's nose, and many
other Cameos.”
We hear nothing further of Flaxman till the summer
of the following year, when Wedgwood cautions Bentley
not to mention to him their process of making clay
moulds. Three months later, Flaxman is commissioned
to model six of the nine Muses, he having, as we have
* Preface to Vol. I. p. xx.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 9, 1776.
("HAP. VIII. THE NINE MUSES. 367
seen from the bill," modelled Melpomene, Thalia, and
Terpsichore, with their god Apollo, in the previous year.
But the order is shortly countermanded : –
Having (writes Wedgwood) laid all our bas-relief Goddesses
upon their backs upon a board before me, in order to increase
their number, I instantly perceived the six Muses we want
might be produced from this lovely Group at half the trouble
& expense they could be procur'd from Flaxman, and much
better figures. For little more than 5s. each we can complete
them very well. I hope you have not order'd them to be
model’d as I desired you would ; but if you have, so be it, it is
only so much loss. If he has not begun upon them you might
give him as good an order in a Tablet, and all would be well.
Wedgwood's countermand was, happily for the sake of
art, too late. Flaxman completed, as he had begun,
this lovely group of female figures, and Wedgwood
was subsequently as proud of them as Flaxman him-
self. They formed, with Apollo, a magnificent tablet,
both for framing and for chimney-pieces, and, in a re-
duced form, were used as an encircling group for some
of the finest of the jasper vases.
A new set of models of the English poets, taken from
the finest prints, and for which he received 10/6 per
head, employed Flaxman during the early winter of
1777, and, later, he was employed upon the Sacrifice to
Pan, and the Dancing Hours. The last was intended
as a freize or freizes to the Marriage of Cupid and
Psyche, which, with two of the Seasons for blocks, made
a complete chimney-piece. The Apotheosis of Homer
was also formed into a tablet for this purpose, with freizes
of Apollo and the nine Muses.
In the summer of 1778, Flaxman seems to have visited
* Ante, p. 322, note.
368 BACCHANALLAN SACRIFICE. Chap, VIII.

CHAP. VIII. FLAXMAN'S MODELS. 369
Staffordshire, though not as a guest of Wedgwood; for in
a letter, dated from Etruria, the latter says to Bentley:
‘Mr. Flaxman called to tell me he was modelling a bas-
relief of L' Chatham in order to sell copies in wax. I
told him we should be glad of a cast, & he knew what
we should make of it. I do not know what he means to
charge other people, but we you know are to pay a
price below casts & models.’" Shortly after, and through
various portions of the year 1779, Flaxman was at work
upon some of his most interesting models, as the Boys
and Goat, the Triumph of Ariadne,” Homer and Hesiod,”
and an Offering to Flora. He seems also to have wholly
remodelled, or adapted to a chimney-piece tablet, one of
the Bacchanalian Sacrifices mentioned in the early Cata-
logues, although it could not have been formed in the
blue and white jasper body before this date, for the firing
of such large pieces had only been recently perfected.
This tablet, one of the largest known, is 23 inches by 9%.
It is here given (fig. 68) from the collection of J. J. Bag-
shawe, Esq., of Sheffield, and is probably an early speci-
men of the tablets prepared for chimney-pieces.
In the spring of this latter year, Flaxman modelled his
own likeness in wax, and a copy in the same material or
in plaster was sent down to Etruria for transference into
the jasper or basaltes body. None of these copies seem
to be known, though specimens may exist amongst the
treasures of connoisseurs. The entry relating to this
matter is interesting, “I shall be very glad, says Wedg-
wood to Bentley, “to see Mr. Flaxman's head at Etruria
& will do all the justice I can to it in my power.’ “
I Wedgwood to Bentley, July 1, 3 Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem-
1778. ber 8, 1778. -
* Ibid. October 27, 1778. | 4 Ibid. March 20, 1779.
&
f
WOL. II. B B
370 FLAXMAN'S LIKENESS. Chap. VIII.
Through the kindness of Mr. Falcke, an engraving is here
given from one of these original models in wax (fig. 69).
The ‘Genius of Sculpture had achieved by this time some
portion of his true and noble fame, and had shown the
world that the weaknesses and little vanities of beardless
boys often foreshadow the strength and capabilities of
earnest men.
(Fig. 69.) PLAxMAN. MoDEL is wax.-FALCKE collection.
The first bas-reliefs were modelled by Voyez at the
close of 1768, and from that date we hear more or less
of them in the various ordinary bodies of basaltes, com-
mon biscuit, and terra-cotta. The grounds of the biscuit
were generally enamelled. These may be said to form
the first cameos or tablets on a large scale, and are as
marked for their comparative rudeness and high relief as
the tablets of a later day—say the Rape of Proserpine,

CH A P. VIII. HERCU JANEUM PICTURES. 37]
the Dancing Hours, or Apollo and the Nine Muses, in a
finer body—for exquisite delicacy, finish, and low relief.
The contrast between the two is as great as between the
earliest Etruscan pitcher and the exquisitely-painted vases
of the days of Phidias.' Besides these tablets in bas-relief,
were others called Herculaneum pictures. These were
generally elongated slabs in the black basaltes body, or
coloured black on the biscuit, on which were painted in
encaustic colours mythological scenes, Bacchanalian scenes,
or aerial figures. The smaller articles of this character
were intended as pictures for dressing-rooms, or for Orna-
menting writing tables, cabinets, and the walls of apart-
ments; the larger for chimney-pieces. Unwin, Catherine
Wilcox, Dovoto, and, at a later day— from April 1784–
Aaron Steel, were employed in painting these Herculaneum
pictures; as also, on a minute scale, in ornamenting tea-
pots and other articles in useful ware with aerial figures
of the same character. In the Mayer collection are two
sheets of these descending figures, beautifully painted
from original copies; and another sheet of original designs
by Aaron Steel of a more modern character. There were
also what were called ivory Herculaneum pictures—that
is, the white biscuit reliefs and ground were covered over
with a peculiar glaze or composition, which, upon firing,
imparted all the appearance of the finest ivory.
* One of these early tablets is in Some parts of all the figures, the
the possession of J. F. Streatfield, most prominent more particularly,
Esq., 15 Upper Brook Street. It bear a brown tinge. Some consider
measures about 14 by 6% inches, has this to be the result of time or fire,
Wedgwood and Pentley's name on but it is more probably the effects of
the back in capitals, and formed enamel colour laid on ; as both brown
originally the upper part of a marble and also grey tints are spoken of in
chimney-piece of an old house in the reference to these early tablets, the
city of London. The subject is a Bac- purpose being undoubtedly to convey
chanalian procession, and the figu:es the embrowned hues of a southern
are in extraordinarily high relief. climate.
B B 2
372 EARLY TABLETS FOR CHIMNEY-PIECES, CHAP, VIII.
Sir Watkin and Lady Wynne were amongst the first
to try the black bas-relief tablets in chimney-pieces; as
the Adamses, the Adelphi architects, Sir John Wrottisley,
and some others, terra cotta ornaments in building, both
interiorly and exteriorly. But these examples were little
followed, although Sir Watkin's chimney-piece, and an-
other painted in encaustic enamel for a Mr. H. Lutwidge,
in the autumn of 1774, were greatly admired. -
The early jasper body was first tried in large tablets
about the same period, and from this date we find Wedg-
wood earnestly bent on introducing these fine ornaments
more and more as decorations of the domestic hearth.
But immense and, for a time as it seemed, insuperable
difficulties stood in the way of success; and it was not till
he had hardened the composition, and built, as already
seen, a kiln on purpose, that pieces so large and massive
could be produced without defects. Meanwhile, however,
they were made in the ordinary biscuit body, and then
sent to London to receive enamel grounds, or in the black
basaltes, which required no colouring. Boulton had
at this time taken up the trade in chimney-pieces, and,
unlike Wedgwood, won the patronage of the builders.
The cornish, freize, and jambs were of wood, decorated
with tin ornaments, which when painted as one with the
wood, had the effect of fine carving.
But by slow degrees Wedgwood advanced upon the
steps of his great purpose. As he mastered the science
of firing large masses, this beautiful branch of his art
1 * The fame of your painted
Chimney pieces is not confined to
London only, we are asked much after
them here; & if you can spare us a
good sett to show here this summer,
now our season is commenced, it will
be a treat at least to our good visitants
if we do not sell them, but I think
the latter is very probable, & I
have almost promised this treat to
Some of our constant friends and
customers here.' Wedgwood to
Bentley, July 8, 1775.
CHAP. VIII. CHIMNEY-PIECE, LONGTON HALL. 373
grew more a possibility, and no sooner had he prepared
some ornaments of this character in the jasper body, than
fortune favoured him.
Mr. Heathcote, you know he (writes to Bentley) is repairing
Longton Hall in our neighbourhood, & he wishes to have one
of our chimneypieces, but when I came to talk with Gardner,
his architect, I find Mr. Heathcote's idea is to have our jaspers
set in a wood freese & tablet. I have convinc'd Mr. G. of the
impropriety of this combination, & am to undertake the same
with Mr. H. I told Mr. G. we were making some metopes,
tablets, oval bas-reliefs for frieses, blocks &c. for wood chimney-
pieces, glass frames &c. & show’d him some samples which he
approv’d of very much, & did not doubt but great quantitys
would be sold to compose chimney-pieces of 10 to 15 guineas
price which, he said, were the chief run in all country gentle-
(Fig. 70.) CHIMNEY-PIECE, LONGTON HALL, STAFFORDSHIRE,
men's houses & he would put some of them up in chimney-
pieces he had now in hand as soon as I could furnish him with
them."
Wedgwood to Bentley, December 17, 1777.

374 . DIFFICULTIES CONQUERED CHAP. VIII.
We have no further data relative to this chimney-piece,
except that it was erected, and most probably at a period
somewhat later, as the centre tablet, seen in the engrav-
ing (fig. 70), represents the Apotheosis of Virgil—a sub-
ject modelled later than the Apotheosis of Homer, and
not referred to in the Catalogue of 1779. Wedgwood
evidently converted Mr. Heathcote to his opinion, as the
freize, jambs, and entablature are alike with the centre
ornament in the jasper body. The freize, which merely
represents an antique border, and the somewhat un-
meaning heading to the trophies on the jambs, show
an early stage in this style of decoration, although the
Medusa's head at the corner of the jambs, and the
tripod altars bearing the sacred flame at the feet, were
repeated afterwards in chimney-pieces of higher pre-
tensions. - -
By the autumn of 1778, every difficulty in firing was
conquered, and Wedgwood thus wrote to Bentley:—
Do you wish to have any tablets sent? or would you rather
sell what you have first? We have a very perfect one from
Mr. Flaxman's model, & have several more in hand of different
subjects. You shall have a most glorious assortment for the
opening of the next season of Tablets, frieses, & blocks, to go
together in the composition of a chimneypiece. We can make
the frieses of any length & very true & even—I have just mixed
half a ton of Jasper, & shall go on with more that we may have
a year's composition before-hand, the advantages of which will
be very great in many respects; & when we have completed
our present suit of tablets & their accompaniments for chimney-
pieces we will make another attack upon the architects & hope
to conquer. One thing I am at least clear in, that our weapons
will be superior to any we have hitherto brandish’d before
them. Mr. Brown—The Brown, I mean is almost new building
L" Gower's house at Trentham, & comes down pretty often.
I intend to shew him a suit for a chimney piece when I have
CHAP. VIII. SIR WILLIAM BAGOT'S CHIMINEY-PIECE. 375
them quite complete. I think we have not attempted him at
present in any way."
At this date Sir William Bagot,” of Blithefield, was
adding a large room to his house, and his wife, wishing to
contribute to its decoration, invited Mr. Wedgwood
thither, and ordered one of his finest chimney-pieces.
The Apotheosis of Homer, and Apollo and the Nine Muses
were the subjects fixed upon. For these and the various
other pieces necessary to complete the work, the price
named was thirty-two guineas, although as yet no definite
prices had been fixed. In relation to this point, Mr. Wedg-
wood consulted Bentley —
I shall be glad to know what price you think they will bear
to sell a good quantity. I do not mean what they are worth
for they are in every respect more valuable than so much
carved marble; but as we can now make them with absolute
certainty & Success I wish to put them in a train of moving in
Quantities.”
On this visit and one subsequently, Mr. Wedgwood
carried some of his finest tablets with him, and making,
as it were, a little tour to various neighbouring seats, he
found opportunities of showing them to Mr. Anson, Lord
| Wedgwood to Bentley, August pieces as tablets, or such suits as the
9, 1778.
* Created a Baron in 1780.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Sep-
tember 1, 1778. A little later Wedg-
wood says furtherin relation to price:
‘The white Jasper Muses & Tablets
of Homer & Hesiod are worth any-
thing. Please to look at them & if
you think they should be charged
less than the blue grounds put them
at what you please. These very
fine and perfect works should be
charg’d singly upon inspection with
some relation to their individual
merit, & when there are defects put
such pieces at lower prices according
to the degrees of their imperfections,
& when the merit of such large
Muses rise above a medium I think
they should be mark'd with a price
accordingly. What I mean to offer
to your consideration upon the sub-
ject, is shortly this, That a Homer &
Hesiod tablet, or a suit of the Muses
should not have a fixed & invariable
price like a quart mug, but that
this individual tablet or that suit of
the Muses should be so much 8, 10,
or 12 G* according to their compara-
tive merit, & if it is necessary to
fix a medium price, I would never-
theless have some fixed both above
and below that medium if the differ-
ence in the fineness of the pieces
would bear the distinction.” Ibid.
March 14 and 15, 1779.
376 A SPLENDID ROOM. CHAP. VIII.
Scarsdale, Lord Huntingdon, Mr. Talbot, and Sir Wm.
Broughton. A little later he has been on a brief jour-
ney to Birmingham, and thus reports to Bentley:—
I visited Sir Wm. Bagot on my return home, & am to spend
some days with him after Lichfield races. He has a noble
collection of pictures & will furnish his grand room with them
whilst I am there, & has determined to accept his Lady's
present of a chimney piece for it, & is pleased to say that the
tablet & freizes Homer & Co. & the Muses—are the finest
things he ever saw anywhere, & they will be placed in very
good company Guido, Titian, & a long &c. of the worthy
Knights of the pencil."
In the spring of the subsequent year this chimney-
piece was set up, and during the summer Mr. Wedgwood
had the pleasure of seeing it.
Upon leaving Lichfield I made Blithefield in my way, & had
a high treat there upon more dishes than one. Sir William's
new room is hung round with Correggios, Raphaels, Guerchinos
(Guercino), Bassans & many more great masters which I shall
not attempt to describe to you, but upon the whole it is one
of the first rooms in the Kingdom. Amongst other great works
of art Sir W* particularly pointed out the chimneypiece to
my attention, assuring me, at the same time, that he esteem’d
it the best piece in his room, & shews it as such to all his com-
pany. You know the pieces—Homer & Hesiod for the tablet,
& the Muses for the frise. The statuary has done them justice,
& they look charmingly, & do more than merely support them-
selves in the very fine company into which he has introduc’d
them. One circumstance I cannot omit, though I have perhaps
said too much already, as it shews in the strongest manner the
propriety of the resolution we came to of having the Edges of
our bas-reliefs polished & that this finish should be extended
to our largest works—In looking at the tablet I was lamenting
a little chip off the edge, which misfortune I suppose had
befalan it in the hands of the workmen. Misfortune do you
call it crys Sº W** We esteem it a very happy accident—It
Wedgwood to Bentley, September 10, 1778.
CHAP. VIII. LIBRARY AT TRENTHAMI. 377
shews the merit—the fine texture of the composition which
otherwise might have pass'd for a painted surface."
The attempt to win the good will of Lord Gower and
his architect Brown for the tablets was eminently suc-
cessful. Both Lord and Lady Gower were greatly
charmed, and fixed upon a tablet and two friezes for their
library—the subject of the friezes being Apollo and the
Nine Muses. A few days later Wedgwood saw Brown
himself:—
I had an hour's conversation with him (he writes to Bentley)
upon the subject of tablets &c. when amongst many encomiums
upon what he had seen, he assur'd me he did not mean to speak as
a courtier when he express'd his strongest approbation & even
admiration of what he had seen. He preferred them greatly to
sculpture in marble, would make use of them himself as an archi-
tect when he had an opportunity & recommend them everywhere.
He assur'd me of his real attachment to our interest from the
merit of our productions & desir'd we would call upon him in
town at any time when we thought he could be of any use to
us with his advice or anything else in his power. We had
nothing to fear he said from the opposition of the architects,
for such things as those must come into use when seen. Mr. B.
& Lº Gower objected to the blue ground unless it could be
made in Lapis Lazuli. I shewed them a sea green & some other
colours to which Mr. Brown said they were pretty colours &
he should not object to those for the ground of a room, but
they did not come up to his idea of the ground of a tablet, nor
would any other colour, unless it was a copy of some natural &
valuable stone. All other color'd grounds give ideas of color'd
paper, painting, compositions, casting, moulding &c. & if we
could not make our color'd grounds imitate marble or natural
stones, he advises us to make the whole white, as like to statuary
marble as he could — This is certainly orthodox doctrine & we
must endeavour to profit by it. This gentleman, if there is
any confidence to be placed in the greatest apparent sincerity
| Wedgwood to Bentley, July 30, 1779.
378 WHITE POLISHED TABLETS. CHAP. VIII.
& earnestness, means really to serve us, & he gives for his
reason—because we deserve it."
Wedgwood and his partner too were won over to this
rightly called Orthodox doctrine, for all the finest chim-
ney-pieces extant are in this purest and loveliest of
Nature's colours.
In my opinion (wrote Wedgwood a few days after this inter-
view) white polish'd tablets will be liked better for chimney-
pieces than any colour’d grounds we can make, for they will
be to other stones. What you think of making the figures
only in our fine white jasper & let the statuaries put them upon
their own grounds. The figures must be contriv'd for the
purpose & in a large style & high relief, & so they are when
carv'd in marble & laid upon the Sienna grounds. And these
figures might be shown to the architects only. I believe we
could make them & think it merits some consideration on
several accounts: If we can bring over the architects in one
good article, some of the others will follow of course.”
But the architects were not to be persuaded, though
Bentley's efforts were unceasing. Men of cultivation and
taste like Stuart were to be won over to things, heterodox
simply because they were new in the truest sense; but the
architects, with a few honourable exceptions, and headed
by Sir Wm. Chambers, talked them down—and with
result. The latter persuaded the Queen that Wedgwood
and Bentley's tablets were not fit for chimney-pieces.
Well might Wedgwood write when he heard of this : —
Fashion is infinitely superior to merit in many respects; &
it is plain from a thousand instances, that if you have a favorite
child you wish the public to fondle & take notice of you have
only to make choice of proper sponsors. If you are lucky in
them no matter what the brat is, black, brown, or fair, its
fortune is made. We were really unfortunate in the introduc-
* Wedgwood to Bentley, October 6, 1778.
* Ibid. October 27, 1778.
CHAP. VIII. OPPOSITION OF THE ARCHITECTS. 379
tion of our jaspers into public notice, that we could not prevail
upon the architects to be godfathers to our child. Instead of
taking it by the hand & giving it their benediction, they cursed
the poor infant by bell, book & candle, & it must have a hard
struggle to support itself, & rise from under their maledictions."
True, the Queen patronised the pearl-white tea-ware
then newly introduced, though she was persuaded to look
askance upon Apollo and his lovely train, or the deifica-
tion of him—Old, poor, and blind—who immortalised the
wars of Troy. But, after all, were not platters and tea-
cups things more akin to the endowments of a royal lady
whose favourite mental nutriment was sermons fitted for
the days of Sacheverell, who could smile graciously at
doggerel lines on her “great coat, tolerate Mrs. Schwellen-
berg and her frogs, and whose only knowledge of the
external world around her was such as it had been
interpreted to her in the petrifying atmosphere of a small
German Court P. Certainly 1 as the tree is fashioned and
nurtured, so are the qualities of the fruit it bears. But
Genius was invincible in her eternal faith; Wedgwood
felt that other generations were to come, other men to
behold his works, other eyes to see that he had exalted
his art by the only means it is to be exalted—namely, by
patience and truth. “My tablets, he says in one of his
letters, “only want age and scarcity to make them worth
any price.’ He was a true prophet, and till some one as
great as himself shall arise, their value will go on increasing
in the sight of all those who measure Art by the breadth
and height of their own culture.
But there were sources awaiting him where the highest
artistic cultivation, the truest natural taste, ensured both
appreciation and keen sympathy. The one whom he
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 19, 1779.
380 SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON. CHAP. VIII.
first thought of when the tablets were thus perfected was
Sir William Hamilton; the zealous friend of so many
years, and with whom he and Bentley were constantly
corresponding on various matters relative to their pro-
ductions. After expressing a previous wish to Bentley
that one of the finest tablets should be sent to Sir William,
Wedgwood thus wrote again :—
I believe they do not use Tablets in chimneypieces in Italy
& did not mean the one I mention'd sending to Sir Wm
Hamilton for that purpose, but rather as a picture or a cabinet
piece of art & thought it might be agreeable to Sir Wm to
shew his friends in Italy the use which had been made of his
collection of vases in England & not a bad mode of shewing
our productions there, if he should chuse to put it in a chimney-
piece in England he can easily bring it over with the rest of
his furniture. After this explanation do what you please & I
shall be satisfied. If it goes it should have a fine mahogany
box, lined with a suitable coloured silk. I am almost super-
stitious in the effects of such accompaniments."
This wish was obeyed, and during the summer of the
succeeding year Sir Wm. Hamilton received his present,
and thus gracefully acknowledged its safe arrival:—
NAPLEs, June 22, 1779.
Sirs.
I have had the pleasure of receiving safe your delight-
ful Basrelief of the Apotheosis of Homer, or some celebrated
Poet indeed it is far superior to my most sanguine expectation,
I was sure that your industry would produce in time something
excellent in the way of Basreliefs from the specimens I saw
before I left England but I realy am surprised & delighted
to the highest degree with this proof of the hasty strides you
Wedgwood to Bentley, October
27, 1778. On this latter point Wedg-
wood had written a few days earlier:
‘I am geting some boxes made
neatly & lined with silk or some fine
stuff to keep & shew the tablets in ;
some singly and others to contain
jaspers for a whole chimney-piece.
You remember Tim Bobbin's reason
for covering his Baudehewit. It will
hold, we well know, in other things,
& we should use every means in our
power to make our customers believe
they are not THE WARE.’ Ibid.
October 16, 1778.
CHAP. VIII. HIS GREAT LIBERALITY. 381
have made towards perfection in your art, I only wish you may
continue to meet with the encouragement you so richly deserve,
but I fear that Luxury of every kind & the expensive War we
are at present engaged in will in a short time so drain us that
we shall nothing left to please our fancy. In the mean time
however I return you my sincere thanks of this fresh mark of
your attention to me. If you want new subjects for other Bas-
reliefs I recommended these, of P, 43 vol. 3, only the group of
three Women with an Umbrella, of Plates 73, 76 (118. Thetis
with armour of Achilles) and the right hand side of (Pl 123 the
Hesperides feeding the serpent) and 130 all of the 34 vol. 71,
& 81, of the 4th vol, are likewise charming subjects.
Notwithstanding the Times are hard I have made some
charming additions to my collection which shall one day be
added to those already in the British Museum. I cannot refrain
when anything excellent comes in my way, which is not often,
for excellence was always & ever will be rare. Your Basrelief
astonishes all the Artists here, it is more pure and in a truer
antique Taste than any of their performances tho’ they have so
many fine models before them.

2-2 tº
His Majesty's envoy at Naples well deserved this atten-
tion from Wedgwood and Bentley. He had presented
them with a set of Etruscan vases, in addition to a part,
at least, of his work on Antiquities. He had from time
to time sent them over cases filled with casts from bas-
reliefs and other antique subjects." He had lent them
cameos and gems, and had been instrumental in opening
many choice collections to their use. He had commis-
* Two cases on board the ship Abraham, June 30, 1775. Freight of one
October 5, 1775. Mayer MSS.
382 CONTINUOUS PATRONAGE. CHAP. VIII.
sioned them to make busts for the entablature of a bridge
in his pleasure grounds at Naples, and he was the pur-
chaser of the earliest of the black bas-relief vases; he wore
(Fig. 71.) CAMEO MEDALLION. SIR wº. HAMILTON-MAYER Co.,LECTIox.
their cameos and seals, and distributed others as gifts
amongst his friends. Specimens of every improvement or
addition to both the useful and ornamental manufactures
were at his desire habitually consigned to him, and he

CHAP. VIII. CHIMNEY-PIECES STILL EXTANT. :38:3
even offered to take a number of fine enamelled dinner
and dessert services, and endeavour to sell them wherever
he could, but this latter proposition Wedgwood declined."
In short, this admirable patron and friend received no
more than his due in this gift of a masterpiece in white
jasper—the Apotheosis of Homer.
Wedgwood's bas-relief chimney-pieces were widely, if
sparsely, scattered all over Great Britain and Ireland. In
London a few new-built houses of the nobility and
gentry were decorated with them. An attempt was made
to win over the architect of Mrs. Montague's new house
in Portman Square, but it is unknown if successfully. At
a somewhat later date, when Wedgwood added friezes
for ceilings to his other ornaments in jasper on a large
scale, a fine one was executed for a room in the house of
the Countess of Cork, in Grosvenor Square. In Derby-
shire a splendid chimney-place still exists, which Wedg-
wood executed at this period for Lord Scarsdale. In
Ireland the taste for these fine ornaments was even more
general than in England. Many of them are still extant
in town and country houses, and, if sold, find ready pur-
chasers if consigned to this country. The splendid
chimney-piece, with its tablet of the Apotheosis of
Homer, lately shown at Alton Towers, and the property
of D. C. Marjoribanks, M.P., came originally from thence,
where it had beautified some noble room for many
years.”
From October 1777, Wedgwood was occupied with
another class of tablets, or rather pallets, of large size,
for Stubbs, the animal painter. Cosway had been the first
| Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem- chimney-piece was not engraved. It
ber 20, 1775. will, however, probably have a place
* By an oversight which could not in a subsequent edition.
be rectified till too late, this fine
384 STUBBS THE ANIMAL PAINTER. CHAP. VIII.
to direct Stubbs's attention to enamel painting, but the
difficulty of procuring sheets of copper sufficiently large
for any full-size picture came in the way, as also others
connected with the requisite colours. Finding none to
his purpose, he set to to make a complete set for himself,
and after incredible pains, labour, and expense, extending
over two years, and which occupied every spare moment
of his time, he succeeded in his object to the full, by
producing nineteen distinct tints in enamel colours.
Stubbs had already shown great perseverance and de-
termination of character. He had taught himself engrav-
ing, and in a great measure painting. He had shut
himself up for eighteen months in a lonely farmhouse amidst
the swamps of Lincolnshire, in order to master by dissection
the Anatomy of the Horse, and prepare the plates of his
great and well-known work on that subject—and he was
now, at the age of fifty-three, the most noted animal
painter in the kingdom. He painted horses on the can-
vasses of Sir Joshua Reynolds, and others that had won
on the race-course and in the hunting field. He had
painted homely favourites and homely scenes. The
Farmer's Wife and Raven, from Gay's Fables, and Lord
Torrington's Bricklayers and Labourers, and engraved
them in a masterly manner as well.
Wedgwood readily undertook Stubbs’s commission.
The first difficulty lay with the clay or earth ; ordinary
white ware or cream ware would not do. The next with
the firing. However, progress was made, and tablets
were produced of 22 by 17 inches. But these did not
reach the needed size. Fresh trials were made, extending
over a further period.
* Some peculiar earth was tried from an estate of the Duke of Athol,
Wedgwood to Bentley, November 26, 1777. -
CHAP. VIII. TABLETS FOR ENAMEL PAINTING. 385
When you see Mr. Stubs (writes Wedgwood to his friend)
pray tell him how hard I have been labouring to furnish him
with the means of adding immortality to his very excellent
pencil. I mean only to arrogate to myself the honor of being
his camvas maker. But alass this honor is at present denied
to my endeavours though you may assure him that I will succeed
if I live awhile longer undisturbed by the French as I only
want an inclin’d plane that will stand our fire. My first
attempt has fail'd & I cannot well succeed in my attempts till
we lay by work for Xmas when our kilns will be at liberty for
my trials."
In the May succeeding this, Wedgwood's experiments
had resulted in tablets of 30 inches, and he hoped
ultimately to bring them to 36 inches by 24 inches.
But that is at present in the offing (he tells Bentley) & I
would not mention to Mr. Stubbs beyond 30 at present. If
Mr. Stubbs succeeds he will be followed by others to which he
does not seem to have the least objection, but rather wishes for
it; & if the oil painters too should use them, they may become a
considerable object. At present I think we should give Mr.
Stubbs every encouragement to proceed & establish the fashion.
He wishes you know to do something for us by way of setting
off against the tablets. My picture & Mrs. Wedgwood in
enamel will do something. Perhaps he may take your Governess
in by the same means. I should have no objection to a family
piece, or rather two perhaps in oil, if he should visit us this
summer at Etruria. These things will go inuch beyond his
present trifling debt to us. Now I wish you to see Mr. Stubs
& if the idea meets your approbation, to tell him that if it is
convenient for him to pay in money for what he has hitherto
had, it will pay something towards the kilns & alterations in
kilns we have made & the other expenses we have been at in
our essays & the next £100 or £150 in tablets, perhaps more,
shall be work & work, we will take payment in paintings.”
Of this proposal we shall see the results in our next
chapter.
Wedgwood to Bentley, October 16, 1778.
* Ibid. May 30, 1779.
WOL. II. º C C
386 BLACK BAS-RELIEF VASES. Cnap. VIII.
In the summer of 1776, Wedgwood improved his black
vases by surrounding them by fine bas-reliefs from the
antique. Hitherto this class of vases had been orna-
mented with little more than plinth mouldings, medallions.
single figures, and festoons, and by Satyrs' heads or snakes
for the handles. These fine vases were first made public
in the season of 1777; but earlier than this they had been
shown to Sir William Hamilton, who was then in Lon-
don; and they met with the special approbation of the
Earl of Warwick. Wedgwood was at this time suffering
from an accident to his amputated limb, had to move on
crutches, and to be carried to the works in his carriage.
Of this he says: —
Lº Warwick & his Lady have been here from Trentham this
morning & I sat in the
pattern room in state
to receive them. They
were both exceedingly
polite & affable & or-
der'd several things to
be sent to Warwick
Castle. Flowerpots &
tripods, a large head of
the Medusa such as he
had before, & would
have order'd a set of the
new Basrelief Vases,
which he praised pro-
digiously & said we got
forward amazingly, but
I advis'd his Lordship to wait till spring when we should have a
greater variety. So he is to come & chuse them at the Rooms.
(Fig. 72.)
BLAck tº as-n-Luº vasº on. CLP.
De La Ruº co-LECTION.
Wedgwood to Bentley, Septem-
ber 12, 1776. The prices of bas-relief
vases, says Wedgwood in a subse-
quentletter, should be equal at least
to the Greek paintedones, forthereisa
greatexpense in the models & moulds
for the Figures, besides avery consi-
derable additional risk in their being
good, as all large pieces in figures,
& laid upon a plain ground, are very
liable to crack.' Wedgwood to Bent-
ley, October, 1776. It was these black
bas-relief vases which first suggested
the more splendid ones in jasper.

CHAP. VIII. SPECIMIENS. 387
A specimen of these bas-relief vases is here given (fig.
72), and another is shown in vol. i. p. 481. Neither spe-
cimen can be pronounced of the highest order of work-
manship, as Wedgwood refers to vases adorned with the
Dancing Hours, and others from Flaxman's models, as well
as from exquisite bas-reliefs in the possession of Sir Roger
Newdigate. Lord Warwick's vases were probably of
(Fig. 73.) vasº. Tºrrow HaNoLE. (Fig. 74.) -Asº. SATYR HANDLE.
MODELLED BY FLAXMAN. MoDELLED BY FLAxM.A.N.
Hook ºn Co.LECTION. Hook ºn coll-ECTION.
this high character. The two succeeding examples
of pitcher vases (figs. 73 and 74) are of much interest.
Both, as his first bill has shown, were modelled by
Flaxman. Vases, at this date, were also made in the
black body and left unfired. Lord Warwick and Sir
William Hamilton particularly admired the colour thus
obtained, and vases of this character were sent to Italy for
c. c 2

388 BUSTS OF GREAT MEN. CHAP. VIII.
the latter. The busts in the black body, bronzed or other-
wise, became, as we have already seen, the finest things
imaginable. Some of peculiar interest were modelled
life-size in 1779, from medals or prints supplied, through
M. Veldhuysen, by the Lord Burgomaster of Amsterdam.
They included the two De Witts, and subsequently Gro-
(Fig. 75.) Bus T or John on Connºianus DE WITT--Dº L.A. Ruº Colºriox.
tius, Boerhaave, and Michel de Ruyter. The illustration
(fig. 75) gives one of the De Witts, though whether John
or Cornelius is unknown. The bust is 25 inches high, and
from its size and exquisite modelling, forms one of the
gems of the De la Rue collection, which is particularly
rich in this respect. The Dutch, proud of their patriots


CHAP. VIII. SEALS. 389
and great men, purchased these busts in such large
numbers, as to lead to a vast increase in Veldhuysen's
sales. Stimulated by this patronage, Wedgwood under-
took the busts of the great men of other countries; but
except in our own and in Germany, the sales seem never
to have been large. In too many of them, at that date,
tyranny had crushed out the love of liberty and the love
of country as well. After the death of Bentley another
class of portraiture came greatly into request. These
were oval bas-relief medallions of from 4 to 5 and 6
inches in height, in the basaltes body, with frames of the
same. Many of these are of great beauty, and of the
highest class of workmanship."
The fabrication of seals had occupied Wedgwood's
attention from an early date. They progressed, like the
vases, from the black to the red and crystalline bodies,
then to laminated grounds, and next to jasper, which,
from its hardness, formed the finest surface for the
impressions of the dies. These were taken from the
rarest works of antiquity—from those of the Renaissance
* Mr. Carruthers, of Norwood, has a particularly fine collection of these
portrait medallions.
Modelling bills of 1779.
Messrs. Wedgwood & Bentley
To J. Flaxman.
1779.
Aug. 21. #3 s. d.
The portrait of Mr. Banks modelled in Clay 2 2 0
Received in full of all demands by
JoHN FLAXMAN, Jun'.
Mr. Wood Dr.
To Jno Cheese. f s. d.
To four busts of Shakespeare, Plato, and Aristotle, 10.6 each 2 2 0
To a case . tº g * jº º o ſº & ... O 5 (5
£2 T7 T6
Feby yº 24, 1774 received ye Contents in full per me
JNo CHEESE.
Sculptor in Cement.
Note by Mr. Mayer.
Mayer MSS.
390 SEAL POLISHING. CHAP. VIII.
and of a later day. Cyphers and initial letters were another
and a favourite class of decoration, and one which Wedg-
wood was greatly instrumental in promoting. His object
was to check the feudal passion for heraldic ornament,
and, by introducing truly classic subjects, to lead artists
in this department to a higher and a better style. He,
however, only partially succeeded; for the passion de-
pended on causes which only the slow progress of civilisa-
tion can efface. Half his letters are filled with business
relative to seals—their improvement, polishing, setting,
and dispersion. The polishing was done at Birmingham,
afterwards at Etruria, and finally in London. Here his
polishing was done, as also much engraving, by Robert
Pollard, a man of remarkable ability, a native of New-
castle-upon-Tyne, and a friend of Thomas Bewick, whom
1779.
Mess". Wedgwood & Bentley
To Hoskins & Grant. £ s. d.
May 5 To a large Bust of Bacchus ſº e 2 2 ()
To a Ditto . . . . of Ariadne | 11 6
To a Vase . & e Re & & 1 11 (5
To a Large Antique Bust of Mercury | 1 ()
To a ditto of Alexandre . e ge 2 2 ()
To 2 Busts of Shakespeare & Garrick. | 16 ()
To 6 Basreleve Figures . e * 3 3 ()
To 2 Figures Zingara & Chrispagnia . 2 2 ()
To Cases for Ditto . * g º 1 9 ly
June 28 To a Cast of an Oval Pshyche & Cupid 2 12 6
To a Cast of the Aurora & a smale Tablet . 1 || 0
To a setting Figure of Venus tº g 2 2 ()
To a Mould of Sterne. ſº . 2 2 0
To a Setting Figure of Mercury . . 2 2 0
To Cases for Ditto . 1 7 13
#28 4 9
A Bust of Julius Caesar . . () 14 ()
28 18 9
Deduct for packing cases as above 2 16 3
26 2 6
Discº. 10 per Cº. 2 12 :
packing cases e . * tº sº . 2 16 3
g26 6 6
Teceived the contents in full of all Demands -
BENJ". GRANT. Mayer MSS.
CHAP. VIII. ROBERT POLLARD. 391
he befriended and obtained work for, when the afterwards
famous engraver on wood came up to London at the close
of his apprenticeship in 1776. Pollard had all the virtues
of his north-country race. Wedgwood greatly respected
him, and employed him for a lengthened period in work
of a most exquisite character, that of polishing his finest
gems and bas-reliefs.
The black seals were easily imitated. Undeterred by
the restraints imposed upon him by the arrangements
made in reference to Wedgwood's Patent for encaustic
painting, Palmer carried on his piracies in a most unblush-
ing manner; and then, by means of underselling his forged
and trashy wares, he glutted the market, and injured
Wedgwood's sales. He took in, if possible, every hand
discharged from Etruria; and by this means, towards the
close of 1772, succeeded in imitating Wedgwood's im-
provements in black tea-pots, which, finely formed and
delicately wrought by tools, or upon the engine-lathe,
were models of their kind. He next temporarily allied
bimself with Burdett till he had learnt all that weak and
foolish man could teach ; and soon after he commenced
seal-making. These were sold in Birmingham to the
setters, from some of whom Wedgwood got tidings of the
piracy. “We may safely take it for granted, he writes
to Bentley, they will not let us enjoy this business
unrivalled, how then shall we distinguish ours from
theirs? Wedgwood & Bentley is rather too much to
put on the backs of our seals with the No. besides, the
small ones especially, & I do not know whether we
can put any single mark upon them which our neighbours
dare not copy.'" In another letter he says: ‘I lament
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 7, 1773,
392 VOYEZ'S SEALS. CHAP. VIII.
we have not a Patent, it would be worth £10,000 to us,
and I think the ground was perfectly clear for 'one, as
intaglios for seals had never been made.” Their sales
were, however, very considerable, and every means was
taken to disperse these fine intaglios on the continent and
even in America. -
Voyez, who for a time had fitted like an evil spirit
between London and the Potteries, had now settled down
somewhere in Burslem, occasionally working for Palmer,
and otherwise in seal-making for himself. These, as
Wedgwood said, ‘were sad trash.' Yet he managed to
dispose of them amongst merchants and setters by propa-
gating a tale that Wedgwood and Bentley's seals were
only to be obtained from particular persons. He next
published a catalogue, containing nearly 200 names,
which Wedgwood obtained and sent to Bentley for his
amusement in a leisure moment. ‘This man's seals are
wretched things, added Wedgwood; “but by mere dint
of application to the buyers, I do not know whether he
does not sell more than us, but I suppose after Monday
his career will be cut short in Birmingham.” Tempora-
rily it probably was, for he was always in the last shifts
of a needy vagabond. His next plan was to have a sale
by auction of his seals, at which he had no bidder; and
making, a few months after, a still further descent in
rascality, he prepared a fresh stock, on which he forged
Wedgwood and Bentley's name. “I am now certain,
writes Wedgwood, ‘that Voyez puts our names full length
upon his seals. A servant who work'd for Voyez is now
with Mr. Hales, & says if we desire it, he will take oath
to fact, & says that Voyez is now gone on a journey to
| Wedgwood to Bentley, June 14, 1773.
* Ibid. December 10, 1773,
CHAP. VIII. HIS FORGERY OF NAMES. 39:3
Worcester, Gloucester, Bristol & the West of England
with a quantity of these to dispose of them as our seals.’"
This was more than the equanimity of Wedgwood could
bear. He consulted his partner and his attorney Sparrow ;
but, as in the case of the Patent, they found little could
be done in establishing the facts of piracy before either a
country or a London jury. Next, they thought of adver-
tising the rogue in all the provincial papers; but, advised
by Sparrow, they let this idea drop. Emboldened by
this leniency, the fellow carried on his nefarious trade
with the utmost impudence for many months. He tra-
velled about in a vehicle with an assistant, or else a
woman who was not his wife. When he reached a place,
he scattered handbills, soon drew an amazing crowd, and
sometimes sold as many as £10 worth of seals in a day.
When he is asked (adds Wedgwood) by any Gent" whilst he
is selling his seals, why he puts Wedgwood & Bentley upon
them, “I borrow & lend with them ’ he says ‘when I am out of
any particular sorts, or they want any that I have we borrow
& lend with each other’ so you see we are upon very friendly
terms, & it might be a pity to interrupt this mutual exchange
of good offices by an Action of Trespass. What do you think
of it 2 I do not know how far this kind of Forgery is punish-
able by law, but it is not very pleasing & should in some way
or other be contradicted.”
Voyez at this date had made one of his reappearances in
Staffordshire, and it was then found that, though the part-
mers could not sustain an action with any hope of success
on their own behalf, he was yet punishable on other and
more criminal grounds, that of robbing Wedgwood's in-
formant, a young man who had been his servant. Finding
himself at length in the toil of the law, he wrote Wedg-
| Wedgwood to Bentley, December 12, 1774.
* Ibid. February 13, 1776.
394 VOYEZ DISAPPEARS. CHAP. VIII.
wood an impudent penitential letter. “I have not given
any answer,’ wrote Wedgwood, ‘nor do I intend it, as I
neither like the letter or the writer. The lad told me, "
they had not put their names upon our seals for some
time—so it may perhaps be as well to let the Thief alone.
I hate any sort of contest if it can be decently avoided
with a dirty fellow it being almost impossible to keep
onesself unmir’d.’" In this spirit of silent dignity, Wedg-
wood dropped the matter. A few months later, we hear
our last of this fellow and his piracies. ‘Voyez has given
up making clay intaglios & has sold all his goods &
chattels here to go & make paste seals in London
where I believe he now is, for I met him, his wife, and
his Child & a good deal of luggage in a chaise upon
the London road a few days since. So Mr. Tassie must
take care of him.’
Thus Voyez fades from our view ; nor did Palmer gain
much by his unwearied piracies. His domineering wife,
who years before had gone disguised into Newport Street
to buy blue neck and encaustic painted vases, and later
to Soho to get cameos and seals, died, and in due season
the potter married again. Of this event and what fol-
lowed, Wedgwood tells us:—
We have two houses failed or failing with us, but the times
cannot be charged with their fall. They owe their fate to
extravagance & inattention in the extreme. The parties are
Mess" Beeches brothers to Mr. Beech partner with Mr.
Bent surgeon of Newcastle & our friend Mr. Palmer. Mr.
Neale is come down to settle the affairs of the latter who it is
said owes £10,000——£500 of which sum Mr. Neale is in for.
The other creditors hope he will take all & pay the debts.
Mr. P. married a young wife lately & settled pretty largely
upon her, which threw his family affairs into disorder, & alarmed
| Wedgwood to Bentley, March 3, 1776.
CHAP. VIII. PALMER AND NEALE.
3
4
)
5
his creditors. He keeps house at present & it is imagined his
affairs are irretrevable."
Through the agency of Neale, Palmer's business was
re-established under the title of Neale and Palmer ; but
this change in no way lessened the old and discreditable
system. The tempting of workmen away from their
allegiance, the copying in a cheap and debased form the
encaustic painted vases, the imitation of everything new
which appeared, characterised the partnership as much
under its new as its old form. Occasionally they boasted,
as did others, that they had discovered the secret of the
jasper body. “They might as well boast, wrote Wedg-
wood triumphantly, “that they had discovered the philo-
sopher's stone.” But it did become known at last through
the treachery of some workman, clerk, or servant, who
found particulars relating to the body in a pocket-book
his master had dropped; but the real facts of the story,
though true in itself, are unknown. Tradition has long
pointed out to Voyez as the guilty knave; but from what
we have stated, he seems innocent at least in this respect.
Tassie was, as we have seen, a far more formidable
rival than Voyez to Wedgwood; not only in the seal
trade but in that of the cameos, prior to the perfection of
the jasper body. But then he was an admirable artist
and an honourable man, “whom,’ as Wedgwood said, ‘it
is a credit to emulate,’ ‘although his seals are not so good
as mine.’ To the close of Wedgwood’s life, as after it,
Tassie's small models and casts often found their way to
Etruria. Originally a country stonemason, born and
reared in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, it was the acci-
dental sight of a collection of paintings which raised in
| Wedgwood to Bentley, March 14, 1778.
* Ibid. July 1776.
396 TASSIE. CHAP. VIII,
him the ambition to become an artist; and he acquired
a knowledge of drawing whilst earning his daily bread
as a common mason. Repairing to Dublin in search of
work, he became acquainted with Dr. Quin of that city,
who amused his leisure hours in endeavouring to imitate
the precious stones in coloured pastes, and in taking
accurate impressions of the engravings that were on
them, and from him Tassie learnt these beautiful arts. In
1766 he removed to London, and after conquering
innumerable difficulties, he established a great fame for
fine and perfect work; his cameos as well as intaglios
cast in coloured pastes, white enamel, and sulphur, being
eagerly sought for by artists and collectors. The best
cabinets both here and on the continent were opened to
him; and his collection of imitated gems became at length
extraordinary both for beauty, number, and variety."
But Tassie's most original work were his portraits in wax,
which he afterwards moulded and cast in paste. Many
of the eminent personages of his time sat to him, and of
these portraits a considerable number were copied by
Wedgwood.”
Wedgwood's great object in multiplying his cameos
was for their preservation in a collected form, in exquisite
little cabinets of many drawers. Here should rest gems
* Tassie issued two Catalogues— sittings in one day, if he have some
a small edition in 1775, and a larger, hours betwixt to work at it by him-
in two vols. quarto, in 1791. This self. It is the same to him whether
last was edited by an artist named he goes out to you, or you to him,
Raspe. only the hours from about 12 to 4
* The celebrated Thomas Walker he is occupied in attending his shop.
of Manchester, at the request of Lord ' During the sitting you may be occu-
Daer, sat to Tassie for his medallion pied at almost what you will–eating,
likeness. His method Walker de- writing, &c., as he only needs a few
scribes as follows: ‘He takes three minutes' sitting at finishing parti-
sittings. The two first about an cular parts.”—Walker's Letters and
hour each; the third not half an Papers in the possession of Dr. Wil-
hour. If preferred, he can take two kinson of Manchester.
CHAP. VIII. CABINETS FOR GEMIS. 397
of the purest white, or with the reliefs on coloured
grounds; the size to vary from the cameo fitted for the
smallest ring, to a picture large enough for the lid of a
snuffbox or the case of a watch ; nay, some even larger.
We have traced Wedgwood's unceasing efforts towards
improvement from 1772, when cameos are first mentioned,
till they culminated in such masterpieces of absolutely
perfect work as the Antonies and Cleopatras, the Pan
and Syrinx, in white jasper. But this did not content
him. As early as the close of 1777 he wrote:—
I shall not sit down content with bracelet and ring cameos
till I can make most of them with color'd grounds, polish’d &
without staining; & if I succeed, that branch alone, I am fully
persuaded, would be a capital business. But oh time ! time !
time ! There is no time to bring to maturity a thousandth part
of the possibilitys of our enjoying & prolific business. I see at
a single glance immensely further than I shall ever be able to
travel; & whether any of my young men will have perseverance
sufficient to carry them to the heights from whence alone such
prospects can be viewed, I have much more doubt than expecta-
tion. But whither am I carried ? I return to my memorandums
again."
When he had in a measure attained his object he wrote
again — #.
By the little Cupid you will see how small we can make them
with colour'd grounds. Several hundreds of the suit of gems
may be made, if we should make little cabinets. I have just
been looking over them for that purpose, but it would furnish
a world of modelling. Pray consider of this plan. It appears
to me of consequence, they would be so much superior to any-
thing ever made of the kind. They appear so distinct, & are
so pleasant to look at with colour’d grounds that I cannot help
thinking some great folks might be found liable to temptation
from them. We should give them a little nurled gilt frame,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, December 20, 1777.
398 GEM SETTING. CHAP. VIII.
which would look very well with the blue ground. The whole
assemblage of white, blue, gold, & black drawers would have a
striking effect, & be very pleasing."
A large number of these gems were set as rings, ear-
rings, chatelaines, bracelets, and other such adornments.
At first, when gold was employed as the setting, the work
was done in London by Nodes, the goldsmith already
mentioned. For steel work, and later, when Nodes's
prices were found too high, for gold work too, the gems
were sent to Birmingham; though from 1773, and for some
years subsequently, all the finer portion of these gold set-
tings were the work of Thomas Copestake, a jeweller of
Uttoxeter in Staffordshire. Copestake was a man renowned
throughout all the midland counties as a lapidary, an
engraver, and a goldsmith. He exported jewellery,
principally to Russia, and employed from one to two
hundred hands in the various branches of his trade. His
house and workshops are said to have been picturesque in
the extreme; the former being an old timbered hall lying
just without the town ; the latter, where the lapidaries
had their wheels, being ranged round a square tree-
shaded court or yard, whilst above were the shops for the
smiths and setters. Copestake, who was a great admirer
of Wedgwood’s work, was first employed by him to set
seals, and from these he advanced to necklaces, bracelets,
and other ornaments. He also bought gems of Wedg-
wood to set on his own account, so that for some years
the dealings between them were considerable; yet in
spite of skill and immense trade, Copestake from some
unexplained cause was not a prosperous man. He
eventually borrowed money of Wedgwood, and died
| Wedgwood to Bentley, November 13, 1778.
CHAP. VIII.
TH()MAS COPESTAIKE.
399
towards the close of the century in such reduced circum-
stances as to necessitate an unmarried daughter to set up
frames for lacework in order to procure the means to live.
The ancient house and workshops fell into decay, were
encroached upon by the town, were finally swept away,
and their site is now covered by some portion of a railway."
| The following very interesting
particulars of Thomas Copestake's
residence, and of his daughter Grace,
have been furnished to the writer by
her friend Mrs Howitt, a native of
Uttoxeter. She says: ‘Thomas
Copestake must have been dead be-
fore my time, which begins with the
last year in the last century; but
the house in which he lived, the
traditions of the prosperity which
his lapidary work had given to the
town, are amongst my earliest re-
miniscences. People talked about
those times as “the good old times;”
and I remember perfectly well sundry
old men of a peculiarly quiet manner,
heat appearance, and slow gait, who
were given to angling and similar
contemplative occupations, allancient
lapidaries, and who probably after
the lapidaries' shops were closed had
never taken to any very active or
laborious mode of gaining their living.
Some of them were thought lazy,
but I do not think it was other than
the natural effects of years spent at
the lapidary-wheel or bench cutting
and manipulating delicate stones.
‘The Copestakes' house, called
“The Hall,” was a large irregular
brick mansion by the roadside at the
entrance of the town from Tutbury
and Derby.
from the road, with a grass-grown
court before it, intersected by paved
walks, or perhaps the whole court
had been paved, and was then com-
pletely overgrown with grass except
where kept bare by going to and
from the house. It stood on the
brow of a pleasant slope overlooking
the verdant meadows of the Dove,
with the wooded ascent of Needwood
Forest to the right, and to the left
Doveridge and Sudbury, the seats of
It stood a little apart
the Waterparks and Vernons, and
the ruins of Tutbury Castle. The
situation was fine, and the house,
though much dilapidated in those
days, and now for many years entirely
pulled down, must originally have
been a place of some little considera-
tion, as it was one of the most im-
portant mansions near the town.
‘On the town side of the old
Hall extended a large court, inclosed
from the road by an old red-brick
wall, as old no doubt as the house
itself, and entered by a weather-
beaten door. Round the three inner
sides of this court were erected work-
shops for the lapidaries, two storeys
high as it seems to me, or perhaps
raised to the height of a second
storey for better light, as outside
flights of steps led up to them.
These shops were lighted by long,
or rather broad, casemented windows
for the free admission of light, like
the shops of silk-weavers and stock-
ingers. At this time they were fall-
ing, or rather had fallen, into decay.
The court was overgrown with grass,
tall rank weeds seeded there, the
outside flights of steps, which pro-
bably were of wood, were dilapidated,
the glass in the windows was broken,
and the whole had a strange air of
desolation about it.
‘Now and then however it was
turned to acount as a place of amuse-
ment. A troop of horse-riders would
hire it temporarily, and no doubt a
better place for the exhibition of their
feats could hardly have been chosen.
The old deserted shops with their
outside flight of steps and their large
windows affording tiers of boxes and
seats as in a theatre.
‘The only descendant of Thomas
Capestake that I ever knew was his
400 SOHO AND ETRURIA. CHAP. VIII.
Birmingham, far more than London, was the centre of
Wedgwood's trade in seals and cameos. As early as the
summer of 1772 Wedgwood showed buttons from Soho
in his rooms; and Boulton, on the other hand, sent speci-
mens of Wedgwood's seals to his foreign correspondents,
and procured customers, in Russia especially, for unsaleable
stocks of black and yellow painted as also printed ware.
In the spring of the succeeding year he undertook seal
setting on a small scale, and bought at Wedgwood's
suggestion cameos to set in vases, lockets, bracelets and
daughter Grace. She must have up on the other, as the work of
been middle aged at that time; a sprigging, of which the pattern was
tall thin lady dressed in the narrow
skirted classical style of those days
which made her look still thinner.
Her features were good and her coun-
tenance remarkable for an expression
of decision and firmness. Miss Grace
was not an independent lady; was
not the representative of an old line
living simply on the scanty remnant
of the family fortune in the decayed
home of her ancesters. She was
something much more interesting
than this, though the people amongst
whom she lived could not understand
it. They constantly spoke of her as
“poor Miss Grace,” and in all pro-
bability this expression of pity was
the result of the half-wondering com-
passion with which the narrow-
minded dwellers in a small town
regard any deviation from the regu-
lar course of conventional life. She
was a lady who strove to maintain
herself; and was certainly one of
the earliest of that race of indepen-
dent women, which has given a
marked characteristic to the present
century. She introduced the “lace
work” as it was called into the town,
and one if not more of the large
rooms in the desolate hall were filled
with frames for this purpose. These
resembled quilting frames, and sup-
ported on tressels held the plain piece
of lace as it came from the maker in
Nottingham, and which was unrolled
from one side of the frame, and rolled
stamped in blue ink upon the lace,
was completed. Young women did
this work seated at the frames and
working with blunted needles. Lace
of all widths, and often of very deli-
cate and elaborate patterns, veils and
shawls were worked in this way.
After the decline of the lapidary
work this might be said to have be-
come the staple trade of the little
town, for not only was it done at the
Hall, but in almost every small house
the space beneath the windows was
occupied by a lace frame at which
the daughters or woman of the house,
and even little boys worked.
“At length Miss Copestake retired
from the scene, either because her
lace working establishment was not
sufficiently remunerative, or for other,
and let us hope more comfortable
reasons. Some years after the house
passed into other hands, was pulled
down and the materials sold. On
this occasion our father was the pur-
chaser of a quantity of handsome
dark wainscoting which he put up
in two rooms of a house belonging to
himself, and where I believe it still
remains.
‘One of his daughters married I
believe a Mr. Holy, a Sheffield manu-
facturer, a man of substance and con-
sideration. But whether Thomas
Copestake had other children than
these two daughters I know not.’
("HAP. VIII, ETRU RIA ANI) SOHI(). 401
other ornaments. The first trials of this ornamental
setting were in tortoiseshell. Cameo buttons were sug-
gested by Fothergill and tried next. They were for
foreign countries, and provided they were cheap, would
sell in large quantities. Boulton and Fothergill had
already manufactured this kind of button.
They set them all under crystals (writes Wedgwood to Bentley),
& would be therefore content with them of white bisket, without
polish or colour’d grounds, as they could do the latter in
water colours. They have done some cameos for vases in that
way, & they look much better than our burnt-in grounds; &
being cover'd with a glass, are sufficiently durable. . . . . Mr.
Fothergill mentioned our setting some of their articles in our
rooms. They show other people's articles, chima articles, in
their show rooms. I told him I thought we could with pro-
priety show anything in which our manufacture had a place,
but wo" write to you upon the subject. They will do the same
for us; & as our season begins when the Soho season ends, I
think we may be of use to each other in that way."
This question of plain cameos to be ground-laid with
water-colours brought about one of those little, and not at
this date unfrequent, differences between the masters of
Etruria and Soho.
I do not know how to manage with Mr. Boulton (confides
Wedgwood to his partner) abot grounding cameos in Water
colours, for he is one of those high spirits who likes to do things
his own way, & if crossed in that will perhaps do nothing at
all, or worse. I will attempt to confine the water colouring to
cameo buttons, but if he will order plain white cameos it will
be dangerous to refuse him . . . B. & F. have concerns with
the Worcester people. If we refuse to let them have the
cameos in white, they may set these gentry to work. . . . At
present I am of opinion it would be worth while to try the
experiment. We have no models to buy. We can make any
quantity, & with certainty.”
| Wedgwood to Bentley, November 23, 1773.
* Ibid. December 12, 1773.
V () [.. l I. J) I)
402 PIRINTING IN COLOUIRS. CHAP. VIII.
The difficulty of the point was, that Boulton by his
cheap processes could, when once furnished with the
cameos, undersell Wedgwood in his own market. How-
ever, the latter seems to have acquiesced; but soon, by
means the most legitimate, that of improving the body,
so that it would incorporate colour in the mass, or receive
it readily as a dip or wash, thus doing away with
enamelling altogether—he placed his work beyond the
reach of any competition to injure it in the market.
Boulton was no mere imitator. Wedgwood's exquisite,
and ultimately cheap, productions gained the ascendency;
mere imitations faded before them, and Boulton as
much as any man aided in their dispersion and sale.
It is at this date we first hear of Egginton, who was
engaged at Soho, in his business of printing in colours.
Early in the succeeding year, 1774, a few of the cabinet-
makers of Birmingham and other Midland towns were
using cameos and encaustic paintings in the decoration of
furniture. Of the latter Wedgwood suggested to have
drawings and catalogues made ; but it does not appear if
the plan was tried. This style of decoration was also
popular at Soho, and the demand there for cameos
considerable. -
During 1775 and the early part of 1776, Boulton
seems to have been too occupied in his negotiations with
Watt, and with business relative to the steam-engine, to
take any very active part in his ornamental manufactory.
But a man named Clay, a most ingenious Cabinet-maker
of Birmingham, was at this time doing much for Wedg-
wood's fame, by inserting the cameos in tea-caddies,
writing-desks, dressing-cases, and similar articles; and so
much were these admired, that he soon began to make
small dressing and other box lids entirely of one cameo.
('HAP. VIII. ('LAY, THE CABINET MAKER. 403
These signs of Clay's exceeding taste and ingenuity
induced Boulton to suggest a partnership, but Clay for
some reason declined, ‘and afterwards Mr. Boulton says,
confides Wedgwood to Bentley, “talked with his servant
Egginton in such a way as has very much offended Mr.
–4
8-
B., and obliged him to enter into partnership with his
servant in that branch, to keep him easy and in his
service in other branches where he cannot very well do
without him. So Mr. B. and Mr. C. do not see each
other.'" At this date Boulton and Fothergill were
sending over a young man to St. Petersburgh to attend
the Court there, introduce their fine things, and take
orders, and by this means ‘they hoped to supplant the
French as well in the plate as gilt, both of which are
very considerable.” After saying that they had offered to
him the services of their intended representative at the
Russian Court, Wedgwood adds, “I had no conception of
the quantity of D’Or Moulu they have sold chiefly abroad.
You remember a poor Venus weeping over the Tomb of
Adonis—a Timepiece. How many could you imagine
they have sold of this Group P 200 at 25 guineas each
including the watch ! They now sell as much of the
manufacture in Tripods, Wases, Groups, &c., as they can
get up.'
After this difference with Clay, Boulton added the
business of cabinetmaking to the already multifarious
works at Soho, and introduced painted cartoons and
cameos into various kinds of decorative furniture.
Another of his suggestions was vases for holding knives
and forks at the dinner-table, and Wedgwood and he were
for some time busy working out this idea jointly. The
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 14, 1776.
D D 2
404 CHIMNEY-PIECES AT SOHO. CHAP. VIII.
latter made a drawing and sent it to Bentley, from which
we see that the pedestal was composed of drawers for
the knives and forks, above was a vase of earthenware or
metal, whilst around were twined metal ornaments. Boul-
ton also pursued Wedgwood's idea of inlaying his time-
pieces and the altars which supported groups of figures
with ‘statues, &c., with blue grounds;’ and subjects pro-
per for Russia and other countries were modelled and
prepared at Etruria. Wedgwood often visited Birming-
ham at this date; but for the gaieties at Soho he had little
taste; and frequently declining them, repaired to his inn
to smoke his pipe, and hold, through his pen, quiet com-
munion with Bentley.
A year later, and the great idea at Soho was, as already
seen, the manufacture of chimney-pieces, panels for
doors, &c., principally formed in wood with tin ornaments.
“But]}oulton, Fothergill, and Egginton, confides Wedgwood
to his friend, have simply “taken up the trade we laid
down at Chelsea, only instead of casting, they make their
ornaments in dies, by which the work is perfectly sharp.’
This was true. In 1775, whilst their business was at
Chelsea, Wedgwood and Bentley had entered into nego-
tiations with a view to partnership with a person named
William Storer, who the year previously had taken out a
patent for “Making, Chasing, or Imbossing in Lead all
sorts of Girandoles, Frames for Pier-Glasses, Tablets,
Friezes, and Brackets for Chimney Pieces and Rooms,
and of Hardening the same, so that such Ornaments are
rendered as Durable as if made in Copper or other Metal.”
Their object was to combine pottery and metal for orna-
mental purposes, and so far had matters proceeded that
* Specification of Patent, No. 1068, August 10, 1774,
CHA P. VIII. STORER'S PATENT. 405
anticles of partnership were already sketched out. But
enquiries, and Storer's own conduct after being in their
service some few weeks, proved to them he was a man
in needy if not desperate circumstances, and that he had
wilfully deceived them in many essential particulars.
Fortunately for them he had, after borrowing considerable
sums of money, to fly from his creditors to Dunkirk, and
Wedgwood and Bentley washed their hands of the affair.
They had probably to effect this object by some sort of
compromise, as Wedgwood thought it necessary to draw
up a paper in which he stated in a masterly manner his
‘Reasons for breaking with Mr. Storer.” The latter, how-
ever, appears to have reestablished himself in business,
and to have taken a more honest and worthy course, as
we find Wedgwood speaking kindly of the man and,
hopefully of his business in after years."
In one way or another, but especially in this of
chimney-pieces, the business relations between Etruria
and Soho became extensive, though eventually personal
and table ornaments gave place to most other articles.
The chimney-pieces in wood with tin ornaments of Soho
were the toys of an hour; but the cameos, the vases, the
tripods, and the light bearing articles of Etruria were
sterling, and could outlive competition. More and more
Boulton became absorbed in the steam engine and his
partnership business with Watt; till at length as Wedg-
wood wrote to Bentley, “Certain steam engines have lifted
a good friend of ours above his watch-chain & sleeve-
button business.’
Red ware, as already seen in those beautiful specimens
of the Elers' workmanship, had long been made in the
* Heads of Partnership. Reasons for Breaking with Mr. Storer. Mayer
MSS. -
400 Rosso ANtico.
Chap. VIII.
Potteries, and some of Wedgwood's earliest portrait me-
(Fig. 7d.) BAMBoo TRIPLE VASE-DE
LA RUE COLLECTION.
dallions and bas-reliefs
were in this body. He
made the former at Bent-
ley's suggestion, but he
wrote—“My objection to
it is the extreme vulgarity
of red wares. If it had
never been made in
Toots & the commonest
wares, my objection wº
not have existed. But as
it will be necessary they
sh" be sold cheap, and
we sh" give some ob-
vious reasons for that
cheapness, this alone may
render it proper to make
them of the red clay. I
will send you a few to
look at soon.’” The re-
sults were not satisfac-
tory, and Bentley urged
him to try for the beauti-
ful red tint of antiquity;
but from some unex-
plained cause it could
not be hit. In this di-
lemma Wedgwood said,
‘I wish you to fix upon
one of the Bronze like
Fig. 77.) FLOWER WASE, CANE COLOUR Rony.
wºrrº RELIEE-Hook ºn Colºrºx.
| Wedgwood to Bentley, January 4, 1776.


CHAP. VIII. ROSSO ANTICO. 407
colours for heads for the cheap cabinets, as we shall never
be able to make the Rosso Antico, otherwise than to put
(Fig. 78.) cANE-coloun Axin writre FLowenpot.--Dº L.A. intº collectiox.
you in mind of a red Pot Teapot.” Subsequently, at the
suggestion of Sir William
Hamilton, some vases
were made of red slightly
tinged with yellow, but
even this tint failed to
bring the colour to the
fineness of that of anti-
quity. Modern attempts
have been in a certain
degree more successful.
But the secret of the
marvellous glaze is still
a desideratum.
The first trials for cane
and bamboo colours were
made towards the close
- - (Fig. 79. CANE colour PLowen-STAND.
of 1776, and such articles * * *... º.
Wedgwood to Bentley, March 3, Mr. Mayer's collection. But they
1776. Many specimens of Wedg- have all, as Wedgwood said, much
wood's red ware of this date are in the look of ared teapotor gardenpot.


408 GOLD BRONZE WARE, CHAP. VIII.
as flowerpots and teapots soon became popular. But the
body had many defects, and when it was tried as a ma-
terial for busts, as it was for those of Voltaire and Rous-
seau in October 1779, Wedgwood found that these were
irremediable. He therefore tried the cane colour in an
entirely new body, and with the utmost success; and
during the period which elapsed between this date and
his death, many most beautiful
articles were produced in this
ware, and its variation in the
bamboo tints. The four annexed
specimens (figs, 76, 77, 78 and
79) are all very choice.
(Fig. 80.) vasº. GoLD Blºoxze. (Fig. 81.) INKSTAND. BLACK witH RED RELIEF.
BOHN COLLECTION. BARLOW COLLECTION.
The copper glaze or gold bronze ware took its rise from
a receipt given to Wedgwood by Dr. Fothergill in 1776.
It was first tried by Bentley with great success. Upon
hearing this, Wedgwood wrote—“The Dr.'s idea was to
apply it to frames, but I trust some more profitable pur-
pose may be secured by this discovery.” He took the
matter in hand, made experiments, and the results were
* Wedgwood to Bentley, September, 1776.

('HAP. VIII. - INKPOTS. - 409
shown in numberless articles of great beauty. The annexed
example of the gold bronze ware (fig. 80) is a pitcher-
shaped vase of exceeding beauty in Mr. Bohn's collection,
although from the absence of the exquisite metallic tinge
in the engraving half the beauty of the original is lost.
Inkpots were made in every kind of ware, from the
earliest period of Wedgwood's labours as a potter. As
he improved his wares and his forms, they improved also:
as countless examples still show. A third of his corres-
pondence with Bentley is filled with matter relative to the
dispersion of seals and inkpots. They formed together two
great staples of his trade; and after 1779, when Mr. Byerley
began to travel for the firm, the inkstands were to be
found in almost every toy and bookseller's shop in the
kingdom. They are first referred to in the Catalogue of
the same year, and it is curious to observe from the
diagram given with the letterpress therein, how much
Wedgwood's mechanical genius was made subservient to
the purposes of his art. The annexed (fig. 81) is a charming
specimen of an inkstand in black, with red floral relief.
Its form has only to be observed, to prove the exceeding
pains which was taken to beautify the commonest objects
of utility. Many most exquisite specimens in other bodies
could have been given did space permit."
Crucibles, retorts, evaporating baths, and many other
vessels, for the laboratory had been supplied by Wedgwood
to Priestley even before the latter left Leeds in 1773.
From this date we frequently hear of them as in demand
by the philosophers and chemists of this and foreign
This inkstand was the foundation asked 4d. for it, and this sum he
stone of Mr. Barlow's very choice gave. Its original price was probably
collection. He bought it at an old about 7s.6d. It is now valued at £5.
rag and iron shop in Salford, Man- That sum for it has been offered and
chester. The owner of the shop refused.
410 MORTAR MATERIAL. ("HAP. VIII.
countries. The introduction of the mortar material is of
a considerably later date. Its resistive force seems in
some measure to lie in the components of Cornish clay;
and till this could be obtained in sufficient quantities
through the triumph of the potters over Champion's
monopolising patent, it is probable, if even his experi-
ments in this direction had proved successful at an earlier
period, little could have been done. We first hear of
mortars in March 1779; though yet so far imperfect as
to be uncertain if they would stand the necessary fire.
The next faults were those of imbibition and blistering.
To cure this body of the malady of blistering (writes Wedg-
wood) it should be hid under ground for half a century; but as
the body politic, as well as our own particular bodies, are in
too fluctuating a state to think of applying so long winded a
remedy, I am endeavouring to make a new one (composition)
without such freaks as render the other imperfect. In the
former body I employed a substance containing much fixed air.
I now substitute one which I believe contains none, or very
little if any. This occasions an unavoidable interruption in
your supply of mortars, but perfection being our aim in all
things, we must not stop too far short of it, even in mortars."
This difficulty conquered, the next was with their
form.
Mr. More's remark (he tells Bentley) of the necessity of the
mortar and pestle being sections of the same circle, is a very good
one as far as it goes, & I had from the beginning ordered our
people to make them so; but they did not know how, & I had
not bestowed sufficient attention to the subject to put them in
a way of doing it, or indeed to learn the art myself. It requires
a set of tools both for the mortars & pestles, as nothing must
be left to the random hand of the workman; for if I am right
in my theory, there is only one amongst the infinite variety of
| Wedgwood to Bentley, May 30, 1779.
('HAp. VIII. MORTAIRS AT APOTHECARIES' HAI,I, 41 1
curves that will give the qualities desired to these machines.
Qu. Which is that curve
He discovered it, and shortly after the mortars and
pestles were introduced at Apothecaries' Hall, and from
the test they withstood there, soon acquired a fame which
has lasted to the present day.
In relation to these manifold experiments and their
results, Wedgwood might well write—
You can scarcely conceive the difficulty we have arising
merely from making & drying so many different kinds and
colours of clay, as they each require different cisterns, tools,
kilns, &c., to say nothing of inventing & after that experi-
menting them into perfection. And when the clays are made
black, white, blue, green, red, yellow, compact, open, &c., &c.
To work these multifarious compositions upon the same wheels,
lathes, & moulds, & at the same time prevent their mixing
with each other, & after all to give them their different &
proper workings, dryings, firings, glazings, & a 100 more &c.'s,
makes me crazy almost to think upon so complex a subject to
manage, & not a little timorous in increasing another wheel or
spring in this already too complex a machine.”
Wedgwood to I3entley, June 25, 1779.
* Ibid. May 30, 1779.

CHAPTER THE NINTH.
THE HOUSES IN GREEK STREET-BENTLEY's HOSPITALITY-HIS
LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC FRIENDS—HIS LABOURS As A Poli-
TICIAN AND REVIEWER— AMERICAN AFFAIRS– USELESSNESS OF THE
CONTEST-MR, EHODGSON.—CAMEO MEDALLION OF DIR. FRANKLIN
—BENTLEY'S CLUB AT YOUNG SLAUGHTER’s COFFEE-HOUSE—
—MRS. BENTLEY—UNHEALTHINESS OF GREEK STREET-COOK-
WORTHY's PATENT—WEDGWOOD AND HIS FRIEND, MR. TURNER,
VISIT CORNWALL-CHAMPION's APPLICATION TO PARLIAMENT—
PROPOSED EXPERIMIENTAL WORK–RETURN OF BYERLEY-BIIS LIFE
IN AMERICA–SETTLES DOWN AT HOME–HIS AIBITITY AND ENERGY
—PETER SWIFT'S SHORT-LIVED AMBITION.—BIRTH AND DEATH-
—THE WEDGWOODS OF SMALLWOOD AND SPEN GREEN-THE DEATH
OF JOHN WEDGWOOD-RICHARD WEDGWOOD AT IFTRURIA—I) EATEI
OF MR. WILLET-THE BANK HOUSE, NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME–
THE UNITARIAN CHAPEL–WEDGWOOD'S CHILDREN-A JOURNEY
To FRANCE—TURNHAM GREEN–BENTLEY's HOUSE—ITS DECORA-
TIONs—A NEW HARPSICHORD–STUDY OF SHELLS–WARLTIRE's
LECTURES ON CHEMISTRY--STUBBS—THE FAMILY PICTURE–
WRIGHT OF DERBY-LAN CASHIRE RIOTS–HOME FIDUCATION.—
M. PotRT, A FRENCH TUTOR-WARRINGTON ACADEMY AND EDIN-
BURGH-DR. DARWIN’s WINDMILL RESUSCITATED–PAUL ELERS—
HIS FATHER’s PORTRAIT-COMPLETION OF THE GRAND TRUNK
NAVIGATION.—LoRD DENBIGH-BENTLEY'S DEATH AND BURIAL
—HIS MEMORIAL TABLET IN CHISWICK CHURCH.
CHAPTER IX.
GREEK STREET AND BENTLEY.
HE houses Nos. 12 and 13 Greek Street, Soho, were
separated by an archway from each other; but
communicated by means of a chamber above it. This
archway led into a large yard in the rear, in which were
the enamelling rooms already referred to, as also a ware-
house and other offices. No. 13 was hired soon after
the settlement of the business relative to the larger house
No. 12, and here it was that Bentley and his wife took
up their residence in the summer of 1774; and remained
there till the summer of 1777, when, as we shall see,
they removed to Turnham Green. The house was com-
paratively small, and of this accommodation two or three
rooms were taken for business purposes; but enough
remained for elegant and bounteous hospitality. When
Wedgwood and his wife came to town, sleeping accom-
modation was hired hard by ; but for the fest they lived
with their friends as one family. The ladies spent their
mornings in shopping, sight-seeing, or in paying or
receiving visits; their husbands were immersed in business
in their show-rooms, or out amongst artists, modellers, or
connoisseurs; but evening come, they met round the tea
or supper table, where, if alone, the partners discussed
the real or ideal position of their vast and complicated
416 BENTILEY'S ALTHORSHIP. CHAP. IX.
trade; or, if guests were there, politics, and the social
wrongs of those sad and momentous days, or scientific
topics pleased and lured away the hours; for Bentley's
acquaintances were many. He touched upon the bounds
of science through the tastes of his partner and friend;
his club was another source of introduction to men of
real eminence; his relationship to Sir Richard Jebb, the
well-known physician, yet another; and his constant com-
munication, not only with the ministry, but with members
of either House of Parliament, on subjects principally
relative to the commercial interests of the Staffordshire
Potters, brought him into frequent contact with men of
many classes and opinions. On his own account he was
at home with authors, and those few politicians who
honestly loved their country, and sighed for its well-being ;
for his patriotism was ardent, and his love for literary
labour the greatest love of all. If his taste in the fine
arts was exquisite, his taste for letters was supreme. In
character it was prompt and versatile. It spent itself in
political pamphlets, newspaper articles, dashing squibs,
and satirical songs; " and when he reviewed—as he was
ever doing in the Monthly Review, politics and the con-
troversies of theology were the marks for his pen. For
literary labour which required preparation, care, and
thought, he had, if not less aptitude, at least less time; as
it was not till after repeated incitations from Wedgwood,
who had been, in conjunction with Henshall, at great pains
to procure a large amount of information, that he com-
pleted his article on Brindley for the Biographia Britannica.
“None can do it so well as yourself,’ wrote Wedgwood,
* & unless you can bestow a little time upon it, we shall
* In one of his letters to Boulton, Wedgwood complains of Bentley wasting
his time in writing political songs. Soho MSS.
CHAP. IX. AMERICAN AFFAIRS. 417
have a bare & deficient account of a man who has
deserved to be remembered by posterity.” But months
elapsed before it was completed.
There is to be traced throughout Wedgwood's letters
a knowledge of political movements and affairs, especially
those relative to America, which were evidently derived
from Bentley, who appears to have had various private
Sources of information. Mr. Hodgson, a merchant of Cole-
man Street, trading with America, and an intimate friend
of Dr. Franklin's, was one of these ; and from him he learnt
those remonstrances of the colonists, and those aggressions
on the part of the mother country, which, reported to
Wedgwood in letters, had roused his indignation often
hours before any report had appeared in the public prints.
None knew better than Wedgwood, from his trading
relations with America, the sacrifice the mother country
was making in this senseless struggle. In 1774, before
the strife began, Great Britain exported to North America
nearly the whole of the surplus products of her industry;
and since 1704 the American trade had grown from half a
million sterling a year to six millions and a half. His
and Bentley's feelings were therefore from the first strongly
opposed to those of the great majority of their countrymen,
who looked upon the Americans as rebels, and only
worthy the fate of such. But time brought a change.
As the uselessness of the contest showed itself, the public
began slowly to perceive how much more was lost than
gained.
I agree with my dear friend most heartily & intirely (wrote
Wedgwood) that some one should be made to say distinctly what
has been the object of this wicked & preposterous war with our
brethren & best friends. . . I have not yet seen a paper in the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, August 14, 1778.
WOL. II. E E
418 T)R. FRANKLTN. CHAP. IX.
public prints, nor a speech in the House that has handled the
recantation to my satisfaction, nor made that use of it to express
the absurdity, folly, & wickedness of our whole proceedings with
America which the ministers’ concessions and confessions have
given ample room for. . . The people are quite chap-fallen &
dismayed, & nothing but half a score Highland, Manchestrian,
& Liverpool regiments amongst us will revive their malignant
spirit again, or enable them to look any man who has not been
as mad as themselves in the face."
A few days later, he adds:--
I am glad that America is free, & rejoice most sincerely that
it is so, and the pleasing idea of a refuge being provided for
those who choose rather to flee from, than submit to the iron
hand of tyranny has raised so much hilarity in my mind, that I
do not at present feel for our own situation as I may do the
next rainy day. We must have war, & perhaps continue to be
beat. To what degree is in the womb of time. If our drubbing
keeps pace with our deserts, the L* have mercy upon us.”
During the latter part of Our contest with America,
Mr. Hodgson was exposed to much calumny through his -
friendship for Franklin. But this in no way lessened his
good offices to either Americans, or to those who sym-
pathised in their cause. He raised funds for the sufferers
in the war, to which Wedgwood and Bentley contributed;
and he procured the prints from which was modelled the
annexed medallion of the illustrious Franklin. (fig. 82).
Bentley belonged to a club which met every Wednesday
night at Young Slaughter's coffee-house in St. Martin's
Lane. It bore no distinctive title, though frequented by
men of real science and distinguished merit. John
Hunter, the great anatomist, was at one time its chairman.
Sir Joseph Banks, Solander, Sir C. Blagden, Dr. George
Fordyce, Milne, Maskelyne, Captain Cook, Sir G. Shuck-
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March 3, 1778. *Ibid. March 19, 1778.
Chap. IX. BENTLEY'S CLUB, 419
burgh, Lord Mulgrave, Smeaton, Ramsden, Griffith the
publisher, and many others were, or had been, members.
Edgeworth and Wedgwood generally attended its meet-
ings as guests when in town. Researches and discoveries
were discussed; and lengthened arguments, differences
and agreements, were always crowned by a supper which
(Fig. 82.) cameo MEDALLION FRANKux-Bartow colºrios.
after January 3, 1775, was eaten of a special service of
cream ware, supplied by Wedgwood, and probably a gift.
Here it was, if not at Lichfield or Etruria, that Bentley
made the acquaintance of Edgeworth. They became
warm friends; and visits at a somewhat later period were
often made reciprocally to New Church and to Turnham
Green. Not unfrequently on other nights, members of
the club supped in Greek Street; and Mrs. Bentley seems
E. p 2

420 HOSPITALITY IN GREEK STREET. CHAP. IX.
to have zealously aided her husband in the entertainment
of his literary and scientific friends. In this respect and
others, his marriage seems to have been a most happy
one. Mrs. Bentley had evidently not the force of
character of Mrs. Wedgwood; she could not judge and
decide, and this with results that almost always proved
correct; but she was amiable and kindly, and as much
secured her husband's affection as the kindly regard of a
wide circle of friends." With Mrs. Wedgwood, her
relations were even sisterly. Never once in all that
lengthened correspondence do we find even a semblance
of coldness or difference. The meetings in Greek Street
and at Etruria were as much anticipated, and as much a
source of happiness to the ladies as to their husbands.
In this Bentley was most fortunate, for he loved women
with all the strength of his generous and chivalrous
nature; and, as Wedgwood well said, was never so happy
as when amongst them. But this felicity had its side of
shadow. He had from time to time the hope, but not the
realisation of having children of his own. His wife's
health was not good; his own indifferent. Severe attacks
of the gout, and the results of an overworked brain,
occasionally prostrated him. Greek Street did not agree
with either ruler or ruled. The clerks, the enamellers, the
servants, were always falling ill. “I cannot think,’ wrote
Wedgwood, ‘what makes my young men drop off so.”
The causes were not so patent to that generation as to
Our Own. Bentley removed to Turnham Green, but he
was ill even there; for though Wedgwood earnestly
and frequently entreated him to take rest, he rarely did;
but went on and on with his incessant labours, till his end
* Mrs. Delany speaks of making a morning call on Mrs. Bentley in Greek
Street, March 1776, Correspondence, 2nd series, vol. ii. p. 202.
CHAP. IX. CHAMPION'S PATENT. 421
came suddenly in the prime of his days. But he made
contentment in his childless heart by his love for
Wedgwood's little daughter; and if overfilled with duties,
his hours seem to have been most happy ones.
Wedgwood, as we have seen, whilst attending his sick
wife at Bath in 1772, was studying Borlase's ‘History of
Cornwall, and from that date we find him more or less
occupied in the business relative to the supplies of native
clay. Cookworthy's Patent, which had been taken out in
1768, virtually confined the China clay and China stone
of Cornwall to one monopolist, or to such as the mono-
polist might license to use them ; and this fell hard upon
the general body of manufacturers, all of whom were more
or less interested in improving their wares; and upon
Wedgwood in especial, who just at this date was engaged
with his jasper composition, as also in making experiments
for a whiter ware, and to him therefore finer and whiter
clays were a desideratum." The fashionable world were
getting tired of cream colour, and enquiring for other ; and
Wedgwood, though much against his inclination, saw that
he must ultimately obey. In 1774 Cookworthy assigned
over his patent to Champion of Bristol, who soon after
applied to Parliament for its extension for a further period
of fourteen years, when the original term should have ex-
pired. This desire of a further monopoly excited the
warmest opposition; and we find Wedgwood as early as
March 1775 bidding Bentley ‘mount his chariot’ and wait
upon the county members and others who, in addition to
Earl Gower, were likely to use their influence in behalf of
the Potters. An explanatory pamphlet from Wedgwood's
pen was also published and widely dispersed; and two
* In his ultimate trials he found the Growan or china clay mix best
with the 74 or cawk.
422 WEL)(#WOOD IN CORNWALL. CHAP. IX.
months later we find him and his friend Mr. Turner, the
eminent potter of Lane End, on their way to Cornwall to
view for themselves its mineral treasures. They were ac-
companied by a Mr. Tolcher and by Thomas Griffiths,
Wedgwood's former clay agent in Carolina, by a guide
and two servants, and for several days they explored the
clay-producing districts. This appears to have been
Wedgwood's first visit to the southern shore of our island,
and he was singularly delighted with its beautiful scenery.
He kept a journal of his tour for Bentley, and therefore
wrote briefly. But he says in a letter dated from
Plymouth—“We were upon the water several hours yester-
day afternoon. Have you seen Mount Edgecombe? If you
have not seen Mount Edgecombe you have seen nothing.
We sailed twice past this terrestrial paradise, and such a sun
setting Inever beheld.” The result of this visit was, that
Turner and Wedgwood became joint lessees of certain clay
mines at St. Stephen's, a place between St. Austle and Red-
ruth, and that Griffiths remained as their agent.
‘We are to have a meeting of our Potters (he wrote to Bentley
as soon as he reached home), after which you shall hear from
me again. . . . Mr. Turner & I have concluded to set about
washing some clay for ourselves and for others as soon as we
can, if they chuse to have it, but at the same time to leave the
raw clay open to all who chuse rather to prepare it for them-
selves, for I am firmly persuaded that an exclusive Company, or
rather an exclusive right in the Clay in any Company or under
any regulations whatever, would soon degenerate into a perni-
cious monopoly.”
* Wedgwood to Bentley, dated he had neither professionalknowledge,
rom Plymouth, June 2, 1775. sufficient capital, nor scarcely any real
* Wedgwood, in allusion to Cham- acquaintance with the materials he
pion's Patent, calls it a ‘cunning was working upon. I suppose we
specification,' as it notoriously was might buy some Growan stone and
He gained nothing by his monopo- Growan clay now upon easy terms,
lising spirit, for he failed in August for they have prepared a large quan-
1778. “Poor Champion, you may tity this last year.’—Wedgwood to
have heard, is quite demolished. It Bentley, August 24, 1778.
was never likely to be otherwise, as
('HAP. IX. EXPERIMENTAL WORK IPROPOSED. 423
It is evident from this, that in the interval between
March and June the opposition of the Potters to Cham-
pion's Bill in the House of Lords had been so far suc-
cessful as to secure to the petitioner a sole right to its
use only in transparent ware, whether termed porcelain or
not; whilst it left open to the general trade the free use of
Cornish stone and clay in opaque pottery and glazes of
every kind. This was a great point gained; although
the Patent sadly trammeled Wedgwood in relation to his
experiments for a whiter ware; as Champion only waited
for him to produce a body or glaze which might be judged
to approximate porcelain to involve him in all the diffi-
culties of a legal contest.
Wedgwood's proposal of an Experimental Work in which
should be tested clays and other substances used in bodies
as also in glazes, in which when certainty of fitness should
be obtained new descriptions of ware should be wrought,
and by which without monopoly clay should be procured
on a large scale, was well received by the Potters; though
Bentley saw in the scheme inherent defects which were
sure to nullify practical results. However, the Potters
met again and again. Just as they needed a clerk to draw
up proposals and undertake the necessary business of
their embryo association, one presented himself. This was
no less than young Byerley, who, capable and emergetic,
was willing to do any work which lay before him. The
proposed company came to nothing. It lingered in
nubibus from June to November, and then died a natural
death, upon the question being put at a General Meeting
‘whether the partners in Company should pay separately
or jointly.' There was no settling this point, and so the
matter ended. From this time the Potters took their own
course with respect to the materials of their manufacture;
424 BYERLEY'S RETURN. CHAP. IX.
and Wedgwood, in many respects often conjointly with
his friend Turner, his.
From 1769 till now in 1775 he returned to his native
country, Thomas Byerley had undergone many vicissi-
tudes. For a large portion of this time he had led a
wandering life through many parts of New England.
Sometimes a player, sometimes a schoolmaster, at others
a reckless lad only intent upon the lawless promptings of
the hour. Of these days many tales reached England
through Wedgwood's correspondents. But at length the
wild oats were sown, and he settled down in New York
to the peaceful calling of a schoolmaster. During this
period he improved himself in French and Latin, procured
scholars, fought a steady and faithful fight for bread; and
when in time more pleasing accounts reached his uncle,
they were as promptly related to his mother as the foregone.
ill reports had been sedulously concealed. Forty pounds
was sent to rid him of certain small encumbrances; and at
length, in April 1774, Wedgwood commissioned Bentley
‘to buy Tom a fine pair of globes’ for the better in-
struction of his scholars. But hostilities broke out; he
was too much an Englishman to take part against his
country, so he gave up his school and came home; to the
infinite joy of his mother and sisters, whose brighter days
lost half their pleasure till the prodigal came to share
them. .
The Experimental Company at an end, Byerley did any
work which stood ready. He translated French letters
for his uncle, collected debts, undertook business relative
to the supply of flints; and in these matters, as in others,
proved himself capable and earnest. At length his pos-
session of business qualities of a very superior kind were
too obvious to be overlooked. In the summer of 1777
CHAP. IX. A TIMOROUS TRAVELLER. 425
it became apparent to both Wedgwood and Bentley, that
if their seals, inkstands, portrait cameos, medallions and
similar articles of ornamental ware were to have re-
munerative sales, they must be made known throughout
the country by personal agency. Their first plan was
that of employing their collector, a young man named
Brownbill, to show goods and solicit orders in the
metropolis and its neighbourhood; their next to despatch
him on a tour through the west and south-western counties
of England, mounted on a horse with his goods stored
in boxes, and these in saddlebags. Devonshire and
Cornwall were omitted from the counties visited, for the
reason that they were supplied by three great dealers
who derived a large part of their wares from Etruria.
These men, though wealthy, lived in villages and obscure
places, for the sake of cheap warehouseroom and pasture-
age for their horses; for their method of dispersing their
goods over this wide region was as yet by packhorse and
pannier.
After a few somewhat unsatisfactory journeys, the
saddlebags and boxes were given up for a light chaise.
But Brownbill, timorous before, was a coward now. In
fact he could not drive, and the approach of cart or coach
was too much for him. He tried the road a few miles;
and then, overcome with terror, returned whence he came.
So ended his travels, and he was employed no more.
The loss was gain. He had shown no tact in the solicit-
ing orders or disposing of goods; and he had highly
offended his masters by carrying about specimens of
brown ware for Peter Swift, who, having saved perhaps a
little money, had invested it in a small potwork for brown
goods, and also taken the Leopard Inn in Burslem,
though still cashier at Etruria. Peter's ambition was
426 BYERLEY'S BUSINESS CAPABILITIES. CHAP. IX.
short lived. He neither succeeded as a landlord nor a
potter. In a few months he was in difficulties. Wedg-
wood, who knew the man, had prophesied as much; and
when the reality became known to him he called his
clerk aside. He told him it was almost impossible for a
man to be in his situation and remain honest, and that
he must either give up his extraneous callings or leave
Etruria; at the same time offering to free him from em-
barrassments. Peter was a worthy man, and faithfully
attached to his master. He gladly accepted these condi-
tions. Less than a hundred pounds made him again free ;
and thenceforth he kept to his pen and his ledgers, and
ended his faithful service only with his life.
In the interval Byerley had shown the greatest aptitude
for commercial business. He had prudence, tact, and
sound judgment. Every short journey he made proved
by its results that he had found his true place and work;
and thus in January 1779 he commenced those wide-
spread journeys over Great Britain and Ireland of which
his letters give such graphic record. He penetrated into
every nook and corner of the land; and Wedgwood's
useful as well as choicest productions became still more
famous, for they were to be bought and seen everywhere.
During these passing years there had been, as ever in
the roll of human fate, birth and death. Three daughters,
—his last children, were successively born to Wedgwood
Catherine in November 1774, Sarah in September 1776,
and Mary Ann in August 1778. These events were always
followed by a christening feast. A splendid dinner was
given, and neighbours were invited. Upon the birth of
Catherine, a neighbouring clergyman named Sneyd wrote
some verses on the event, and Wedgwood, in thanking
him, asked him to stand godfather; telling him he was
CHAP. IX. CHRISTENING FESTIVALS. 427
‘not over rigid in vows and promises; only now and then
a hint in rhyme when she stands in need of it, and a
couplet at her marriage, is all we shall expect.’" The
christening of his last born child Mary Ann was on a still
grander scale.
I receiv'd a fine haunch of venison from this gentleman (Sir
Thomas Broughton) for my christening (he tells Bentley) with
a note that he should come and partake of it, which he did
yesterday. We had Mr. Sneyd and sons, Mr. Davenport, half a
score of our neighbours, & spent a very agreeable afternoon
together. We had but little conversation upon politics, the
company being so much divided in their opinions upon that
subject, it might have broke in upon our harmony.”
From the period of his daughter's marriage Richard
Wedgwood had led his usual retired life in the old farm-
house at Spen Green: Wedgwood and his wife often visiting
him, and he in turn taking exceeding interest in all which
concerned his famous son-in-law. It is not very clear if
he and his only son John Wedgwood lived together, as
the latter is always spoken of as of Smallwood, the
former of Spen Green; but these places may have been
named thus indifferently. The son had taken up his
father's business of a cheese-factor on a large scale ; and
for some years had led an active, if not a prudent life.
But in the early winter of 1774 he was stricken down by
illness, and Wedgwood, upon visiting him, found him in
the “last stage of a worn-out constitution.’ Darwin as
usual was sent for ; but when he came he could give no
bope. On November 18, 1774, John Wedgwood died—
To the great grief of his father & sister & relations (as Wedg-
wood imparted to his friend), for who can but lament to see a
young man, the only son of an aged & affectionate father, with
| Wedgwood to Bentley, December 17, 1774.
* Ibid. October 6, 1778.
428 RICHARD WEDGWOOD, SENIOR. CHAP. IX.
everything in his possession to render life agreeable & happy,
cut off in the prime of life with all his unfinished plans &
schemes of future life buried with him in the grave for ever ?
It is a melancholy consideration, but you have had your share
in these distressful scenes, & I forbear to revive the remembrance
of them in your mind."
A few days later, the now solitary old man was
persuaded to come to Etruria; and henceforth it was his
home. By degrees he recovered his wonted cheerfulness;
and venerated by his son-in-law, who always termed him
‘ father, he formed a prominent feature in the domestic
scene, whether abroad or at home. He was consulted in
most things, for his judgment was sound and his percep-
tion clear; although Occasionally he grew angry when
he found no pains had been taken to make his son-in-law's
merits known, or some opportunity of advancing his
interests passed by.
I thank my dear friend for his good letter of the 15th (wrote
Wedgwood on one occasion to Bentley), though it made my
father-law ready to beat me, & you would not have escaped
much better I can tell you, had you been by the fireside along
with us. “Did I not tell you—often tell you, the old gentle-
man exclaimed, ‘what it would come to, that other people must
carry the tiding of y' improvements to Court, where you are not
only permitted but commanded to carry them yourselves, & now
you oblige their Majesties to send for and fetch that homage,
which you ought to have carried and cheerfully paid in yr own
proper Persons.”
It is evident from this that the old man thought much
more of court patronage than his son-in-law and Bentley,
who had tested its value, and who were in fact too
absorbed in the creation of beauty to be over-mindful of
the means and methods of its dissemination.
Wedgwood to Bentley, November 19, 1774. *Ibid. May 15, 1776.
CHAP, IX. REV. WILLIAM WILLET. 429
From this date till his death in 1782, the old man
suffered from more than one exhausting illness; but when
well he was habitually cheerful and industrious.
My father (Wedgwood tells Bentley) has employed himself a
long time in alphabeting the initials of all the names in the
London & other Directories, several ledgers &c., which enable
us to make our cyphers in much better proportions for sale than
before & a copy will be useful both to you & extremely so to
Mr. Brownbill in taking his first assortment."
In May 1778 Wedgwood lost his last brother, Richard”
He had been ill for a long time, as the year previously
the former had told Bentley—‘My brother Richard, the
only brother I have left, is in a very bad way. Extremely
weak with swelled legs, &c., &c., the effects of a long course
of drinking & irregular living.” But he had soon after a
keener grief in the loss of his brother-in-law, the Rev.
William Willet, the Unitarian minister at Newcastle.
His health had declined from 1776, and his little congre-
gation had to obtain another preacher. He temporarily
recovered, and employed his leisure time, as heretofore,
in scientific investigation and controversial theology.
Wedgwood, who perceived his decline, had his portrait
modelled. “I send you, he said, writing to Bentley,
‘this head of Mr. Willet as a specimen of Hackwood's
portrait modelling. A stronger likeness can scarcely be
conceived. You may keep it as the shadow of a good
man who is marching with hasty strides to the Land of
Forgetfulness.” He lingered till the spring of 1778, when
he died.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, December this Richard to whom Priestley was
11, 1777. almoner on Wedgwood's account
* “Richard Wedgwood senr., buried during a sojourn at Scarborough.
May 30, 1778.”—Register, St. John's, * Wedgwood to Bentley, July
Burslem. It is probably a son of 1776.
430 HIS DEATH. CHAP. IX.
‘This truly good man's death was of a piece with his life
(wrote Wedgwood in telling Bentley of this grief) calm, serene,
and sensible to the last moment. A little after mine this morn-
ing I assisted him to drink a dish of tea, as he sat in his chair,
& a few moments after he expired in one single sigh. He had
no pulse this morning, gasped for every breath, yet after thanking
his wife for all her goodness to him, & telling her he knew he
was dying, & believed he should go off in a slumber, he still
talked of coming down to take that breakfast with the family,
which was scarcely out of his lips before the lamp of life went
out, merely through the want of a single drop of oil to sustain
it another moment, & thus ended a well-spent life, with an easy
& perfectly natural death, such a one as I suppose would be the
general lot of all, if accident of various kinds did not interrupt
the gentle hand of Nature in preparing us to take our final rest.
Poor Mrs. Willet is quite wearied out. I hope we shall be able to
comfort & restore her, for the sake of her young family &
friends, as well as herself.”
Bentley, who it is evident had already tendered the hand
of generous help, had been himself very ill; and thus
Wedgwood concludes his pathetic letter from the house of
mourning : ‘I am greatly comforted with the good account
you give me of your recovery. Pray God preserve you
many many years. Take care of your precious health for
all our sakes, & believe me with the truest affection &
ever yours, Jos. Wedgwood.’" And yet whilst he wrote
thus, this keenest grief of all was approaching with hasty
strides.
The Bank-House at Newcastle-under-Lyme, where this
good man lived so many years, and wherein he indoctri-
nated Priestley in the science of optics and natural philoso-
phy generally speaking, is still standing; a large, roomy,
comfortable house, so built as to form an angle. It stands
literally on a bank, overlooking the town ; but the trees
* Wedgwood to Bentley, May 12, 1778.
CHAP. IX, THE BANK-RIOUSE, NEWCASTLE. 431
which once shadowed it are gone ; the garden which lay
near is almost all built over ; the pool which, clear and full
of fish," lay at the bottom of the green and sloping bank
is now a receptacle of rubbish and brickbats, and as
dry as a drained moat; and the atmosphere around is
smoke-laden in the extreme. But happily good fame
sometimes, if not always, survives the perishable works of
human hands. The chapel too where he preached still
remains, and is in much the same condition as in his day.
It is doubly interesting, for to the left of the pulpit is yet
the old family pew in which Josiah Wedgwood and his
family worshipped for so many years and his descen-
dants still occupy. The structure itself is the plainest of
Nonconformist chapels, and covers, it is said, the site of
one of the old Presbyterian meeting-houses which sprung
up so rapidly during the brief existence of the Act of
Toleration in the reign of Charles II. Whilst Mr. Willet
was in the prime of life, his ministry was much frequented
by persons of far different creeds; for he was an animated
preacher, and to the last his sacramental exercises were
singularly impressive.”
Whatever might be his other engagements, Wedgwood
went always to and fro with his children to school, his two
eldest boys to Bolton, his daughter to Manchester; though
after a period the latter went also to Bolton for a short
time. The summer of 1775 was spent by her at home,
and these holidays were made doubly delightful to all the
children by a present sent down from London by Bentley
of a large play-house; which, spread out upon the lawn
before the Hall, was their unfailing rendezvous. Dr.
* John Wedgwood it may be re- and Biographical Notices of some of
collected, was invited to the Bank- his Contemporaries, by Joshua Toul-
House to fish in 1766. min, T.D., pp. 258-263.
* Memoirs of the Rev. S. Bowen.
432 * PAPA' BENTLEY. CHAP. IX
Darwin's boys came from Lichfield to spend some days
and see the play-house; and the host of little cousins
near at hand made up the merriest of companies.
Wedgwood was in his glory. A little later in the season
Bentley and his wife paid a visit; and we can fancy how
a portion of it was spent by the partners when the one
had lured the other thus—
I am pleased with the thought of our interview at Etruria
growing nearer and nearer, & hope this hot weather will make
you as impatient to leave the town as I am to see you here, &
pray do not forget to bring with you some of the Books we are
to read together, & I will order a portable Bench, where retired
from the bustling world, we will enjoy a few of those quiet hours
which it has hitherto seem'd impossible for us to find."
In October Sukey accompanied Bentley and his wife to
London, and soon the little maid won as tender a place in
the heart of the former as she had in that of her father.
Hitherto she had been very poorly taught ; the schools
had been mere places for the needle and back-board; so
when she writes a loving little letter in December, which
she addresses to her ‘Dear and honoured papa, she bids
him tell her mamma to take her ‘curiositys' out of her
“Chester drawers,' or else they will be spoiled. She then
proceeds to tell him of her schoolfellow Miss Fothergill,
and to express her sorrow that he has got ‘a navigation
cold.’ ‘Papa Bentley’soon put his little favourite in her
right place. Occasionally he instructed her himself; but
in January 1776 she was sent to a school known as
Blackland's, Chelsea. Here she soon improved, and laid
the foundation of that excellent scholarship which was so
useful to her busy husband, Dr. Darwin of Shrewsbury, in
after years. Already Wedgwood had tendered his thanks
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 23, 1775.
CHAP. IX. BENTLEY'S VISIT TO FRANCE, 433
to Bentley ‘for your kindness to our dear girl. I hope
she will be good and grateful—at present, indeed, she
cannot know the extent of her obligations—but I trust
she will love and honour you & your good lady with
a childlike affection the longest day of her life.’"
In May 1776 Bentley went to France, his business
being, as it seems, partly to buy various specimens of Sèvres
and other porcelain, and partly to see if his friend M.
Sayde would like to undertake a commission for the sale
of his and Wedgwood's ornamental goods. He was much
struck with the state of the country, and the exceeding
misery of the people,” and seems to have had prophetic in-
stinct of that Revolution which he did not live to see, but
in which he would have rejoiced as others of his contem-
poraries; and this for the sake of the truth political tyrants
had then to learn, that the forces of the moral world are
no more to be repressed beyond a certain point than those
of the physical. He was absent seven weeks, five of which
he spent in Paris, exploring cabinets, galleries, libraries
and public buildings. His route was by St. Omers, through
French Flanders; and he returned by Amiens and Abbe-
ville to Calais.”
Just prior to this French visit he had entered into
treaty to buy an estate or house; Wedgwood earnestly
entreating him to avoid a cold wet soil, and to look
around him well before he decided. But Bentley was a
man of social tastes; he probably thought more of his
Club and his Review, than gardens, fields, or picturesque
scenery; and this perhaps made him decide in the spring
* Wedgwood to Bentley, December * He wrote soon after his return a
30, 1776. most graphic letter to his Liverpool
* Ibid. August 12, 1776. Whilst correspondent, Boardman, on the
at Paris, the English Ambassador subject of his journey.— Bentleyana,
honoured him with a call. p. 20. •
WOL. II. F F
3.
434 TURNHAM GREEN. CHAP. IX.
of the following year in favour of a house and grounds
at Turnham Green. The soil was London clay, the site
and neighbourhood flat, the Thames too far off tolend any
of its charms to the scenery, the highway from London
notoriously infested with highwaymen and footpads," and
the hamlet itself of ill-repute as the lurking-place of bad
characters; but Ralph Griffith lived here, and the printing
of the Review was carried on a stone's throw from his
door. In residing away from town Bentley must have
substitutes for his Club at Slaughter's, his chapel in
Margaret Street, if he only missed them occasionally, and
for the conveniences of the houses in Greek Street where
so many of the appliances of modern days were anticipated,
even to that one of speaking-tubes from floor to floor, to
save the time and steps of clerks and servants. Wedg-
wood never liked Turnham Green, and before Bentley
had concluded his purchase he thus wrote:—
We are sorry you dare not take so many pleasurable appen-
dages to a country house near London as would be desirable, &
though we are convinced of your knowing much better than we
do what part of the country is most commodious in every respect
for you, yet notwithstanding this correction we did not feel right
and satisfied with your taking of a house near Turnham Green,
having heard so many terrible things from the papers of robbing
& murdering in that line. Besides if our friend Mr. Griffiths
stays an hour later than ordinary at the Club he always professes
it to be at the hazard of his life. These circumstances will
make us uneasy upon this subject till you explain them more
fully to us, as we heartily wish when you do move it may be
entirely to our satisfaction.”
* Numberless instances might be | coach, September 8, 1774.” Houn-
given from the newspapers and ma- slow Heath abutted upon Turnham
gazines of the day. In the parish green. -
books of Chiswick is the following * Wedgwood to Bentley, March
entry: “Wm. Tuck, supposed high- 12, 1777.
wayman, shot by guard of Exeter
CHAP. IX. BENTI,EY'S HOUSE AND HOSPITALITY. 435
In spite of these drawbacks the purchase was made,
and the letter which took this news to Etruria also
conveyed the warmest invitation to both Wedgwood and
his wife. “Mrs. Wedgwood, writes the former, ‘joins me
in thanking you for your friendly invitation to (pray give
it a name if it has none) & we shall not need of a second.
Do not be in haste to set your second garden. I will
come and help you dig & weed, & sow & gather, and
we will be joint Gardeners as well as joint Potters.” In
July Bentley removed to his new house; and in August
the Wedgwoods, the Boardmans and others inaugurated
that scarcely ceasing round of hospitality which, to the
close of Bentley's life, rendered the place so cheery and
pleasant. Of this visit Wedgwood wrote upon his return
home : -
I have so many things to be thankful for, my Dear Friend,
that I should not know where to begin if the pleasure I received
in the dear family at Turnham Green did not make the first &
most lively impression. I often lament the necessity of our
being so often & so far separated from each other, & if wishes
would avail we should not often smoke our pipes asunder.
Perhaps when Mr. Brock is better acquainted with the business
in Greek Street, you may be better able to spend a little time with
us at Etruria. I need not tell you how happy it would make us
& I believe it would be no small advantage to us in respect to
our business if we could manage to be a little more together.
Besides I could teach you to bowl & love riding on horseback.
To think less & play more, all of which will be of great service
to you & of some to myself.”
Bentley's house is said by those acquainted with the
neighbourhood to be one with that now known as Linden
House, lying eastward of Turnham Green on the south
side of the high road to London. Attached to it was a
* Wedgwood to Bentley, April 22, 1777. * Ibid. October 4, 1777.
F F 2
436 HOUSEHOLL) SCENES. CHAP. IX.
considerable extent of ground; the far larger portion to
the rear, a comparative strip towards the highway; for the
traffic in those days of mail coaches and flying waggons
was very great, and the dust and noise were probably
extreme. Wedgwood evidently alluded to this when he
said he should come and enjoy his friend's garden, but not
that part of it on the side towards Turnham Green. To
the house itself Bentley seems to have made additions and
alterations, and others have been effected in quite recent
years. The bas-reliefs inserted in the walls, and the
niches for busts and figures still remaining in the lower
rooms, evince the hand of taste which consecrated this
dwelling, as it was hoped, to long days of peace and love.
Here we can fancy, for such things were, those precious
jasper tablets Wedgwood had bidden him keep and hide
in a napkin, that cabinet of gems gathered for him, those
beautiful vases, black or Greek encaustic painted, those
marvellous busts, those fine medallions, those exquisite
things of so many forms and kind. Here we can see him
smoking his favourite evening pipe after tea, his wife and
sister-in-law beside him, his little Sukey near playing
with her doll, or on the fine harpsichord he bought for
her to practise on. These were happy hours, and
Wedgwood tells us of them :-
Mrs. Wedgwood (he writes) unites with me in love & every
good wish to the Bentleys & Stamfords & Wedgwoods.
What a happy man are you with all your friends about you.
Methinks I see you with your evening pipe in your mouth &
your Soul peeping out at your eyes, as happy in the circle of
your favourite females, I will not say as a king, but as a good
man ought to be. May you ever remain so, & so long believe
me your truly grateful & affectionate Jos. Wedgwood."
| Wedgwood to Bentley, March 26, 1778.
CHAP. IX. RALPH GHIFFITHS. 437
The identity of the house occupied by Ralph Griffiths
is not so certain as that of Bentley's. It was either what
is now known as Campden House on the east side of
Turnham Green, or Bolton House on the west. He had
married a second time, as we have already seen, in 1767;
and now a family of young children were around him.
It is therefore to be hoped that these amenities of domestic
life had softened his temper, and made his dealings more
generous with that authorcraft by whose toil he lived.
He was in all respects a far inferior man to Bentley, and
probably gained more from him than Bentley did in turn.
But tastes in friendship, as in love, are often inexplicable;
and Ralph Griffiths must have had some of the finer
touches of our common nature to have secured and kept
two such friends as Wedgwood and Bentley. He outlived
them both.”
Wedgwood's little daughter passed the Midsummer
holidays of 1777 at Etruria, her Christmas holidays at
New Church with Edgeworth and his wife—both of whom
formed a high opinion of her character. In the spring of
1778 she was ill, and for some time Bentley and his wife
watched her with sedulous care; Sir Richard Jebb being
her physician. When able to travel, Mr. Byerley fetched
her home by slow stages.
How shall I thank you (Wedgwood wrote to Bentley) & your
good lady, for our dear girl It is impossible. I can only
return you our warmest affection & gratitude which will end
with our lives & not before when I must refer you to the meat
world for a more complete recompense for y” goodness in this.”
* R. Griffiths married to Eliza particulars relative to Bentley's house,
Clark, 1767. to the kindness of the Rev. Lawford
* Ralph Griffiths died October 3, ' T. Dale, Vicar of Chiswick. . .
1803.—Marriage and Burial Registers & Wedgwood to Bentley, April 6,
of the Parish of Chiswick. I am 1778.
indebted for these entries, and the
438 PLEASURES AND STUDIES. CHAP. IX
Sukey soon recovered, and when the Midsummer holi-
days came again, and his boys were home from their
school at Bolton, Wedgwood gives us this picture of how
the days were spent. He has been telling Bentley to go
from home, to ride, to make a change in his daily life—
for though “you have everything, we well know, in your
delightful habitation to make you abundantly happy, yet
it is not well for a man to continue long in a place.’ And
he adds:
Sukey is now very well, & is pretty strong, which I attribute
to riding on horseback. We Sally forth half-a-dozen of us by
5 or 6 o'clock in the morning & return with appetites scarcely
to be appeased. Then we are very busy in our hay, & have
just made a new garden. Sometimes we try experiments, then
read & draw a little, that altogether we are very busy folks, &
the holidays will be over much sooner than we could expect
them to be. Poor Sukey is quite out of patience with her old
spinet, & often asks me when her new one will come."
A fine one by Kirkham was selected, and its arrival is
thus recorded :
We have great rejoicings here upon the news of the the
defeat of the French fleet? But the more important news of the
arrival of our new harpsichord at Newcastle, & we can hardly
wait till Monday without a sight of the instrument. Long may
this disposition continue, & then you shall hear what music we
can make the next time you deign to visit our humble plains.”
In this year, 1778, Wedgwood commenced his study of
shells. He formed a collection,” and begged Bentley to
look out for sea-anemones during a sojourn the latter
made at Margate. Soon after Christmas Bentley and his
wife were at Etruria, where some weeks were spent most
* Wedgwood to Bentley, July 17, lection bought in 1777 of Mr. John
1778. | Goswill, Mill Street, Southwark.—
* Ibid. August 9, 1778. Mayer MSS. -
* The nucleus of this was a col- . -
CHAP. IX. BENTLEY'S LETTER. 439
happily. Just prior to this he was ill, and suffering
mentally from the basest ingratitude of a person he had
generously aided; and in one of his letters to Wedgwood
he thus gives expression to what he feels on this account,
as also to his deep affection for his friend. It is the more
interesting, as scarcely a letter of Bentley's is preserved.
My head is better or worse, as I think more properly or
weakly about the ill usage I have met with. . . . A full discus-
sion, or one good conversation upon it with my dear Friend
would probably do me more good than any other application,
for I have not any Friend here by whose side I have been
accustomed to engage & conquer, & who has the same Energy
that you constantly possess when there is occasion for it, either
to promote the public good, assist your Friends, or support your
own rights. I fancy I can do anything with your help; & I have
been so much used to it, that when you are not with me on
these occasions, I seem to have lost my right arm. . . . If we
should come, we hope you & good Mrs. Wedgwood will return
with us & favour us with your Company, as long as you can find
in your Hearts to stay at Turnham Green."
With age Wedgwood's scientific tastes became more
absolute. At his desire, Warltire, a well known chemist,
resident in Birmingham, and the friend and correspon-
dent of both Watt and Priestley, came to Newcastle to give
a course of lectures on the principles of chemistry. These
were regularly attended by young John Wedgwood, who
was sent for in February from School to attend them,
and by young Robert Darwin. Warltire also gave them
private instruction at Etruria, and Wedgwood increased
their interest in the subject by making experiments with
them. Whilst thus occupied, it occurred to him to render
the chemical affinities, composition, decomposition, and
recomposition, &c., visible, by assigning to each change
Bentley to Wedgwood, dated from Turnham Green, December 18, 1778,
440 WARLTIRE'S LECTURES. CHAP. IX.
a definite colour; and where bodies were composed of
two or more parts, such should be expressed by a like
number of colours. Darwin and Warltire gave their
sanction to this idea, which in a later day was more
effectively carried out by Dalton in relation to his atomic
theory; symbols being substituted for colours. Darwin
was a believer in this theory, and seems to have preceded
Dalton in his estimate of it as a principle in nature.
Warltire was an admirable lecturer, and a good chemist.
His experiments on the combustion of gases, a year or two
after this date, was one of the steps which led to the dis-
covery of the composition of water by Watt, whose claim
to this is undoubted. During these lectures Bentley sup-
plied Warltire with data relative to Priestley's most recent
discoveries, as from the time the latter had become Lord
Shelburne's librarian, they often corresponded; and when
Priestley was in town Bentley frequently visited him at
Lansdowne House. One of Warltire's Newcastle lectures
was upon light and colour; and during it he introduced
a solar microscope to show opaque objects, and of this
Wedgwood made most interesting use. It occurred to him
to show some of his finest cameos by its aid, and the
result, for exquisite detail, finish and perfection as a whole,
was beyond all expectation, and led Priestley, when the ex-
periment was reported to him, to order a set of cameos for
Lord Shelburne's microscope. Warltire's audience were so
pleased with this lecture, that they requested one or more
in addition, during which were examined crystallizations,
animalcules, the circulation of the blood, the solution and
precipitation of nitrates, and other like natural pheno-
Iſlella.
These lectures ended in March ; in April Wedgwood
paid a visit to London and Turnham Green; and in May
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CHAP. IX. THE FAMILY PICTURE. 441
we hear of Stubbs and the family piece he was
to paint. Its idea was thus originally sketched out by
Wedgwood, though when Stubbs set actually to work,
a year or so after, the engraving shows that one picture
took the place of two, that details were altered, and that
as accessories horses were substituted for chemical appa-
ratus.' There would have been much less formality in
Wedgwood's grouping than in motionless equestrians set
in a row, merely because Stubbs was a painter of horses.
But as a family piece the engraving, which is a reduced
but admirable copy of the original picture, is of exceeding
interest as it places us face to face with a great man, and
those whom in his tender love he sought to make good
and intelligent men and women.
The two family pieces I have hinted at (he tells Bentley) I
mean to contain the children only, & grouped perhaps in some
such manner as this—Sukey playing upon her harpsichord with
Kitty singing to her as she often does, & Sally & Mary Ann upon
the carpet in some employment suitable to their ages. This to
be one picture. The pendant to be Jack standing at a table
making fixable air with the glass apparatus &c., & his two
brothers accompanying him, Tom jumping up & clapping his
hands in joy, & surprised at seeing the stream of bubbles rise
up just as Jack has put in a little chalk to the acid. Jos with the
chemical dictionary before him in a thoughtful mood; which
actions will be exactly descriptive of their respective characters.
| Stubbs' account with Wedgwood, also on horseback. The latter, an
in his own handwriting.
£ s. d.
Family piece . 236 17 6
19 13 9
. 189 () ()
£471 15 3
Mrs. Wedgwood .
Enamel of Labourers
set-off for tablets for enamelling, was
paid May 7, 1796.—Mayer MISS.
Besides these pictures Stubbs
painted Wedgwood kit. kat size, as
extremely valuable picture, is in the
possession of D.C. Marjoribanks, Esq.,
tº tº M.P.
Mrs. Wedgwood's father 26 5 0
Barlaston, Dec. 7th. 1864.
Stone, Staffordshire.
I certify that the copy of Stubbs's
picture of the Wedgwood family in
my possession, made by Mr. Justyne,
This account, of which there was a for Miss Meteyard's Life of Wedg-
wood, is a very accurate copy of the
original.
(Signed)
FRANCIS W EDG wooD.
442 WRIGHT OF DERBY, CHAP. IX,
My first thought was to put these two pictures into Mr. Wright's
hands; but other ideas took place & remembering the Labourers
& Cart in the Exhibition, with paying for tablets &c., I ulti-
mately determined in favour of Mr. Stubbs, & have mentioned
a fire piece to Mr. Wright in a letter I wrote him the last
week to tell him I should be glad to see him here in a fort-
night or 3 weeks. But what shall I do about having Mr. S.
& Mr. W. here at the same time—will they draw together kindly
think you?'
Wedgwood in the previous year had bespoken a picture
of Wright of Derby, who, neglected by his countrymen,
“would, as Wedgwood said, “starve as a painter if the
Empress of Russia had not some taste & sense to buy
these pictures now, which we may wish the next century
to purchase again at treble the price she now pays for
them.’” Soon after this Wright tried enamel-painting,
and towards the close of 1779 he promised to visit
Etruria and ‘catch any help from its fires; but it is not till
subsequently that we hear of the fine picture he painted
for Wedgwood.
During the summer of 1779, we have another charming
sketch of Wedgwood amongst his children.
We have all our little folks about us now (he tells Bentley),
& I am travelling through England with Mr. Byerley & take
the young men along with me. We examine what orders are
taken & business done as we go along, which makes the route
edifying to us all. I shall lead them through my cabinet of
fossils as time & opportunities will permit, & mean to class them
as we proceed.”
Three months later young Jos. Wedgwood was taken
ill at school at Bolton, and his parents hastened thither.
Travelling was dangerous just then, for the roads of
| Wedgwood to Bentley, May 30, 1779.
* Ibid. September 10, 1778.
3 Ibid. July 3, 1779.
CHAP. IX. DIFFICULTIES IN EDUCATION. 443
Lancashire and Cheshire swarmed with mobs of machine
breakers. These principally consisted of workmen who
had been turned off from a want of demand for English
woven goods in the foreign markets; whilst the non-
importation agreements the Irish had adopted had also
had a disastrous effect on trade. Wedgwood describes
these scenes most graphically. The two youngest boys
returned home with their parents, for both were ill.
The truth is (he writes to Bentley) that they have more
business, confinement & phlogisticated air than their machinery
can dispense with, & how to remedy this evil & give them such
an education as the fashion of the times requires, I am utterly
at a loss to determine. I am convinced that if they are confin'd
again to school air, & rigid confinement with school discipline,
their health & bodily strength must be diminish’d very consider-
ably, if not totally lost. What I now advance is upon some
years’ observation of their constitutions, & not a hasty conclu-
sion from their present indisposition. I believe early confine-
ment & severe application are too unnatural not to have bad
consequences in a greater or less degree upon most constitutions,
but my boys, I am very certain, cannot suffer it without great
injury, & I am really distress'd to find out a sort of compromise
between the body & the mind that shall do the least injury to
either, in this business of education. You are an adapt in this
service, & if you will have the goodness some time, at your
leisure, to communicate a few hints to me I shall be thankful
for them."
Whatever it was that Bentley advised, Wedgwood in
some measure hit upon the true remedy, though but
tested for a brief season. He resolved to have masters
and educate his boys at home. But he did not see the
physical and philosophical truth to the full. He did not
see that men of genius very rarely reproduce their own
intellect ; or that minds and bodies sprung from those
| Wedgwood to Bentley, October 9, 1779.
444 - WEDGWOOD AT FAULT. CHAP. IX.
exhausted by the labours which declare genius, show few
signs of inheritance. If the characteristics of mental
vigour and originality do reappear, it is in an entirely
new direction, as has been markedly the case in his own
descendants. Here and there are instances to the contrary,
for physical laws are strengthened and confirmed by
occasional aberrations—a Hallam or a Herschel for
instance. But then we must recollect that Hallam wrote
amidst the philosophical ease of comparative affluence;
and Herschel studied science amidst the amenities which
science begets.
In Wedgwood the ability of generations had culminated
in genius; but this he had only made visible by a persis-
tent drudgery that wore body and mind to the full. It
was perhaps therefore a mistake to suppose his boys
would have the same scientific tastes as himself, or the
same business capabilities. He had won, and was then
winning, great wealth for them ; and he was surrounding
them with all the appliances of aristocratic life. He
should have trained them for this life; for aristocrats they
really became when the pressure of his example had
passed away. They could have had the usufruct in per-
petuity of his great trade; but its labours might have
been deputed to men willing to accept them and do by
them as he had done. He had one really clever pupil in
Adams. Bentley told him he spoilt his boys. But his
mistake in this respect will be again and again made, till
men, regarding their work for its own sake, will depute
their vocations to the most able ; as they shall also in that
greater day of a higher and more philosophic conception
of art, not collect its riches for the use of themselves and
the few, but gather them into public collections for the
use and advantage of the universal eye. This non-inheri-
CHAP. IX. HIS ETRUSCAN SCHOOL. 445
tance of great talents, except differently and remotely, is not
to be deplored; or else the evils we so often see in inherited
rank would be alike perpetuated in the inheritance of genius.
Other matters, besides this of education occupied
Wedgwood.
I have begun (he tells Bentley) upon a great undertaking.
The arrangement of my fossils & making a Catalogue of them.
As a potter I make clays my first article, after which stones
vitrifiable will follow, but I cannot draw the line betwixt clays
& some of the stones. In steatites for instance I have specimens
of every degree of induration from the hardness of soap to the
most compact polished jasper, & they illustrate the fact of jaspers
being indurated steatites so evenly and fully that I cannot find
in my heart to keep them asunder."
But these calm and philosophic speculations were dis-
turbed by the discovery that his farming men had been
robbing him to a serious extent, and by the illness of his
little child Mary Ann. She suffered from convulsions pro-
duced by teething; and at periods she lost the use of her
limbs and her sight. His distress was extreme when he
found her blind. He joined with his wife in nursing her;
chafed her limbs, lanced her gums, held her in the bath,
and, instructed by Darwin, electrified her. The usual
nostrums for this disease of childhood were burnt blood,
a baked raven, with a long etcetera. But Darwin laughed
them all to scorn; he applied to science, and gave relief if
he could not cure. The child recovered the use of her
limbs and her sight, but died whilst yet in infancy.
What Wedgwood called his ‘Etruscan school” was begun
in November.
My boys (he tells Bentley) are quite stout & well & we
have formed a pretty regular school, which I have at present
some notion of improving & continuing instead of sending them
| Wedgwood to Bentley, November 1, 1779.
446 DISCUSSIONS ON EDUCATION. CHAP. IX.
from home again, unless by way of finish for some parti-
cular parts of their education. Before breakfast we read
English together in the newspaper, or any book we happen to
have in the course of reading. We are now reading Ferber's
Travels with the globes & maps before us. After breakfast
they go & write an hour with Mr. Swift & with this small por-
tion of time & writing their French exercises, & entering some
experiments which they make along with me, all which I insist
upon being written in a plain legible hand, they have improved
more in writing these few weeks than they did in the last
twelve months at Bolton—After writing if the weather permits,
they ride or drive their hoop, or jump a cord, or use any exer-
cise they please for an hour & the remainder of the day is filled
up with the French lessons & Mr. Swift attends them here an
hour in the evening for accounts in which their sister joins with
them ; and we have agreed to add four Latin lessons a week to
the above business for which Mr. Byerley & Mr. Lomas' have
kindly offered their assistance. This last is only introduced to
prevent their losing what they have already learnt, till I have
decided upon this part of their learning.”
Darwin and Wedgwood had various discussions on this
question of the utility of Latin to boys not intended for
the learned professions. Wedgwood thought time was
wasted in acquiring a dead language; Darwin, true to his
doctrine of utility, considered that French would be more
useful to boys engaged in trade; neither perceiving, as it
seems, the true point, that the advantage gained by a classi-
cal or University education is that it gives a man a high
standard to measure by, and prevents him from being too
easily satisfied with his own efforts. Darwin won Wedg-
wood over, probably, to his opinion, for, in the middle of
December 1779, we find the two eldest boys from
Etruria had been a month at Lichfield, and were learning
French with the Doctor's youngest son Robert. Their
* The Unitarian minister at Newcastle,
* Wedgwood to Bentley, November 23, 1779.
CHAP. IX. LESSONS IN FRENCH. 447.
instructor was a young Frenchman named Potet, who was
surgeon on board a merchantman when it was taken by
an English privateer. He taught his language, as also
drawing, well; his character and antecedents were found
to be good, and after a satisfactory interview, it was
settled by Wedgwood that he should become tutor at
Etruria for a year—his pupils to include some of Mr.
Thomas Wedgwood's children. With these arrangements
the year closed. How long they lasted is unknown. The
eldest son John went back to the Rev. Mr. Holland of
Bolton, for a time. In 1782 he became a resident pupil
of Dr. Enfield's at Warrington Academy; and in the
February of the same year Josiah Wedgwood the
younger was at school in Edinburgh.
Dr. Darwin lost his first wife in 1770. He remarried
in 1781 and removed to Derby. In this interval his
house was kept by his sister, Miss Darwin, between whom
and the Wedgwoods existed the most friendly relations.
The children of both families were, as we have seen,
much together; and to the chiefs, science was always
lending some point of interest. In 1778 the Doctor's
windmill project was again resuscitated. Watt, whose
visit had been more than once deferred by a fit of hypo-
chondriacism, came over to Lichfield to see it. He gave
his opinion, which Darwin and Wedgwood by turns criti-
cised ; and after some new suggestions of the Doctor's,
Edgeworth made a model. From this the mill was built
at Etruria, and it continued working till the introduction
of one of Boulton and Watt's Sun-and-Planet-engines in
1792.
In their many visits to Lichfield, sometimes when
* Miss Seward gives this date, but it was earlier, as Mrs. Darwin is re-
ferred to in letters of 1779–Darwin Correspondence.
448 DR, JOHNSON. CHAP. IX.
merely passing through, staying at the chief inn and in-
viting Dr. Darwin to their table, it is unknown if
Wedgwood and his wife ever saw Dr. Johnson. They
were not likely to meet him at the houses of their friends,
for Johnson in his rude dogmatic way despised the literary
(Fig. 83.) CAMEo MEDALLION. Johnsox-BARLow colºrios.
coterie of which the Sewards were the head. Still his
fame was great, and, at a later date, Wedgwood added his
name to those of other illustrious men. In 1784 Flaxman
modelled his portrait in wax, and the cameo medallion
made therefrom, as we give it here, (fig. 83), is one of
the finest ever perfected by Wedgwood.

CHAP. IX. ADMIRAL KEPPEL. 440
Two other medallion portraits of great interest were
produced about the same date. “We sent a box by the
coach last night containing, writes Wedgwood, ‘. . . . a
head of one Mr. Bentley al antique, & another which
you are to find out, if your memory or Hackwood's skill
is not deficient.” Another portrait, both as a bust and
(Fig. 84.) CAMEo MEDALLION ADMIRAL KEPPEL.-MAYER collection.
medallion, which was very popular at this date, was that
of Admiral Keppel. His merits were over-rated, and public
enthusiasm arose more from a general feeling of opposition
to the measures of the government against him, than
directly from an admiration of Keppel, either as a seaman
or a public character. But Mr. Byerley sold thousands of
Wedgwood to Bentley, November 8, 1778. This medallion of Bentley
is given ante, vol. i. p. 302.
VOL. II. G. G.

450 PRINCE WILLIAM HENRY. Chap. IX.
his portrait during his journeys in 1779, in the form
of a cameo medallion, as here given, and also in seals
and busts. During his autumnal journey through the
southern counties, including the seaports, he saw much of
naval life. The fleet was at Spithead, and dining on board
the Terrible man of war, with his friend the chaplain, the
conduct of Sir Charles Hardy, in declining to offer battle
to the combined fleet, was warmly canvassed.
I can't say (he adds furtherin his letter to Brock, then manager
in Greek Street).Sir Charles
Hardy is a favourite in the
Fleet, but I don’t hear one
person impeach his late
conduct—For my part I
think the madman that
would have fought under
such circumstances ought
to be executed as a monster
of cruelty. The bravery of
| Englishmen cando much–
but not impossibilities. . . .
When an engagement was
expected the young Prince
was, much against his will,
as 'tis said—put on board
a small vessel provided for
the purpose, and ordered
(Fig. 85.) CAMEo MEDALLION. PRINCE william
HENRY--subson Co.LECTION. to keep aloof, so as to give
him a view of the action and to be out of danger–They say
he enters with great facility into the manners of the sailors and
is as great a Biackguard as the best of them."
This letter, as the rest, was sent down to Etruria, and
its anecdote of the young prince probably led to his me-
* Byerley to Brock, dated from The prince here alluded to was
Gosport and Chichester, September afterwards William IV. Miss Bur-
13, 1779. Mayer MSS. ney's sketch of him is very similar.

CHAP. IX. DR, PRIESTLEY. 45l
dallion being made, which in a cheap form, in the black
body, became soon after almost as popular in the seaports
as that of Keppel.
In one form or another, and in various bodies, Priestley's
likeness was being incessantly reproduced. In the houses
of Dissenters it was a conspicuous ornament; and after
he had given to the world his discovery of oxygen, the
resemblance of this great man, either as a full size
medallion or as a bust, was largely bought by conti-
mental savans. A life-size bust was modelled in May
1779 to match with those of Franklin and Newton. Till
Priestley's removal to Birmingham in 1780, his visits to
Etruria were very rare, although he and Wedgwood fre-
quently corresponded on scientific points. The latter sup-
plied Priestley, gratis, with every kind of philosophical
apparatus which could be made in earthenware; and of
these a catalogue was issued in 1772 to inform the scien-
tific world of the size, forms, purposes, and prices of such
articles as might be useful to them in the course of their
experiments. Priestley's appointment with Lord Shel-
burne was a source of congratulation to his friend, though
with a proviso. “I am glad, writes Wedgwood to Bentley,
‘to hear of Dr. Priestley's noble appointment, taking it for
granted, that he is to go on writing and publishing with
the same freedom he now does, otherwise I had much
rather he still remained in Yorkshire.'" Priestley's dis-
coveries and scientific writings during his residence with
Lord Shelburne were amongst his greatest; whilst there
can be no question that either his political or religious
opinions were the cause of their ultimate separation.
Another of Wedgwood's correspondents in 1773-5 was
* Wedgwood to Bentley, October 4, 1772.
G G 2
452 DR, PERCIVAL, CHAP. IX,
Dr. Percival of Manchester. The Doctor issued a pam-
phlet upon poisoning by lead, and asserted that this
mineral was employed in all the glazes used on earthen-
ware; that salts, as well as certain acids, acted as solvents,
and exposed the users of this class of pottery to the slow
effects of lead poisoning. Wedgwood had to combat this
opinion with Percival; but all the latter would concede
was, that Wedgwood's cream ware glaze was the best of
its kind, though the tests he had used were not sufficient
solvents. But Percival's pamphlet lived its day and no
more, and did ultimately no harm to the sale of this fine
body. -
During his early experiments for a fine porcellaneous
body, and which ended at length in the perfection of
that known as jasper, Wedgwood was greatly assisted by
a gentleman of the name of John Bradley Blake, one of
the English East India Company’s resident supercargoes
at Canton, who procured him true specimens of the kaolin
and petunse used by the Chinese ceramists. Of these
Wedgwood made some exquisite trials of porcelain; and
Mr. Blake was proceeding much further in researches for
his friend, when he died suddenly from the effects of
climate at Canton, in November 1773." A portrait of
him was brought to England, and from this Hackwood
modelled a medallion likeness in 1776.
Another portrait of still greater interest in relation to
English pottery, and its improvement at an early date,
was introduced to Wedgwood's notice in October 1776,
by its possessor Paul Elers, the father of Richard Lovell
Edgeworth's first wife. Wedgwood seems to have known
nothing further of this gentleman, either personally or by
1 Gent.'s Mag., 1776, vol. 49, p. 348.
XHAP. IX. PAUL ELERS. 453
report, other than that he was the son of one of the bro-
thers Elers, who came into Staffordshire at the close of
the seventeenth century. He therefore gracefully accepted
Mr. Elers's courtesy by a letter in which he offered to have
it copied, and a model taken from it in clay." A corres-
pondence thus opened, an enquiry followed as to the then
annual amount of earthenware produced in the Potteries;
and, in addition, Wedgwood was recommended to make
medallion likenesses of distinguished men. In those days
of high tariffs and readily-imposed taxes, an answer to
such a question required great circumspection; and
Wedgwood consulted Sparrow, stating his scruples, and
enquiring if they had given out any amount of that kind,
in their printed papers, when soliciting Navigation and
Turnpike Roads. Sparrow advised something more than
caution, and gave Wedgwood no very flattering account
of his correspondent.” Unwilling as it seems to accept
all that Sparrow said on this latter point, Wedgwood sent
a polite but guarded answer ; * and in respect to the re-
commendation to do what he had already done in a manner
SO eminent, he, with great dignity, enclosed a catalogue
and some fine specimens of medallion portraits. In the
January of the year succeeding, 1777, we hear more of the
portrait.
I hope (Wedgwood tells Bentley) you have read Mr. Elers's fine
letter, & and are preparing to send down the Heads of all the
Illustrious men in all the Courts & Countries of Europe to be
immortalised in our artificial jasper. There is one however we
must send for & copy, or offend this good Gentleman. I
* Draft of a letter from Wedg- the annual amount of the whole
wood to Paul Elers, October 17, 1776. manufacture of earthenware, in the
* Wedgwood to Bentley, Novem- Potteries in about 1725, was under
ber 23, 1776. E15,000. The increase at the period
* In this reply, of which there is a he wrote was fourfold or fivefold.
rough draſt, Wedgwood states that
454 HIS FATHER'S PORTRAIT. Chap. DY.
mean his Fathers from his sons in Ormond St., where it is
waiting for that purpose. I shall be glad to have it copied by
Mr. Day or Rh. Unwin—which you think proper, & from that
copy Hackwood shall model it—sometime."
Other “fine letters' followed, ‘of which, said Wedgwood,
‘I am sick and surfeited. Upon the appearance of the
(Fig. 86.) CAMEO MEDALLION OF John PHILIP ELERs.-HookER collectiox.
cameo medallion in the summer of the same year, Wedg-
wood writes again:-
My last letter from Mr. Elers is without a date, but it is about
ten days since I receiv'd it. He returns thanks for the Heads,
& asks if he could properly be indulged with about half a doz”
of these Portraits, for his friends are pretty numerous. How
* Wedgwood to Bentley, January 25, 1777.

CHAP. IX. ELERS IMPROVEMENTS. 455
far must we indulge this good Gentleman in his wants & wishes?
. . . He further acquaints me, that he has in order that these
representations of his father may be more cheaply extended &
diffused, desired Mr. Bentley to send one of the heads to an
engraver, to have an engravement for a print to be made, &
directed this inscription to be on the copper. ‘Johannes Philipus
Elers, Plastices Britannicæ Inventor.’ This inscription, if I
understand it, conveys a falsehood & can therefore do no honour
to the memory of his father who was not the inventor but the
improver of the art of Pottery in Britain, if there be any dif-
ference between inventing & improving an art."
* Wedgwood thus continues:– It amongst them. He brought some
is only about 80 years since Mr. of the stones home with him, mix’d
Elers was amongst us, when there them with Pipe Clay, & made the
was as many Potworks in Burslem, first White Flint Stone Ware.—I
as there is now, & had been for make no doubt but glazing with salt,
time immemorial; & the reason for by casting it amongst the ware
Mr. Elers fixing upon Staffordshire whilst it is red hot, came to us from
to try his experiments seems to be Germany, but whether Mr. E. was
that the Pottery was carried on there the person to whom we are indebted
in a much larger way, & in a more for this improvement I do not know.
improved state than in any other It might have been in use at Bristol,
part of Great Britain.-The im- or about London, from whence Mr. E.
provements Mr. Elers made in our | might bring it to us; but of this fact
manufactory were precisely these. — our old Painter may perhaps obtain
Glazing our common clays with Salt some intelligence amongst the Potters
which produc’d Pot d'Grey or stone- near London, & I wish you would ask
ware, & this after they (the two him to learn how long Glazing with
Elers's) had left the country was im- salt has been in use there, or at
prov’d into White Stone Ware by Bristol, & if they have any tradition
using the white Pipe Clay instead of of its introduction amongst them—
the common clay of this Neighbour- The next improvement introduc’d
hood, & mixing with it Flint Stones by Mr. E. was the refining our com-
calcin'd & reduced by pounding mon red clay by sifting, & making
into a fine powder.—The use of it into Tea & Coffee ware in imita-
Flint in our Pottery is said to have tion of the Chinese Red Porcelain,
proceeded from an accident happen- ; by casting it in plaister moulds, &
ning to one of our Potters, a Mr. turning it on the outside upon Lathes,
Heath of Shelton, on his way to & ornamenting it with the tea branch
London. His Horse's eyes becoming in relief, in imitation of the Chinese
bad, he applied to an Horsler on the manner of ornamenting this ware—
road, who told him he would cure For these improvements & very great
the Horse, & shew him what means ones they were for the time, we are
he used. Accordingly he took a indebted to the very ingenious Mess”
piece of black Flint Stone & put it Elers's, & I shall gladly contribute
into the fire, which to our Potters all in my power to honor their me-
great astonishment came out of the mories, & transmit to posterity the
fire a most beautifull white, & at the knowledge of the obligations we owe
same time struck him with an idea them, but the sum total certainly
that this fine material mightinprove does not amount To inventing the Art
the stone ware lately introduc’d of Pottery in Britain. And I think
456 RICHARD LOVELL EDGEWORTH, ..CHAP. IX.
During a visit to Etruria by Edgeworth and his second
wife, Wedgwood was amused by many further particulars
of Mr. Elers and his family, and of which the former made
no secret, as they are given in much the same way in
his autobiography." Yet the correspondence dragged on
wearily.”
I have just wrote to Mr. Elers in the way you advis'd me
(says Wedgwood to Bentley) & I wish it may have a proper
effect, at all events I am determin’d either to drop, or very much
abridge our correspondence for I have no time to spare, I may
say throw away upon such employments, besides he favours me
with so many hints and instructions, that I shall be as much
indebted to him soon, as the country in general is to his father.
I ask the good gentleman’s pardon for he may mean very well,
but when he advises to ‘apply our composition * to the making
Reservoirs in fortifications, the whole of one solid mass, for the
preservation of records, magazines &c. So as to be Bomb-proof’
& when one is oblig'd to reply to such extravagancies it is teizing
it would be injuring their memories taken notice of by Lady Barrington
to assert so much, for which I may a whimsical good sort of Lady, & by
quote the old adage—Grasp at all, her set up in a Glass & China shop
& lose all. But how these things in Dublin & were very successfull in
may be said to Mr. Elers, our present business—which enabled them to
correspondent, without offending him send their son Paul to the Temple in
is the difficulty, especially as he evi- || London, where he made a great pro-
dently & professedly means to make ficiency in his studies, & became a
some beneficial use of his fathers | first rate counsel.” After a long nar-
merit in this respect—I must write ration, in substance the same as that
to him, but as he only tells me–He given by Edgeworth in his Memoirs,
has given directions to have the plate | Wedgwood adds:–“But notwith-
engrav'd &c. without asking my opi- standing this great error of his life,
nion concerning the inscription, it & all he has done to serve great
would perhaps be impertinent in me men, Mr. Edgeworth adds he has so
to interfere, or give my opinion upon much real learning, such gentleness of
the subject my intention therefore nature & true politeness, that he
at present is to say nothing upon that would if he possibly could, think
subject (the inscription) unless my him a realy good man.’ Wedgwood
opinion is asked.” Wedgwood to to Bentley. Without date. Pre-
Bentley, July 19, 1777. vious to his residence in Dublin
* Memoirs of Richard Lovell Edge- John Phillip Elers was for some
worth, vol. i. p. 108 ut supra. time with Spiermont at Chelsea.
* From the particulars given by So it is handed down.
Edgeworth to Wedgwood we learn *The ingredients of thejasper body
that John Philip Elers had been were expensive.
in distress'd circumstances & was
CHAP. IX, e ELERS’ EXTRAVAGANT PROPOSITIONS. 457
at least, and which one would wish to be excus’d from if it
might be."
What correspondence followed upon this we know
not ; but, at a later date, a fresh extravaganza is heard
of.
I have a fine letter (Wedgwood tells Bentley) to answer by
this post from my good old friend Paul Elers Esq, who has cut out
a trifling job for me, which when I engage in will lift me far
above all Intaglios, cameos, and such trifling trinkets. . . But
I will not detain you upon the rack of expectation any longer.
The business then, is no less than making earthen water pipes
for London first, and then for all the world. I have a mind to
furnish London and Westminster first on my own account by
way of experiment, & then, if you will accept of a partnership
for supplying the rest of the world, I now make the offer & will
finish the bargain over our next pipe.”
It is very evident from this, from whence arose the
assertion stated gravely in modern times, that John Philip
Elers taught the Wedgwoods the art of mixing clay if not
of pottery. Mr.Wedgwood, who lived a century nearer to
the Elers epoch than ourselves, gives, as we have seen in
his own valuable words, the precise amount of improve-
ment carried out by the brothers Elers. It was much
for the time, and as such is acknowledged; but beyond
this it did not go is very clear. A man who wearied out
others with useless letters, and who wasted his time in
making impossible and often impertinent suggestions to
men of acknowledged capacity, even whilst neglecting his
own affairs to a ruinous extent, was precisely the one to
draw upon his imagination for the efficiency and impor-
tance of his ancestors. The Wedgwoods were the most
accomplished potters of their time, even at the close of
| Wedgwood to Bentley, August 1 and 2, 1777.
* Ibid. October 20, 1779.
458 TRENT AND MERSEY NAVIGATION. . CHAP. IX.
the seventeenth century, and to them, as to other able
men who were their contemporaries, is really due that
succession of improvements which slowly ushered in the
great artistic and commercial changes wrought by the
genius and skill of Josiah Wedgwood. Englishmen owe
something to foreigners, and they have been ever ready
to acknowledge it; but the Staffordshire potters, like others
of their race, owe more to mother-wit and steady industry.
In May 1777, Wedgwood had had the delight of
witnessing the completion of the Grand Trunk Navigation.
Prior to this, and after, various schemes were afloat for
intersecting Staffordshire, as well as the adjacent counties,
with a network of branches of more or less importance.
In the progress of many of these he took an active
interest, and even in 1785 we find him still full of
business for the Trent and Mersey Navigation. His duties
as treasurer of this, and as patron of others, brought him
into incessant intercourse with various classes. By the
trading part of the community he was greatly regarded
as having been one of the direct agents through which
inland transport was reduced one fourth in cost; and by
a higher class, not only for his great artistic merits but
as one who, through keen insight and indomitable energy,
had increased the value of their estates by several years'
purchase. How he was honoured by the aristocracy we
have already had some glimpses: another we must
give. After visiting Sir Roger Newdigate at his seat in
Warwickshire, he tells Bentley:-
I dined with L* Denbeigh yesterday. . . He was extremely
civil to me. He sent a servant to waylay me on the road to
Newnham, & bring me through his fine rides. Show'd me the
whole house himself & and intended the same civility to me
in the pleasure grounds & gardens, but we unfortunately
missed each other in our walks. The House his Lordship told
CHAP. IX. DEATH OF BENTLEY. 459
me is Mr. Brown's first essay as an architect. It is a very
convenient house in the distribution of the rooms, & one, the
Grand Drawing room, is very magnificent. It is full of family
pieces by Vandyke, & the chimney-piece elegantly finish'd
with a fine set of vases by Wedgwood & Bentley."
But the days so long brightened by the aid, faith, and
affection of a friend as dear to Wedgwood as Bentley was,
had drawn to a close. No letters or papers of the year
1780 remain to tell us when they last met, or any of the
circumstances of Bentley's death.” His health had been
for a long time waning; but we may infer that the end
came suddenly at last, for if otherwise Wedgwood would
have been by his dying bed. He may have died from
pleurisy, as the season was cold, from gout or from apo-
plexy, as he had evidently suffered from determination of
blood to the head. All we know is, that he died on
Sunday, November 26, 1780, and on Thursday, Novem-
ber 29, we find, from one of Dr. Darwin's letters, that
Wedgwood was already on his way to Turnham Green.
What must have been the household grief at Etruria when
the dread news came ; what must have been Wedgwood's
feelings on that wintery road Darwin advises him to
read the letter of Sulpicius to Cicero on the death of his
daughter, but more immortal truths lent their consolation.
Bentley was buried on Saturday, December 2, in a vault
within the church at Chiswick.”
The loss to Wedgwood must have been for a time over-
whelming, particularly if it came without forewarning.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, June 20, this:—“Thos. Bentley aged 49 years.
1776. In a new family vault 6ft by 7ft
* By a singular coincidence the in the clear, the mouth of which is
Wedgwood & Mayer collections are close to the west door of the new Isle.’
alike destitute of any record of The entry in the Burial Register is
Bentley's death. as follows:–1780. I)ec. 2 Buried
* The entry in the parish books is Thomas Bentley in the Church.
460 ITS EFFECT ON WEDGWOOD. Chap. IX.
He had probably never had a grief so great, if we except
that connected with the death of the brother who was
drowned. That it affected him in some senses physically,
º |||}|| |||| º º
| | | º ſº
|
Tº
º || ||
H- | - – | l
---------
Born at Scrapton in Derbyshire, January J, J730.
He married Hannah Oates of Chesterfield in the year J754,
Mary Stamford of Derby in the year J772,
Who survived to mourn her loss.
He died November 26, 1780.
Blessed with an elevated and comprehensive understanding,
Informed in variety of science,
He possessed
A warm and brilliant imagination,
A pure and elegant taste.
His extensive abilities,
Guided by the most expanded philanthropy,
ere employed
In forming and executing plans for the public good.
He thought
With the freedom of a philosopher,
He acted
With the integrity of a virtuous citizen.
(Fig. 87.) BENTLEy's Mosuºxt by schºlakºns, in cuiswick church.
there can be no manner of doubt. In 1779 his hand-
writing is as firm and bold as ever; when we come upon









































CHAP. IX. HIS MONUMENT. 461
it again in 1781 its vigour is gone; and his portrait, taken
the year following by Sir Joshua Reynolds, is that of a
man much older than his real age of 52. There is an
expression in the face, the eyes especially, that speaks of
suffering mastered but not obliterated. There are griefs
no time can cure.
Wedgwood raised a tablet to his memory in Chiswick
church, with which their mutual friend Athenian Stuart,
aided by Scheemakers, took unwonted pains. There it
remains as fresh and as bright as on the day of its erec-
tion, in memory of a good man, whose fame it is that
he was the dearest friend of Josiah Wedgwood, and
a partner in many of his greatest works. There his dust
lies in as fair a spot by the Thames as that in which it was
endowed with life by the Dove. Just two years before
his death Wedgwood had written to him from Tutbury in
Staffordshire: “I have been enjoying a view on Castle
Hill, where I had doubtless the place of your nativity
before my eyes, though I wanted a guide to point out the
rural spot to me, and say, there your Bentley first saw the
light.”

CHAPTER THE TENTH.
CHANGES AT IFTRURIA—ALEXANDER CHISPIOLM AND HENRY WIEBBER
—THE WALUE OF TEIEIR SERVICES—THE PYROMETER—IEXPERI-
MENTAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL LABOURS CONNECTED THE REWITH –
COLOUIR AS A TEST OF DEGREES OF HEAT—ITS UNSUITABILITY –
THE INSTRUMENT DESCRIBED–ELECTED A FELLOW OF THE ROYAL
SOCIETY-TEIF FIELD OF HIS EXPERIMENTS WIDENS-EXPANSION
OF METALS AND THE THEORY OF CONGELATION —. DR. DARWIN
CORRESPONDS WITH WEDGWOOD ON THESE SUBJECTS-THE ORIGIN-
ALITY OF SOME OF HIS EXPERIMENTS AND STUGGESTIONS-ANTICI-
PATES SOME PORTIONS OF THE GLACIAL THEORY-WEDGWOOD's
TLTIMATE IMPROVEMENTS ON HIS HEAT MEASURER—HIGHWAYMEN
AND FOOTPADS IN THE POTTERIES.–LAMENTABLE CONDITION OF
THE COUNTRY-DISCONTENT IN THE POTTERIES–RIOT AT ETRURIA
—DAMAGE TO THE CRATE SHOP–MADE GOOD BY THE PROPRIETORS
OF THE TRENT AND MERSEY NAVIGATION — M.R. WEDGWOOD's
PAMPHILET-SOUNDNESS OF ITS WIEWS-EMIGRATION OF WORKMEN
To For EIGN COUNTRIES — SPIES AND CRIMPs — MR. WEDGWooD's
ADDRESS – ITS PATRIOTIC, SPIRIT — DERBYSHIRE BLACK WADD —
PROPRIETORSHIP OF CIAY MINES-VISITS CORNWALL-HAS INTEREST
IN MINES OF ANOTHER CHARACTER — SHARES THE PRODUCT
OF ONE WITH WATT — FOREIGN TRADE — ITS EXTRAORDINARY
INCREASE—T) U. BLEK OF AMISTERIDAM — IPPOLITI OF WIENICE —
MICALI OF LEGHORN–ROST OF LEIPSIC–SALE AT CHRISTIE's—
NEW CLERKS-FLAXMAN's BILLS.–HIS SMALL BAS-RELIEFs—LADY
TEMPLETON.—SPECIMIENS OF JASPER WARE—CAMEO— MEDALLION
OF MPS. SIDDONS-THAT OF SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS—PORTRAITS
of weDGwooD—THE CHESSMEN – HERBERT CROFTs—ARMs For
THE GENERAL CHAMBER OF MANUFACTURERS–USEFU L WARE IN
ORNAMENTAL JASPER—WEDGWOOD TO SIR WILLIAM HAMILTON.—
FLAXMAN–INVENTORY OF THE GOODS SENT TO ROME–WEBBER—
HIS FIRST MODELS-SPENDS A YEAR IN ITALY—TRAVELS HOME
WITH MR. WEDGWOOD's ELDEST SON.—SETTLES Down To work ON
THE BARBERINI WASE—LOCHEE— DOES MODELLING AT STOW –
WRIGHT OF DERBY—HIS CELEBRATED PICTURE OF THE *MAID OF
coRINTH '—w EDGwooD's CRITICISM.
CHAPTER X.
PHILOSOPHY AND ART.
HE death of Bentley led to changes of various kinds.
In the spring succeeding it Wedgwood secured the
able services of Alexander Chisholm as his secretary and
chemical assistant; and the summer after, July 2, 1782,
Henry Webber, a modeller of uncommon ability, recom-
mended to him by Sir Wm. Chambers and Sir Joshua
Reynolds, became the head of the ornamental depart-
ment at Etruria at a salary of 252/. per annum, a sum
afterwards increased." Wedgwood was thus freed from
many anxieties, and much personal drudgery. In the
one case his correspondence was carried on with a
business-like accuracy hitherto unknown at Etruria, in
many chemical matters he had but to direct, and the
analysis or experiment was laid perfected before him ; in
the other the ornamental department and its countless
details were kept in working and progressive order,
without the necessity of that incessant personal super-
vision, which for many years had been the most irksome
* Webber's Accounts and Memo- recommended to me by Sir Wm.
randums.-Mayer MISS. “I have Chambers and Sir Joshua Reynolds,
several modellers constantly em- is esteemed the first in his profession
ployed in the several branches of in England.’ Wedgwood to Sir
that art, and one of them, who was Wm. Hamilton, June 24, 1786.
WOL. II. H II
466 ALEXANDER CHISHOLM. CHAP. X.
portion of his labours. In Chisholm, as might be ex-
pected, he found a faithful friend and servant; and his
good fortune may be considered great, in thus securing at
such a time his valuable services. Chisholm had filled a
like post for thirty years with Dr. Lewis of Kingston-
upon-Thames, the author of the ‘Commercium Philoso-
phico-Technicum,’ and other able scientific works; and at
the time he thus settled down for the rest of his life at
Etruria he was more than fifty years old. His education
was good; his taste for science only less than that of
Wedgwood's. He wrote with the ease and precision of
a scholar; and he was practical, even amidst the abstrac-
tions of science. Hitherto, it is probable, that Wedg-
wood's experiments had been made, so far as possible, in
the quietude of his study, or in the little crypts under-
ground which led therefrom ; but henceforth the labora-
tory at the Works became, as Chisholm's head-quarters,
a place of the greatest scientific interest. Here amidst
fossils, earths, alkalies, acids, colours, chemical ingre-
dients, and chemical vessels of every description, amidst
trials and mixtures, amidst books, papers, and the
correspondence of the chief savans of the time, the
master and his faithful servant pursued their labours.
The serenities of science were tasteful and akin to both ;
and at no period of his life was Wedgwood more con-
genially employed. Here, if anywhere, he forgot his
silent sorrow for his partner and friend—and in thus
following out the more abstract portions of his art—he
knew full well, he ministered, if indirectly, to ultimate
perfection and ideal truth.
At no late date the fruit of these experiments and
labours was shown. In May 1782, Wedgwood com-
municated to the Royal Society, his paper on the ‘Pyro-
CHAP. X. THE PYROMETER. 467
meter or heat-measuring instrument; two years later an
additional paper was read on the ‘Attempt to Compare
and Combine with it the Common Mercurial Ther-
mometer;” and in 1786, a third paper was contributed
on ‘Observations' * connected with the same subject; the
experiments thus extending through a period of six
years. The subject of course was one which in practice
had been before Wedgwood his whole life. His many
improvements and discoveries both in relation to bodies,
glazes, and colours, had greatly depended on the applica-
tion of specific degrees of heat, and therefore, these
papers were rather the philosophical embodiment of a
long sequence of a priori results, than discoveries in
themselves essentially new ; although the experiments
made thus specially to a given end, and not during the
hurry of every-day practice, led to certain observations
of a highly scientific kind, as that of the relation of
form to resistance to heat.
His cousins, Thomas and John Wedgwood of the Big
House had, as we have seen, been amongst the first to
observe the changes in colour made by progressive
degrees of heat; by these signs they regulated their own
firings; and for a period Josiah Wedgwood guided
himself by similar indications. But he found them too
uncertain to serve any general purpose, and that their
use was confined to a particular structure of furnace and
mode of firing. It then occurred to him that the
diminution of bulk by fire of argillaceous bodies was a
more certain and extensive measure of heat, as he found
that this diminution proceeded regularly as the heat
increased; the difficulties principally consisting in the
1 Philosophical Transactions, vol. lxxii. p. 305. g
* Ibid. vol. lxxiv. p. 358, 3 Ibid, yol, lxxvi. p. 390.
H H 2
468 DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTRUMENT. CHAP. X
ever varying qualities of these bodies, and of procuring
one specimen precisely like another. During the
necessary experiments he made some interesting obser-
vations on the pottery of ancient and modern times;
and he found that all antique ware had been subjected to
far less degrees of heat than those found requisite in the
present day.
The construction of his Pyrometer thus rests on the
principle of a diminution of bulk by heat. It consists
of small cylinders formed of prepared clay and earth of
alum, placed between cylindrical rods, which are wider
apart at one end than the other. On these rods degrees
of heat are marked, and as the cylinders, which are put
in at the wider end shrink by the action of the fire, their
progress along the graduated scale, marks the degrees of
heat to which they are exposed, and consequently that
of the furnace into which they are introduced. The
pyrometer is still used at Etruria and extensively through-
out the English and foreign potteries; though it is
universally admitted by scientific men, as it was also
by its inventor, that it is essentially an imperfect instru-
ment, and that one which shall mark the relative degrees
of heat with a precision worthy of science, is a want,
the void of which has yet to be filled. It is probable that
by methods and agents, wholly new and as yet unsus-
pected, the laws of these necessary truths will be
evolved.
As a result of these valuable labours, Wedgwood was
elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1783; his election
being simultaneous with that of Priestley. His next series
of experiments related to an attempt to connect the
pyrometer with the common mercurial thermometer; this
by continuing the scale of the latter indefinitely upwards
CHAP. X. EXPERIMIENTS AND THEIR RESULTS. 469
as a standard, and by reducing the divisions of the former
to the same scale, the whole range of the degrees of heat
might be brought into one uniform series. And this
attempt was founded on the application of an interme-
diate measure which takes in both the heats that are
lmeasurable by the mercurial thermometer, and a sufficient
number of those of the other to connect the two
together.
The experiments necessary to this connection led him
into an analysis of the expansion of metals, and to the
theory of freezing. In this direction his curiosity was
stimulated by some observations recorded by Lavoisier
and La Place, and also by some curious results of his own
experiments. He found that the seemingly opposite
processes of congelation and liquefaction went on together
under certain circumstances; and that water highly at-
tenuated, as in the instance of vapour, would congeal
with a less degree of heat, than water in the mass.
Whilst this was the train of speculation and experiment,
Dr. Darwin was as usual in correspondence with his
friend. He agreed with Wedgwood, in Dr. Black's
opinion, that water after being boiled, will freeze sooner.
“I suppose he says “by the expulsion of the air in the
water, the particles are already got nearer together,
which vicinity I suppose to be the proximate cause of
freezing” He considered that there was great analogy
between the laws of the propagation of heat and elec-
tricity, and that atmospheres of heat of different densities
like atmospheres of electricity, repel each other at certain
distances, in a manner analogous to that of globules of
quicksilver when pressed against each other; and that
hence by applying a heated body near one end of a cold
body, the more distant end might immediately become
470 DARWIN’S THEORY OF CONGELATION. CIIAP, X.
warmer than the end nearest to the heated body. Darwin
differed with Wedgwood in thinking that vapour freezes
with a less degree of cold than water in the mass. He
thought more cold was necessary to turn it into ice, and
that the phenomena Wedgwood had observed depended
On a circumstance which had not been attended to.
When water is cooled down to the freezing point (he says) its
particles come so near together, as to be within the sphere of
their reciprocal attractions, what then happens 2 they aceed
with violence to each other & become a solid, at the same time
pressing out from between them air which is seen to form bubbles
in ice & renders the whole mass lighter than water by this air
having regained its elasticity & pressing out any saline matters,
& lastly by thus forceably aceeding together, the particles of
water press out also some more heat, as is seen by the ther-
mometer immersed in such freezing water. This last circum-
stance demands your nice attention as it explains the curious
fact you have observed. When the heat is so far taken away
from water that the particles attract each other, they run
together with violence & press out some remaining heat which
existed in their interstices. Then the contrary must also take
place when you add heat to ice so as to remove the particles
into their reciprocal spheres of repulsion; they recede from each
other violently, and thence attract more heat into their in-
terstices . . . . Thus ice in freezing gives out heat suddenly—
and in thawing gives out cold suddenly; but this last fact had
not been observed (except in chemical mixtures) because when
heat has been applied to thaw ice, it has been applied in too
great quantities."
These and other most Original points in connection
with the theory of congelation, Darwin discussed with
11, 13, 23, and April 1, 1784. One ice in the daytime, filling valleys in
of Darwin's opinions bears upon the the remaining ice, & by its freezing
glacial theory of the present day. there cracking the old ice by its ex:
He says, “The detension or expulsion pansion at freezing, & not by its
1 Darwin to Wedgwood, March attributed to the water from thawing
of parts of icy mountains I always expansion by an increase of cold.’
CHAP. X. DISTURBED CONDITION OF THE POTTERIES. 471
his friend, and their relative experiments appear to have
extended over a considerable period.
Wedgwood's final paper on the Pyrometer related to
its improvement, by a greater care in the preparation of
the clay, and by mixing it with earth of alum or pure
alumini. During the course of these experiments he
found that clay made the stifiest in pressing, shrunk the
least in firing, and that the nearer the pieces came to a
circular form, the less was the inequality of their con-
traction in the fire; and by making them entirely
circular the imperfection appeared to be obviated alto-
gether. He chose this last form for his pyrometrical
pieces, leaving only one narrow flat side as a bottom for
the pieces to rest on, and to distinguish the position in
which they were to be measured in the gauge.
For several years Newcastle and the Potteries appear
to have been in a disturbed condition. A lawless set of
fellows took to the road as highwaymen and footpads
and during the spring of 1778 they committed many
outrages. Tife was for a time so much in danger, that
the peaceable inhabitants had to travel in bands at night;
and the people employed at Etruria dare not quit the
works unarmed or singly. The magistrates and inhabi-
tants of the several districts took up the matter; and
Wedgwood and his neighbours for his. Men were sent
in pursuit, some highwaymen were arrested, committed,
and tried at Stafford." For a time better order prevailed.
But disaffection and disorder were then the chronic state
of the manufacturing districts, and the idle and dissolute
were always wandering from place to place, and inciting
those who, out of work, or as worthless as themselves,
were ripe for revolt and riot.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, March 19 and 26, 1778.
--~~~~ * *
472 RIOT AT ETRURIA. CHAP. X.
In this year, 1783, the condition of the country was
lamentable. The long struggle with America had
crippled and exhausted its financial resources; trade was
stagnant, and a bad harvest completed this ruinous state
of public and social affairs. The working classes of those
days, untaught by the clergy or the schoolmaster, saw in
revolt the only remedy for dear bread and want of
employment; and even when better taught, they were
too often the mere tools of the designing. Thus where
discontent prevailed, riot was almost always sure to follow.
The Potteries were not exempt from these evils. Many
of the manufacturers had turned off their men soon after
the beginning of the American war, and thus the towns
of the district, like those of Lancashire and Cheshire,
were the centres of a feverish state of things; to appear-
ance orderly, but in reality ripe and ready for mischief.
The flame broke out at Etruria. A boat laden with pro-
visions stayed at the wharf there, and the goods, as it was
supposed, were for use in the Potteries. But as soon as it
was found they were destined for the Manchester market,
this simple fact was interpreted into a design of the
owners to enhance the price and scarcity of provisions.
Word of this was conveyed to Shelton and Henley; and
the result was the collection of a vast mob which hastened
to the scene of action. The boat meanwhile had gone
on its way, but it was followed to Longport, seized,
brought back to Etruria, and with another boat which
had just come up to the locks, was rifled of its contents.
These were sold at such prices as the mob pleased. An
endeavour was made to give an air of justice to this
daring act, by handing over the proceeds to the captains of
the boats; but the real spirit of the rioters was shown in
the attempt made to rifle and fire several houses and
CHAP. X. WEDGWOOI)'S PRESENCE OF MINI). 473
to do other mischief. For a time the Works seemed
threatened; but Mr. Wedgwood, who was fortunately at
home, despatched messengers to Newcastle, and the result
was the speedy arrival of a company of the Welsh
Fusileers, and a detachment of the Staffordshire militia
under the command of Major Sneyd. Two magistrates
also hastened to the spot, the riot act was read, and the
order given to charge—but the mob, as cowardly as it
was ignorant, fled in all directions." Two men were
subsequently arrested who seem to have been rather the
victims of others than the worst of the aggressors. Both
were tried and convicted; and one named Stephen Barlow
was executed. Great efforts were made to save his life, as he
was not a native of the district, and of respectable family;
but mercy was refused, for the government which had
done so much towards bringing the country into the
deplorable condition it then was, were alarmed at the
disposition of the people to take redress into their own
hands. There can be no doubt that this wise show of
resistance at Etruria saved the adjacent towns from wide-
spread ruin. The only damage done at Etruria was the
burning the crate-shop, as also some breakage or other
injury to the house of a person named Lounds. In both
cases the damage was made good by the Committee
of the Trent and Mersey Navigation.”
As soon as tranquillity was restored to the district, Mr.
Wedgwood wrote and published a small pamphlet, in
which he endeavoured to enlighten the generation rising
i Ward's Stoke-upon-Trent, p. the Straw for Thatch of which no
445. charge is made, and sent into the
* The Proprietors of the Naviga- | office at Stone É1 5s. 9d. A further
tion from the Trent to ye Mersey, sum of £2 14s, was paid to Lounds
1783. To Josiah Wedgwood. To for damage to his premises.—Mayer.
Repairs of the Crate Shop at Etruria MSS.
damaged by the Riot exclusive of
474 WEDGWOOD'S PAMIPHLET. CHAP. X.
around him, as to the folly of looking to such outbreaks
for a redress of social wrongs. It is entitled “An Address
to the young Inhabitants of the Pottery.” In the simplest
and clearest language, it answers the complaints com-
mon with the labouring classes of those days, and shows
the true causes of the evils complained of . As the Dear-
mess of provisions; The great number of Dealers in
those provisions, and “That no relief is given to the
Poor by their rich neighbours, unless the former rise to
demand it.” After disposing of these questions by an-
swers that show a keen insight into the nature of social
wrongs, as also of economical laws, he adds:—
Let me now beg of you who are approaching to manhood, and
who by your future behaviour must stamp the character of the
potters of the rising generation; let me intreat you, as you
value your own reputation and happiness, and the welfare of
your country, never to harbour a thought of following the fatal
example which has been set you by men who have so greatly
mistaken their own and your real interests; but when you labour
under any real grievances make your case known in a peaceable
manner to some magistrate near you, or to your employers, who
are best acquainted with your situation, and I have not a doubt
of your meeting in this way with speedy and effectual redress,
which it would be impossible for you to procure for yourselves
by the measures you have lately seen pursued, or any illegal
ones whatever.—Before I take my leave I would request you to
ask your parents for a description of the country we inhabit
when they first knew it; and they will tell you, that the
inhabitants bore all the signs of poverty to a much greater
degree than they do now. Their houses were miserable huts;
the lands poorly cultivated, and yielded little of value for the
food of man or beast, and these disadvantages, with roads almost
impassable, might be said to have cut off our part of the
country from the rest of the world, besides not rendering it very
comfortable to ourselves. Compare this picture, which I know
to be a true one, with the present state of the same country.
The workmen earning nearly double their former wages—their
Char. X. EMIGRATION OF WORKMEN. 475
houses mostly new and comfortable, and the lands, roads, and
every other circumstance bearing evident marks of the most
pleasing and rapid improvements. From whence and from
what cause has this happy change taken place? You will be
beforehand with me in acknowledging a truth too evident to be
denied by any one. Industry has been the parent of this
happy change—A well directed and long continued series of
industrious exertions, both in masters and servants, has so
changed for the better the face of our country, its buildings,
lands, roads, and notwithstanding the present unfavourable
appearances, I must say the manner and deportment of its
inhabitants too, as to attract the notice and admiration of
countries which had scarcely heard of us before ; and how far
these improvements may still be carried by the same laudable
means which have brought us thus far, has been one of the
most pleasing contemplations of my life. How mortifying then
is it to have this fair prospect endangered by one rash act! . . .
But I place my hopes, with some good degree of confidence,
in the rising generation, being persuaded that they will, by
their better conduct, make atonement for this unhappy, this
unwise slip of their fathers.
A publication of a similar character marked this year
of great literary industry. From time to time, through
a considerable period, attempts had been made to lure
workmen from the Potteries with a view to the establish-
ment of earthenware manufactories in other countries. As
early as 1766, a Mr. Bartlem, a Staffordshire potter, who
had been unsuccessful in his own country, emigrated to
South Carolina, and commencing his trade there, induced
various workmen to follow him. Disaster and death
were the results, as also in an attempt made to establish
a china work in Pennsylvania. Somewhat later, it was
sought to turn this tide of emigration towards France.
A man named Shaw—probably a son of the Ralph Shaw
who had gone thither after a legal contest with his brother
potters relative to a patent—tried by every means to induce
476 AN ADDRESS. Char. X.
workmen to leave their masters for service in various
parts of France. Some went—only to find the promises
which had lured them thither worse than a fallacy; for,
discovering their wish to return, various pretences were
made to detain them--and the majority died in prison
or elsewhere, for they never saw their country again.
The next attempt was on a plan more bold and organ-
ized. Finding the vast increase of the English trade in
earthenware, several German and French masters com-
bined to send spies into this country with a view to
discover all the processes of manufacture, as also to
bribe workmen to emigrate. The head quarters of these
masters' agents was at Douay in Flanders, and thence
under the soubriquet of ‘Jones’ they carried on a
correspondence with the spies engaged in this country.
Some of their letters seem to have fallen into Wedg-
wood's hands. To neutralise the effects of these, as also
the false statements made verbally, he wrote and pub-
lished ‘An Address to the Workmen in the Pottery on
the Subject of Entering into the Service of Foreign
Manufacturers.” After pointing out the fallacy of the
bribes held out to them, and the miseries and mis-
fortunes of those who had thus been tempted to leave
their native country, he thus concludes:—
You must by this time be fully convinced how delusive the
offers held out to you are, and how contrary it would be to your
own interest to accept of them. But supposing for a moment,
that with regard to your own particular persons there was a
real and lasting advantage, would it have no weight with you
to think, that you were ruining a trade which had taken the
united efforts of some thousands of people for more than an
age to bring to the perfection it has now attained 2 a perfection
no where else to be found—an object exciting at once the envy
and emulation of all Europe but they will both ever be harm-
CHAP. X. ITS PATRIOTIC, SPIRIT. 477
less to us whilst we are true to ourselves; for Englishmen, in
arts and manufactures as well as in arms, can only be conquered
by Englishmen: the enemy must first gain over some traitors
and renegadoes from among ourselves, before they can obtain
any decisive advantage. Is there a man among you then who
will stand forth, and acknowledge himself to be that traitor to
his country and fellow workmen P who will openly avow, that
for the sake of a paltry addition to his own wages for a few
years, he would betray their interests, and wantonly throw
away into the hands of foreigners, perhaps of enemies, the
superiority we have thus laboured for and obtained I wish to
entertain a better opinion of my countrymen than to suspect
that there is a single man, who could be so base; and am
willing to persuade myself it has been owing to want of thought,
or of proper information that any have thus deserted the cause
of their country.
To this spirited conclusion to the pamphlet several
clauses were added from the Acts of Parliament passed
in that reign to prevent the emigration of workmen; and
we shall see that he subsequently moved a resolution in
the Chamber of Commerce, to prevent by means still
more stringent the seduction of artisans from their em-
ployment and country for the mere purpose of obtaining
the methods of their respective trades. According to the
narrow social and political opinions of those days, this
restriction on the liberty of the workman was considered
not only laudable but right; though we much question,
apart from any exceptional expediency necessitated by
the relation of one country to another, as Great Britain
to continental states at that period, if such restriction is
either just or founded on true economic laws. If the
masters had freedom to carry their trades out of the
kingdom, and pursue them for their own profit else-
where, so also should the workmen. The natural laws
of supply and demand—the difficulty of establishing
478 T)ERBYSHIRE BLACK WADI). CHAP. X.
manufactures resulting from skilled labour in newly-
settled, thinly-peopled, or poor countries, and the moral
force of self-interest, would have proved, then, as now,
a surer controlling power than laws purely restrictive.
But the monopoly of both labour and material was at
that period considered necessary, as much to the exist-
ence of a manufacture, as to the well-being of the
manufacturer and those he employed.
In the midst of the discussion of these grave social
topics, philosophy was not forgotten. Wedgwood in
the same year, 1783, contributed a brief paper to the
Transactions of the Royal Society. It related to the
‘ Ochra friabilis nigro fusca” of Da Costa, or the Black
Wadd of the Derbyshire miners. This was one of those
oily or bituminous substances frequently found in certain
strata of the Midland counties. Analysis proved it to
contain, lead, iron, manganese, and earthy particles; it
gave, when mixed with the body, darker and lighter
shades to pottery, and, mixed with oil, was found to be
serviceable in ship and house painting."
From the date of the settlement of the question rela-
tive to Champion's patent, Wedgwood had become lessee,
in conjunction with a Mr. Carthew, of certain clay mines
near St. Austle in Cornwall; and as his knowledge of the
mineral resources of the county extended—both through
* Philosophical Transactions, vol.
1774. Ta Costa who had been
lxxiii. p. 284. Wedgwood knew
secretary to the Royal Society, left
Da Costa personally. Of their first
acquaintance the former writes to
Bentley —‘Dr. Percival has sent me
the famous naturalist Da Costa, with
injunctions to be very civil to him.
I gained a little relief by sending
him two miles to see a flint mill.
But that is over and I am obliged to
be rude to him whilst I write."—
Wedgwood to Bentley, August 6,
it under a cloud, for there were mis-
takes in his accounts which were
never made clear. But according to
Dr. Percival, he was much esteemed.
Wedgwood, after telling Bentley
this, adds: ‘I thought him the most
disagreeable mortal who bore the
name of a philosopher, I had ever
known, or I should not have left
him so soon.’—Ibid. August 16, 1774.
CHAP. X. WEDGWOOD'S INTEREST IN MINES. 479
his own agents, and from information derived from Boulton
and Watt, whose mining business was at this period
On an extensive scale—he seems to have entered into
arrangements for working others, of which the products
were not entirely clay. To look after his interests in this
direction he again visited Cornwall in the spring of 1782,
this time accompanied by Baron Beda. Of the products
of one mine he was about to visit, Watt had given him
intimation, and when about to set out on his journey, the
latter wrote and asked to share in them. He cheerfully
promised ‘half the produce of the mine or vein on
the terms mention'd & whenever you shall make the
claim ' . . . . . for it would be unreasonable indeed
in me to wish to preclude you from a share of the
materials of which I should have been ignorant without
your information.’ It was also at this date that he
wanted ‘a mine captain to look after some workmen, to
pay my rents, & other matters.’" And he asked Watt
if he could think of such a person on the spot. About
the same date Wedgwood became a shareholder in the
Polgooth mine,” and somewhat later in the Cornish Metal
Company, by both of which he was unfortunately a con-
siderable loser.
Wedgwood's foreign trade had by this time vastly in-
creased, though its greatest developement, as we shall see,
took place after the signing of the Commercial Treaty
with France in September 1786. His earliest consign-
ments were to North America and the West Indies;
* Wedgwood to Watt, May 15, congratulate you and your worthy
1782. partner & the public on having so
* Boulton, transferred a 1000l. many of your valuable engines at
share to Wedgwood in October work, & I most heartily wish you
1782–Boulton Correspondence. Two both many years enjoyment of the
months later Wedgwood adds to a fruits of your important & meri-
letter relative to the same mine, ‘I torious labours.” -
480 FOREIGN TRADE. CHAP. X.
but his first foreign patrons were the Russians. As early
as 1768, a very large amount of cream-colour and black
and yellow enamelled ware was sent to St. Petersburgh
through the agency of Boulton ; and by degrees Russia
became one of the best markets for Ornamental goods.
Boulton's agency also opened a trade with Cadiz. In 1769,
we hear of Du Burk and his warehouse for pottery in
Amsterdam. For a period sufficient to win the confi-
dence of Wedgwood and his partner, his orders for high-
class goods were extensive, and his payments prompt.
But he soon showed himself to be, what he really was, a
cunning knave without conscience or principle. His
stock of goods drawn from Wedgwood and Bentley
became enormous, his payments rare, his accounts dis-
ordered, his statements contradictory. He lived extrava-
gantly, made visits of pleasure rather than business to
London; and his wife, whom Wedgwood had good reason
to call “a diable of a woman, aided him in all his
nefarious transactions. At length the state of things
became alarming. In 1773–4 Cooper, the printer already
spoken of, was induced to go over to Amsterdam and
join Du Burk. But the former, though a most worthy
man, had no real aptitude for business, as his own
failure in life showed. The sales declined, the accounts,
if more open, became more complicated. Mr. Mather
was then despatched to look over them and wind up
affairs. The result even of this was not satisfactory:
and the end was that Du Burk was thrown into prison
by some of his other creditors. Here he remained a long
time, and was only at length released by the forbearance
and charity of his greatest creditors, Wedgwood and
Bentley, who upon principle never signed a schedule of
bankruptcy. He plotted, prevaricated, and was a rogue
CHAP. X. ITS CONTINUOUS INCREASE. 481
to the last. What he lost by knavery and dishonesty
was soon seen. After a treaty for, or a short trial of the
business, by Mr. Nicholson, the secretary subsequently
of the Chamber of Manufacturers, Wedgwood and
Bentley's Amsterdam agency passed into the hands of
Veldhuysen and son. The business sprung into new life
like a phoenix from its ashes. The sales became remark-
able, depôts were opened in other parts of Holland and
the Netherlands, and these worthy gentlemen, capable,
energetic, and honest, had the pleasure and advantage of
dispersing Wedgwood's beautiful productions over a wide
extent of country, and adding substantially to his fame.
In 1774, large consignments were made to Narva, Revel,
and Moscow; and orders came in from various parts of
Italy. In the next year we hear of Jerome Ippoliti of
Venice, a man as it seems of extrordinary cultivation,
parts, and character: a true Venetian merchant, worthy
of his city in her greatest days of art and freedom. Then
we have Du Rovery in Dunkirk giving great orders; and,
in 1776 and 1777, we hear of merchants and correspon-
dents in Valentia, Leipsic, Leghorn, Hamburgh and
Riga ; the last the great merchant-house of Welpert and
Co. So the vast tide of commerce grows year by year;
till in 1783, 1784, 1785, and 1786, the whole continent,
and something more is embraced; and yet this tide is not
at its full. We hear of Giacinto and Fratelli of Genoa,
Guiseppe Riva of Lisbon, Micali and Son of Leghorn, and
of other merchants and traders in Hamburgh, Leipsic,
Ratisbon, Naples, Leghorn, Boston in New England,
Versailles, Turin and St. Petersburgh; Capper, a Birming-
ham merchant having a great establishment in the latter
place, and giving his orders for cream-ware and other
useful goods by thousands of dozens. It was this sale of
WOL. II. I I
482 FOREIGN ORDERS. Chap. X.
ordinary ware which enabled Wedgwood to spend so
much in ornamental art. Had he had to live upon the
fruits of his cameos and his bas-reliefs, he would have
died a poor, if not an insolvent man; and it must be
ever recollected, that what he threw into the scale of
beauty was for the advance of the arts of his country
and not for himself. Utility and beauty were thus indeed
one, for the finest bas-relief or vase he ever made could
have had no existence but for the homely plate and dish.
Micali and Son of Leghorn, Rost of Leipsic, Ippoliti of
Venice, Welpert and Co. of Riga, Schilling of Bayreuth,
the brothers Centini of Lisbon, and Giacinto and Fratelli
of Genoa were amongst the most valuable of Wedg-
wood's agents and correspondents. They were all gentle-
men: many of them artists. What beautiful articles
Rost of Leipsic orders year by year for the great Fair held
in his city Ippolitisends his own sketches, often his own
models; and corners and spaces in the quaintly-worded
letters and orders of most of them are filled with little
drawings of vases, ornaments, or useful ware required.
To these old mouldering documents, the reader is
indebted for most of the border edgings already given.
But generally when
sketches were neces-
sary they were made
on a larger scale on
tissue paper, and upon
reaching Etruria, were
pasted and numbered
- in order books. An
(Fig. 88.) TUREEN. PEARL-WHITE WARE, Italian order furnishes
ITALIAN on DER. the accompanying tu-
reen and plate in pearl-white ware (figs, 88 and 89).

CHAP. X. DISASTERS AND FRAUDS. 483
The form of the first is exquisite, and the overlapping
garniture, as though of a leaf or a shell, is delicate in the
extreme. The plate which matches
it is somewhat similar in its form
and ornament to those made in the
old tortoise-shell body.
Besides these pen-and-ink illus º
trations, which render many of the
foreign letters and orders so full of
interest, we have descriptions and
facts which are more so. We "* ... …
read of fine services of enamelled IT ALLAN ORDER.
ware, that were never unpacked by human hand, but
went down in the depths of the Adriatic, the Bay of
Biscay, the Atlantic, the North Sea, or the English or
Irish Channels, and may lie there still amidst the wracks
and ruins which are building up the continents of future
ages; we read of exquisite forms for utility on which
the enameller had laid the leaf, the flower, the shell, the
Grecian convolute, or honeysuckle, so left on the shores
of stormy seas, by the carelessness of captains, seamen,
or pilots, till they were chipped and defaced into ugliness,
or shattered in a thousand pieces by the incessant beating
of the waves on the barrels in which they had been
packed. We read of monstrous thefts, and the exchange
of base articles for fine ones; and of the carelessness
or dishonesty of packers and servants, by the substitu-
tion of thirds for firsts, or damaged articles for perfect
ones. But we read more frequently of honest admira-
tion, of offers of service, and of efforts made to procure
works of art, or to secure the consignors against the
trickery of the fraudulent. We have national character-
istics and national tastes. We find that princes may love
1 2

484 MERCHANT PRINCES. CHAP. X.
works of art, but can forget to pay for them. Insolvency
was the rule rather than the exception of royal and ducal
houses in those days; in Germany more than elsewhere :
but the princes of Mecklenburgh-Strelitz and Saxe
Coburg, with one or two others of ducal rank, were
gentlemen as well as patrons. In the merchant class
were princes too. The Micalis, the Ippolitis, the Rosts,
the Veldhuysens, and the Schillings, could return the
hospitality shown at Etruria to members of their respec-
tive firms by an equal hospitality in their own houses
and cities. We read these facts of a great and ever-
widening commerce, and then recollect that they had
their beginning in a certain thatched cottage on the
Staffordshire moorlands; and were the growth not of
advantageous fortune, but of a just application and a
wise pursuit of, those moral and social laws, on which
depend not only the well-being of the individual, but
aggregately of communities.
We have seen that Wedgwood and Bentley's partner-
ship referred solely to the manufacture and sale of orna-
mental goods. In 1781, soon after the death of the
latter, and in Order to a final settlement of affairs in
connexion therewith, all the ornamental ware in stock
was sold by auction at Christie's Rooms." The sale lasted
twelve days, and the results were satisfactory. At this
date Mr. Byerley took up his residence in Greek Street,
and shortly afterwards married Miss Frances Bruckfield,
of Derby; nothing else was changed. A Mr. Howarth
joined Mr. Brock in the duties of the head-clerkship, and
a Mr. Le Riche became interpreter and translator; but
º:---
* The Catalogues of this sale are our hands, and from which we shall
now extremely rare. But at a sub- be able to draw some interesting
sequent period, one will pass into particulars,
CHAP. X. FLAXMAN'S BILLS. - 485
the artists employed were the same, and Flaxman still
occasionally rendered important services. The subjoined
bills show upon what works he was engaged for Mr. Wedg-
wood during various parts of the years 1781, 1782,
* Mr. Wedgwood to J. Flaxman.
1781. #2 s. d.
March 7. A Shell Venus . I 5 0
A Bacchante e e . I 5 0
Cupid & Psyche . o e . I 4 0
Two busts of Rosseau & Sterne ... O 16 0
A Sitting Flora . º tº - . I 5 ()
May 20. Moulding a bust of Dr. Fothergale . I 4 0
&6 19 ()
Received in full of all demands by John Flaxman.
Mayer MSS.
Mr Wedgewood
to J. Flaxman.
1782. 3 s. d.
April 28. Moulding a Turin & & º & . 0 18 0
83. Moulding a Bust of Mrs. Siddons. tº . I 11 6
Sept. 6. A cast of a fragment by Phidias . e º 10 6
43 0 0
Received in full by John Flaxman. -
1783. Mr. Wedgwood,
to J. Flaxman Jun'.
July 11. 3 s. d.
Two drawings of Crests an Owl & a Griffins
head . º º e º g & 3 O
A portrait of Mr. Herschel . º º . 2 2 0
A do of Dr. Buchan g & © . 2 2 ()
Oct. 12*. A portrait of an Officer from a print for a
ring . º o e © tº . 2 12 6
A drawing of a Crest, Cap of Liberty & a
flame . e • & º & & I ()
30th. A figure of a Fool for Chess º º . I 5 ()
Dec. 13". A drawing of the Shield, crest & arms of Sir
N. Nugent . º e º * ſº 2 6
18th. Grinding the Edges of 6 Snuff-boxes for the
Spanish Ambassador . © e e 15 0
1784.
Jan 24. A model in wax of Capt. Cook . 2 2 O
Feby 3". A do of Dr. Johnson . & º º . 2 2 0
A print of the Dº for assistance in the model 2 6
March 21*. A bas-releif of boys in wax 0. , 11 0 6
A portrait of C. Jenkinson Esq.”. g . 2 2 0
Two drawings for the Manufacturers' Arms 15 0
A third drawing for the Manufacturers'
Arms . º & o © o º 5 ()
Dec. 1". Three days employed in drawing bas-reliefs
vases, Chess-men, &c. . & . 3 3 O
Carried forward 330 15 0
486 SUBJECTS AND PRICE. CHAP. X,
1783, 1784 and 1787. Many other bills have undoubtedly
perished, as there exist clues to much more modelling
Brought forward £30 15 0
Dec. 12th. A bas relief in wax of Veturia & Volumnia
entreating Coriolanus . 9 ()
Jany 14* A portrait of Gov". Hastings 3 3 0
March 8. A drawing of Chess-men t 6 6 ()
An outline for a Lamp & stand . * 10 6
Cutting the curved sides of two Ornamental
freizes parallel, 3 days & half 9 74
April 9. A drawing of a Chimney-piece . jº tº 10 6
July 23". A dº from that in Mr. Wedgwood's Shew-
room, & several mouldings drawn at
large . g us * & * . 1 1 0
Aug. 8*. A Mason's time taking down a Chimney-
piece . g e 2 ()
A Labourer at do. gº ë tº | 3
A drawing of an Arm and olive branch 2 ()
A drawing of an Oak branch for the border
of a plate . & º te e • 3 0
Nov. 23. A model of the King of Sweden. 2 2 O
Decº. Mr. & Mrs. Meerman's portraits. 5 5 ()
Dec. 18". Four patterns for Steel frogs 10 ()
1787.
Jany. 16*. A model of peace preventing Mars from
bursting the door of Janus's Temple 15 15 ()
A packing Case . & & * w º 1 ()
March 26. A model of Mercury uniting the hands of
England & France º © . 13 13 ()
A packing Case . ſº g ſº g e I 6
A drawing of a Cypher R. H. & Bloody hand 2 O.
June 1". A model of the Queen of Portugal . . 3 3 0
June 11". [ A Marble Chimney-piece, containing 5 feet
11 inches at £1 18s. p" foot. . 11 4 0
Masonry & polishing . e * is 18 ()
Carving . & * g tº • * 6 ()
ſ A Marble Chimney-piece containing 5 feet
3 inches & & º * . 9 19 6
lMasonry & polishing . º tº 21 4 0
Twenty-four tinned Cramps * & $º 12 O
Seven packing Cases, 7s.6d, 7s. 11d., 7s. 2d., lo 8 j
6s. 9d., 5s. 6d., 7s 6d., 8s. 1d. . º & #)
Nails . tº tº & & e & 2 10
Packing three days 10 6
Cart to the Inn . 6 ()
Toll Porter & booking g 1 9
163 14 4;
taking down a Chimney-piece t 5 3
Cutting Tiles e © 5 ()
Cases for the Chimney-piece . e g 19 64
Aug. 10". A bas-relief of Hercules in the Hesperian
Garden e.) 0
#188 4 2
Cr. 116 11 9
--"
gºl I.] j
CHAP. X. GROUPS OF CHILDREN. 487
than is here indicated. From one brief note addressed
by Flaxman to Wedgwood in the autumn of 1782, we
find that the jasper ware was being rapidly adapted in
a highly ornamented form to useful purposes:
According to the desire you expressed in the last letter you
favoured me with I have designed some Groups of Children
proper for bas-reliefs to decorate the sides of teapots. No. 1 &
2 are intended to go intirely
round a Teapot of a Flat
shape except where the
handle & spout interrupt
them, I have therefore
made seperate stories for
each side, the 1st is Blind
man's buff, the 2nd is the
game of marbles, 3 & 4 are
the Triumph Cupid, to be
disposed in a similar man-
ner on the sides of round
and upright Teapots, when
you return the sketches to
be modeled from, be pleased
to give instructions con- -
cerning the size and other (Fig. 90.) Bas-REurº. Bund MAN's Burr.
FLOWER Poºr. FALCKE Col. LECTION.
necessary particulars."
Flaxman excelled as much in the delineation of child-
Mr. Fierville,
No. 12 Edward Street,
Portman Square.
1784. to J. Flaxman Jun'.
June 12. A Tomb to the memory of Rosseau in Port- £ s. d.
land Stone, erected on Mr. Fierville's
estate near Stanmore . - - .105 0 0
Mayer MSS.
This billisconnected with Wedg- || when he went to Rome, and Mr.
wood's name, inasmuch as Mr. Wedgwood, or rather Mr. Byerley,
Fierville became a bankrupt, and received the final dividend on Fier-
Flaxman had to wait some years for ville's estate for Flaxman.
a balance left unpaid. He had * Flaxman to Wedgwood, October
commenced the tomb in 1783, and 28, 1782. This letter, with two of
from that date various sums were the subjoined bills I owe to the
paid on account. A balance of courtesy of Francis Wedgwood Esq.
33.6s. 8d. remained unpaid in 1787, of Etruria.

488 SALTCELLAR AND TEAPOT. Chap. X.
-
hood, as he did in more classical and finished subjects; and
from this date his games of marbles, and blindman's buff,
and infant Cupids engaged in various kinds of play became
(Fig. 91.) SALTCELLAR- Cupids AT PLAY-SIBsox colºriox.
favourite decorations in relief for cameos, vases, teapots,
cream-jugs, flowerpots, saltcellars, teacups and saucers, and
(Fig. 92.) TEAPOT-slºsox co-Ecºnox.
countless other articles in jasper ware. On the subjoined
flowerpot (fig. 90) from Mr. Falcke's collection, we have
blind man's buff. On the saltcellar (fig. 91), Cupids


Chap. x. CURVED AND OTHER CAMIEOS. 489
playing; and on the teapot (fig. 92) and three cameos,
(figs. 93, 94 and 95) other exquisite examples of childhood
and maternity. The
teapot from the orna-
mentation of the foot,
is probably of an early
stage of the jasper
body in its application
to ornamented, but
useful purposes. Lady
Templeton also con-
tributed in the suc-
ceeding year some
- (Fig. 93.) CURVED CAMEO.-MAYER collectiox.
charming groups of
little figures, which were copied in small bas-relief with
so much success, that Wedgwood solicited other groups
from her Ladyship's pencil."
We owe to Flaxman, as we see, a bust of Mrs. Siddons,
and about the same period he probably modelled this
(Fig. 94.) CAMEo. cºupins AT PLAY.--ARLow colºriox.
exquisite cameo medallion of the great actress (fig. 96).
In beauty, force, and expression, it even surpasses that of
Dr. Johnson, given in a previous page. She is repre-
sented in the character of Lady Macbeth, and probably
at the moment when she exclaims ‘Give me the dagger!'
* Wedgwood to Lady Templeton, June 27, 1783.


490 WEDGWOOD'S PORTRAIT. Chap. x.
as, though the weapon is absent, the position of the right
hand and arm suggests the action of holding one ready to
strike with. We also find from the
bills that Flaxman modelled “Cupid
and Physche, but whether it was
a remodel of the Duke of Marl-
borough's famous cameo as
modelled by Hackwood, or the
same figures in another manner
and attitude, is not apparent.
(Fig. 95.) CAMEo. The cameo medallion of Sir
* * Joshua Reynolds, was another of
Flaxman's works, though the date is uncertain. In 1783
Wedgwood and his wife sat to the great master, and it
is not improbable that his success with their portraits
led to the modelling of his likeness. It is thus given
(fig. 97). After the death of Reynolds in 1792 it became
very popular amongst his numerous sitters and friends.
Wedgwood's portrait by Sir Joshua is said to be character-
istic and like the original. Two different engravings have
been made from it, but neither fully convey the grace
nor expression of the original painting. Wedgwood is
dressed in a mulberry-coloured velvet coat, his hair is
covered by a small wig, and a singularly ruddy hue
extends over the face and forehead. This is probably a
defect arising from time or injury to the painting. The
eyes are large and have great originality of expression;
keenness, benevolence, humour, melancholy, deep medi-
tation are all there; and the eyebrows are such as generally
belong to the true artistic type of countenance. It has
been said that Reynolds gave to all his sitters an air of
refinement, and it is not absent here. But it is too life-
like, too much an introspection to be the effect of art

CHAP. X. PORTRAIT BY STUBBS. 491
alone. It is the expression of the truest of all refinement,
that begot by intellectual pursuits, the practice of the
kindliest emotions of our being, and by association with
those equal to or superior to ourselves, morally or in-
tellectually. In the face, the form, the air, is a look of
(Fig. 96.) CAMEo MEDALLIox. By FLAxMAN or MRs. SIDDoNS.-MAYER collection.
weariness, overwork, and premature decay, which lends,
if possible, a more touching and serene expression. Stubbs
painted a portrait of Wedgwood, and it was engraved by
George Townley Stubbs, an illegitimate son of the artist,
who was brought up as an engraver. It is not very life-

402 OTHER PORTRAITS. Chap. X.
like, and a wig in the stifiest buckle, with a knitted
jacket fitting tight to the body, convey to us the idea
of a common-place workman, rather than the greatest
English potter. A reduced copy of Wedgwood's portrait
by Reynolds was also made in oils, and a miniature of
him was painted by Montstephen.
(Fig. 97.) CAMEO MEDALLION. SIR. Joshua REYNoLDs--MAYER coul-Ecºnox.
In December 1784, and March 1785 Flaxman was
employed upon his celebrated Chessmen. His custom in
many cases seems to have been to send Wedgwood a
rapid sketch of a proposed work, and when approved of
a more elaborate drawing was made. It was probably

CHAP. X. THE CHESSMEN. 493
so in this instance. The drawing sent to Etruria in
March 1785, and charged 6l. 6s, in the bill, was that
º Fº
§ &
-
-
(Fig. 98.) THE CHESSMEN. By FLAxMAN.
from which the figures were modelled. At a later date
Herbert Crofts a resident at Oxford, and the author of a

494 FLAXMAN’S ARTISTIC TRUTH, CHAP. X.
grammar, and some other literary works, sought to obtain
this drawing. After ordering a suite of English medals, a
set of Chessmen, and ‘the head of his old friend Dr.
Johnson' he thus wrote: ‘Provided you do not hang
up Flaxman's drawing of your chessmen, I shall be very
glad to give it houseroom amongst my prints and draw-
ings, and he, I’ll answer for it, would not be sorry.”
Happily this request was not listened to. Wedgwood
had become one of the greatest admirers of Flaxman's
genius. The drawing was carefully preserved, and still
remains one of the treasures of the manufactory at
Etruria.
True to that keeping which was one of the minor
canons of his art, and one to be found in alliance with
all his best works, Flaxman recollected that Chess was
essentially a game of the Gothic, Frankish, and Mediaeval
periods, and that any art in connection with its repre-
sentative signs must relate thereto. Hence instead of
having recourse to classical types, as an inferior artist
might have done, he evidently made the effigies and
tombs, as also the painted glass in our abbeys, cathedrals,
and churches, the models from which he drew his king
and queen, his knights and ladies, his archer and horse-
man. He was of opinion that when a story had to be
told, no clue to its real history should be forgotten”—
hence we can fancy him reading old ballads, and
chronicles, for the adventures of St. George and the
Dragon, and the stories of the Faithful Knight and Wir-
tuous Lady. He may have gone to Shakespeare for the
fool, and to the ballads of Robin Hood and Chevy Chase
for the type of his bowman or archer. His study of
H. Crofts to Wedgwood, dated Holywell, Oxford, September 26, 1706–
Mayer MSS. . * Lectures, p. 170, ut supra.
CHAP. X. MANUFACTURERS’ ARMS. 495
Grecian models, and his habit of delineating the human
form under its most beautiful and perfect aspects neces-
sarily served him as much in the figure of a mediaeval
knight, as in that of a Roman legionary, or a Grecian
warrior. Yet something more than this was required ;
and Flaxman had ability to give it. It was necessary to
convey the attitudes and expression incident to the habits
and trains of thought of a rude but chivalrous period.
And this we have; for the knight is knightly, and
the queen is queenly—even after the manner in which
they live to us in the old chronicles and ballads.
The figures were generally made in the white jasper
body; but occasionally they were blue or black, the
pediment remaining white. They were largely exported
to the continent, especially to Germany and Russia.
Three drawings for the arms of the ‘General Chamber
of Manufactures’ were, as the bills show, amongst Flax-
man's labours for Wedgwood in 1784. No use was ever
made of them. All three are in Outline—the first two
filled in with Indian ink. In the centre of each is a
shield or circular tablet; on the top of this sits Britannia,
the supporters on either side being Neptune with his
trident, and Plenty with her cornucopia. The principal
variation is on the table of the shields. On the first is
the fasces, a reaping hook, three bee-hives, and a ship ;
round the edge is lettered, “The General Chambers of
Manufactures of Great Britain, and on labels at the foot
“ Union and Security —“We know not men but mea-
sures.’ The inscriptions on the second sketch are the
same, and only differ in the emblems on the shield—and
in the substitution of joined hands for the central bee-hive.
In the third sketch, Neptune is made the left instead of
the right hand supporter. Britannia is more distinctly
496 IMPROVEMENTS IN JASPER ORNAMENTS. CHAP. X.
drawn, the edge of the shield is without inscription and
the decorations of the field are a reaping hook, the
fasces, and three instead of two joined hands; and the
words ‘Success follows Unanimity’ are substituted for
‘Union and Security.”
A great variety of articles were now made in the
jasper body; though unquestionably vases with simple
decorations, and useful ware of the same character,
preceded those with more costly and elaborate orna-
ments. As early as 1775 Wedgwood had thrown out
the idea of jasper vases decorated with white bas-reliefs
in the same body; * but so slow was the progress in this
direction at first—that prior to the death of Bentley it
is very evident, that their ornamentation had not
extended beyond medallions, trophies and festoons.
Candlesticks were also made in this body though simply
decorated. But as soon as Wedgwood was able to put
his heart again into his Ornamental work, and Flaxman,
Webber, and other artists were employed in the model-
ling and preparation of appropriate bas-reliefs, ornaments,
and borderings, the art of adorning articles in this ex-
quisite body made extraordinary progress. In 1782
Flaxman, as we have seen, was preparing bas-reliefs of a
simple character for teapots and other useful articles; in
1784 he had advanced to bas-reliefs for vases; and two
years later, such was the progress made, that Wedgwood
thus wrote to Sir William Hamilton :
I have just now executed an order by the direction of a
merchant in Manchester for an assortment of my jasper orna-
ments with blue grounds & white figures which he tells me are
1 All three sketches are included graceful woodcut.
in Mr. Mayer's collection of Wedg- * Wedgwood to Bentley, January
wood's papers, but the artist con- 15, 1775.
sidered them too rude to make a
CHAP. X. VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS. 497
for the King of Naples. If so, you will perhaps see them in a
short time, and I mention this to beg the favour of your
correction if you think any of them worth so much of your
notice. One thing I persuade myself you will observe that they
have been objects of very great care, every ornament and leaf
being first made in a seperate mould then laid upon the vase
with great care & accuracy, & afterwards wrought over again
upon the vase itself by an artist equal to the work; for from
the beginning I determined to spare neither time nor expence
in modelling and finishing my ornaments, and I have the
satisfaction to find that my plan has hitherto met with the
approbation of my friends, for the purchasers of every nation
declare them to be the highest finished & cheapest ornaments
now made in Europe. I lamented much that I could not
obtain liberty of the merch" to send a vase, the finest and most
perfect I have ever made, & which I have since presented to the
British Museum. I enclose a rough sketch of it : it is 18 inches
high & the price 20 guineas, Mr. Chaº Greville saw it, & wished
it was in his Majesty's Cabinet at Naples."
We thus learn that from the close of 1785 we may
date all the finest and most elaborate of the ornamented
articles in jasper; as also probably many of the choicest
bas-reliefs. Another change, analogous to that which
had taken place with respect to the body of the cameos
took place about the same period in regard to the jasper
ware generally considered. A jasper dip or wash was
substituted for colouring in the mass, or for a body wholly
jasper; Wedgwood having by experience and a series of
special experiments, perfected this easier, and probably
less costly method. At the same date, 1786, another im-
provement was introduced; the jasper Ornamental ware,
as tea-things, were polished within in the manner in
which agate and other stones are polished. The first
* P.S. The sketch of the vase | Apotheosis of Homer. Wedgwood
could not be got ready for this post to Sir William Hamilton, June 24,
but shall be sent soon. Subject, the 1786.
WOL. II. K. K.
498 PEDESTAL OR ALTAR. Cnap. x.
specimens, and differently ornamented to any made before,
were sent to Mrs. Eden.
Guided by information thus derived—we give a place
first to specimens in jasper of simple ornament, leaving to
the next chapter those superb vases, articles of jewellery,
º ſº |
º º
* …
(Fig. 99.) PEDESTAL on ALTAR. BLUE AND WHITE JASPER--MAYER COLLECTION.
exquisite cups and saucers, and other productions which
proved Wedgwood's greatness as an artistic potter. In
this pedestal or altar (fig. 99), with white ornaments on
a blue ground, from Mr. Mayer's collection, we see an
exquisite adaptation of trophies, masks, ribbons, and

CHAP. X. PLATE: INFANT ACADEMY 499
fruit-wreaths as ornaments. The border beneath the
entablature is truly Grecian in its type, as is also the
scale ornament round the foot. In the next illustration
(fig. 100) we have a dessert plate or dish from the
De La Rue collection. The exceeding beauty and delicacy
of its decoration led to its being framed as a precious
relic. The leafage round the central field is very graceful;
and the little group in the midst is a reduced copy of a
(Fig. 100.) Dish on PLATE. BLUE AND witHTE JASPER-DE LA Rue collection.
picture by Sir Joshua Reynolds—known as the Infant
Academy. The three little sitters are familiar to us, in
a plaster medallion yet sold about the streets. The third
specimen (fig. 101) is a tripod and flower-vase, blue ground
and white ornaments. Examples are common in all col-
lections; though of these the ornamentation is very varied,
both in form and colour. Every part of its beautiful
workmanship will bear inspection; although the example
K R 2

500 TRIPOD AND FLOWER WASE, Chap. x.
given is by no means unique. One in the Sibson collec-
tion is worthy of particular mention, as the vase within
the tripod escapes the very ordinary fault of this class of
ornaments, of not hanging clear to the perpendicular. The
succeeding cuts (figs, 102,103 and 104) give five very ex-
quisite specimens
of tea and coffee
ware. The rayed
saucer and its
cup, with one
of Flaxman's or
Lady Templeton's
groups of child-
ren encircling the
outside, is worthy
of notice, and it
will be observed
that it forms a
portion of that
on the saltcellar.
The ornaments
s
s
are white on
a delicate lilac
ground. Both cup
and saucer are in
- the South Ken-
*** *º- sington Museum,
as are also the
succeeding coffee-cup, saucer, and slop-basin (figs, 103 and
104). The ornamentation on all three is charming. Of
these the ground is blue, the ornamentation white. The
border springing from the bottom of the basin, and the
edging above it, are worthy of especial observation; as is

CHAP. X. CUP AND SAUCER. 501
also the bottom and top bordering on the cup. The next
example (fig. 105) of a sugar-dish or basin evidently
matches the slop-basin and coffee-cup, although it is
from the Falcke collection. The form of both basins
deserves notice, particularly that for sugar, as also the
accuracy with which the cover fits the body; for together
(Fig. 102.) CUP AND SAUCER. WHITE AND LILAC. JASPER.
-souTH. KENSINGTON MUSEUM.
they look one. In the two succeeding cuts (figs. 106 and
107), we have a tureen, and a wine cooler of great origi-
mality, from the De La Rue collection. On the last we see
the vine-wreaths again, and an infant Bacchus or satyr,
and in the ornamentation of the other we have in the
lower border, an instance of feather or grass edging.

502 SLOP BASIN. Chap. X.
The form of this first example is exquisite and the
ornamentation of the ridge both rare and curious.
The next cut (fig. 108) shows Mr. Gladstone's celebrated
(Fig. 103.) cup and saucºn. BLUE AND white JASPER.
souTH. KENSINGTON MUSEUM-
déjeaner service. It was made probably at a later date
than the foregoing, from the fact of the ribbon-border
(Fig. 104.) slop. Basix. BLUE AND wºuTE JASPER.
souTH RENSINGTON MUSEUM-
being first used upon articles for personal decoration or
use as snuff boxes, etui cases, and similar articles. The
quatrefoil pattern also betrays a medium if not a late


CHAP. X. TUREEN. 503
period of workmanship. The ground is a slaty-coloured
blue; the ornaments white. This became a very usual
style of ornament, the quatrefoils being simply varied in
colour. In Mr. Mayer's Museum are many very ex-
quisite specimens of this
pattern; Mr. Falcke and
Mr. Barlow have also
some fine examples.
From the invoices we
find that déjeńner ser-
vices of the quatrefoil pat-
tern were very popular;
and one precisely similar
to this of Mr. Gladstone's
was made for and used
by Lady Auckland. (Fig. 105.) sugar BASIN. BLUE AND white JASPER.
With the exception of FALCKE Coll, ECTION.
that of Octavia and Volumnia entreating Coriolanus,
and the two tablets connected with the settlement of
the Commercial Treaty with France—it is not exactly
(Fig. 106.) TUREEN. BLUE AND whitrº. JASPER, DE LA RUE collection.
known what were the subjects of the larger bas-reliefs
modelled by Flaxman for Wedgwood in the period
between the death of Bentley, and his departure for
Rome in the autumn of 1787. He was otherwise


504 WINE COOLER. CHAP. X.
abundantly employed, for work flowed in as his fame
increased; but without doubt his labours for Wedgwood
were more or less continuous, as still existing cheques and
receipts show he frequently drew money on account
throughout the whole period. It is also known that
Wedgwood advanced him a part, if not the whole, of
the funds necessary to his journey. Mr. Wedgwood
WINE coolen. BLUE AND WHITE JASPER.
DE LA RUE COLLECTION--
AFig. 107.)
likewise gave him letters to various people, amongst
others to his agent Sykes in Paris, and to Micali and Son
of Leghorn.” The latter were commissioned to take
* Flaxman's brother William was
also much employed by Wedgwood
and his family. He framed sketches
for Miss Wedgwood and her sisters,
as also the numerous designs and
drawings presented to Wedgwood
by such artist friends as Miss Crewe,
Lady Templeton, and Lady Diana
Beauclerk.
* Mess Micali & Son.
Leghorn.
London August 17, 1787.
Gentlemen,
I have the pleasure to enclose
you. Bill of Lading of a Chest IF,
and a box directed for Mr. Thomas
Jenkins in Rome. The former is
the property of Mr. Flaxman, an ar-
tist of this country, and a much
valued friend of mine, who is going
to make some residence in Italy. I
have not hesitated to apprize him
that you would have the goodness
to fulfill all his wishes in respect to
this chest and box, which he has
expressed in the annexed paper," and
whatever expenses may be increased
you will please charge to my ac-
count, and favour me with a line of
advice.
Whatever civilities you may show
to my friend Mr. Flaxman, I shall
be very thankful for, and consider as
done to him who has the honour to
be with real respect.
* The Inventory.

CHAP. X. DEJEUNER SERVICE. 505
particular care of a chest containing the personal effects of
Flaxman and his wife, of which we give, in the next page,
a reduced copy. It is in Flaxman's own handwriting.
Flaxman stayed some days en route in Paris, taking up
(Fig. 108.) pºurtners sºnvice. s.are co-louri AND white Jaspºrt.
GLADSTONE COLLECTION.
his residence at the Hotel d’Alique, Rue d'Orleans,
St. Honoré, where he was visited by the Duc de Bouillon,
who had previously employed him, and made him agent
for various commissions for Wedgwood. Flaxman whilst
The letter is unsigned, being Vecchia, to proceed from thence
merely a rough draft dictated by immediately to Rome. But if it
Wedgwood to Byerley. In addi- is absolutely necessary for the box
tion, Flaxman directs Messrs. Micali to be opened at the Custom House
to forward his chest to the care of at Leghorn, Mr. Micali is earnestly
Mr. Gavin Hamilton at Rome, free requested to let a careful person
of expense; and if possible to attend to the unpacking of the
put it on board a vesseſ for Civita things—Mayer MSS.

506 FLAXMAN'S INVENTORY. CHAP. X.
here was joined by Mr. Byerley, to whom previously
writing to give his address, he says: — ‘The Duke
de Bouillon made kind enquiries after you, and desired
me to tell you he wishes to see you at the Castle of
Navarre on matters of business.’
Webber, as we have seen, had settled down earnestly
to his work at Etruria in May 1782. His first essays
in modelling were ‘A Triumph of Mars,” “A boy leaning

& as A. 2.44 IFN, Zºº a
2 &# /3 &/.3% (2/, /
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Żółża. § 7/4 £22.
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Å Žº.7.4%"|º. 1.2.44 m.º.4%
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tºr 47&_&_X amº, to 42%
24 **** \,, 4%.6
| ſºnerſ, ºr/ºr”
(Fig. 109.) REDUCED coPY of THE INVENTORY OF GOODS TAKEN BY FLAxMAN TO ROME.
. IN FLAxMAN's HANDWRITING.—MAYER COLLECTION.
on his quiver, with doves,’ ‘A Cupid drawing his dart,
“Hebe, its companion,’ ‘Apollo and Daphne as a
beaupot,’ ‘Cupid, a model, “A Sacrifice to Hymen’ a
model in basso-relievo for which the charge was 3l. 3s.
and “A Sacrifice to Concordia, its companion,’ at the same
CHAP. X. HENRY WEBBER. 507
price. He also modelled vases, cups, chimney-pieces,
and a variety of other articles. According to an agree-
ment made with Mr. Wedgwood in July 1787, Webber
shortly afterwards proceeded to Rome, where in March
1788 he was at work in the Museum Capitolinum. Wedg-
wood's eldest son was at this date also in Rome. In
the following year he travelled through Italy accompanied
by Webber. They took their way home by Switzerland,
of which country the latter was either a native or had
friends settled there, and after visiting Paris reached
Etruria at the close of November. From this date
Webber was engaged upon the Barberini Vase, as also in
modelling bas-reliefs and other works of art from sketches
he had made whilst in Italy. He continued his employ-
ment at Etruria, till Wedgwood's death, or shortly before
it. He appears to have been an able and industrious
artist, as well as an economist. He allowed his salary to
accumulate at interest in his great master's hands; and
he appears to have rendered incessant and praiseworthy
assistance through the whole anxious period connected
with the copying of the Barberini Vase.
Lochee was another artist employed by Wedgwood
at this period. He was an exquisite modeller of small
things, and we find him at work at Stowe in December
1787. In the March following he was again there, this
time accompanied by an assistant named Peart," and thus
obtained copies of the finest gems in the Duke of Buck-
ingham's possession. In fact this was a golden period
for artists of all kinds. Even Westmacott and Wyatt,
then very young men, seem to have done some modelling
for Wedgwood, and were also purchasers of various ex-
1 Mayer MSS.
508 WRIGHT OF DERBY. Chap. x.
quisite specimens of ornamental ware." In 1784, Wright
of Derby painted for Wedgwood, his celebrated picture
of the Maid of Corinth, as also a portrait, which was pro-
bably that of the very friend who had as far as possible
replaced Bentley in his heart, Erasmus Darwin. After
some critical remarks on female drapery, Wedgwood
in writing to the painter, said of his Maid of Corinth –
I do not say I am satisfied with the lover, but that I think it
excellent, I had almost said inimitable, & I should quake for any
future touch of your pencil there. It is unfortunate in my
opinion that the maid shows so much of her back; but I give
my opinion only, with great diffidence and submission to your
better judgment. In one word, you have been so happy in your
figure of the lover, that almost any other must appear to
disadvantage in so near a comparison.
Make her to please
yourself, and I shall be perfectly satisfied.”
Wyatt the sculptor's accounts,
1784 to 1793. –Mayer MSS.
* Wedgwood to Wright of Derby,
April 29, 1784. In 1786, Wright
painted for Mr. Wedgwood one of
his finest pictures, ‘The taking of
Gibraltar.” Darwin considered it
“sublime.”
Six years previously, Wright
had painted for Mr. Wedgwood one
of his most celebrated pictures.
Writing to Bentley the latter says,
‘I am glad to hear Mr. Wright is in
the land of the living. I should like
to have a piece of this gentleman's
art, but think Debutades' daughter
would be a more apropos subject for
methan the Alchymist, though my
rincipal reason for having this sub-
ject would be a sin against the
costume–I mean the introduction
of our vases into the piece, for how
could such fine things be supposed to
exist in the earliest infancy of the
Potter's Art? You know what I
want, & when you see Mr. Wright
again I wish you would consult with
him upon the subject. Mr. Wright
once began a piece in which our
vases might be introduced with the
º propriety. I mean the
andwriting upon the Wall in the
Palace of Nebucadnazzer.”—Wedg-
wood to Bentley, May 5, 1778.

CHAPTER THE ELFVENTH.
THE JASPER WASFS — THEIR PERIOD OF PERFECTION.—W ASE WITH
BAS-RELIEF OF APOLLO AND THE NINE MUSES-VASE, FALCKE CoI,_
LECTION.— BRIDAL VASE—WASE, CONVOLUTED ORNAMENTS — VASE,
BAS-RELIEF THE DANCING HouBs—VASE, QUATREFOIL oRNAMENTS
AND GILT—VASE-LIKE CUP, WHITE ON SEA-GREEN —HAND-LAMP-
PERSONAL ORNAMENTS — TELE ORIGINALITY OF THIS SIECTION OF
WEDGWOOD's LABOURS–SPECIMIENS-JASPER TEA WARE-ITS EX-
TREME BEATUTY –— BTſST OF MERCUTY – MEDALLION OF SEIAKESPEARE
— PROHIBITION OF WARE AND DUTY ON EXPORTS — WEDGWOOD
DESIRES FREE-TRADE—THE CONCESSIONS TO IRELAND IN 1780 A
DEAD LETTER—PITT's IRISH PROPOSITIONS.–OPPOSITION OF MANU-
FACTURERS–WEDGWOOD's ENERGY—HIS EVIDENCE BEFORE A COM-
MITTEE OF THE PRIWY COUNCIL–SUGGESTS A GENERAL CHAMBER
OF MANUEACTURERS — ITS ESTABLISHMENT AND CONSTITUTION —
WEDGWOOD's INTERVIEWS WITH MR. PITT – MISUNDERSTANDING
WITH DR, PRETYMAN–HIS INTIMACY WITH THE CEIIEFS OF OPPOSI-
TION.—FOX SENDS HIM IDESIGNS FROM LADY DIANA BEAUCLERK—
MIR. EDEN–THE EI.EVEN PROPOSITIONS AMENDED–SUPINIENESS OF
MANY DELEGATES — BOULTON WANTED ELSEWEIERE –WATT GROWS
TESTY-WEDGWOOD's FIDELITY TO HIS TRUST – HIS EFFORTS IN
WAIN — THE BILL PASSES THE HOUSE OF LORDS — ITS DEFEAT IN
IRELAND – WEDGWOOD's RECREATIONS.–SENDS PRESENTS TO MR.
EDEN'S CHILDREN-RETURNS HOME–CHISHOLM ACTS As SCHOOL-
MASTER—IFOREIGN. SPIES – COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE—
webGwooD, THROUGH MR. EDEN, GIVES IMPORTANT INFORMATION
TO PITT–WEDGWOOD-WARE IN FRANCE—WALKER OF MANCHESTER
—DISCUSSIONS IN THE GENERAL CHAMBER—ARTISTIC BTUSINESS
—PRIESTLEY AND DARWIN–THE CHARMS OF SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
—RENEWED IIOSTILITIES IN THE CHAMBER—WALIXER AND WEDG-
WOOD-DROPOSALS TO REMODEL THE CHAMBER—VITALITY OF THE
TRADE WITH FRANCE—SYKES AND DAGUERRE–FLAXMAN's BAS-
RELIEFS – COMMEMORATION OF THE TREATY — ABOLITION OF THE
SLAVE TRADE—COPIES SENT TO FRANKLIN
LAST CONTRIBUTION TO
THE PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS–SETTLEMENT AT syDNEY COVE
— werBER's MEDALLION.—DARWIN's VERSES-WEDGWooD AGAIN
ILL–IS ASSISTED BY HIS SONS-HIS CEASELESS ENTHUSIASM FOR
HIS ART.
CHAPTER XI.
THE PERIOD OF ARTISTIC PERFECTION.
HE jasper vases, as we have seen from Mr. Wedg-
wood's letter to Sir William Hamilton, had, by the
summer of 1786, been brought to a great degree of
perfection. The period, therefore, from this date to the
close of his life—indeed, to a point beyond—is certainly
that to which may be assigned all the more splendid
examples of these beautiful
ornaments; and which, gene-
rally speaking, we may con-
sider as absolutely perfect
works of art, whether we re-
gard their form, colour, de-
coration, or combined effects.
To assign any exact date to
the specimens selected for
illustration, except in one case,
is of course impossible, as they
have probably passed through
many hands since the period of
their manufacture; but ten or
twelve years is, without doubt, (Fig. 110.) vase. BLUE AND white Jaspen.
their correct limit, and are suf- Man-or-le-ANKs collection.
ficient to answer every purpose of the connoisseur and
the collector.
The vase (fig. 110) which thus heads the illustrations of

512 VASES OF GREAT BEAUTY. Char. XI.
these beautiful specimens of fictile art belongs to the col-
lection of D. C. Marjoribanks, Esq., M.P. Its height is 19,
inches, and, when mounted upon its pedestal, is a truly
superb ornament." The ground is a pale blue, the bas-
relief and other decorative portions white. The form is
not only truly antique but very beautiful, and the place
and annexation of the handles most graceful, as their
upper curve, meeting the true line of the vase above the
entablature, takes from it any appearance of overweight
or disproportion. The encircling bas-relief is Flaxman's
Apollo and the Nine Muses, and on the flanged rim we
have the egg-and-tongue border so often seen on the
Arretine ware. The cord or beading above is a graceful
finish, and the rayed leaves are surmounted by a pine
cone as a knob or handle. Beneath the flanged rim we
have the fruits and leaf festoon and ribbon border of
which we have already had examples. The beading, the
bordering, and the rayed ornaments of the foot and plinth,
are equally beautiful, and add by their simplicity a new
grace to the more richly-decorated portions. This vase
is altogether one of Wedgwood's chef d'oeuvres in his art.
The next example (fig, 111) is equally fine. It is the gem
of Mr. Falcke's collection, and probably belongs to the
period of the fabrication of the Barberini Vase, as at that
date Wedgwood was making trials of black as a ground-
work in the jasper body. The rams' horns pedestal on
which it stands does not really belong to it as a work of
art; their juxtaposition was temporarily made on account
of colour. This example of a pedestal is rare, though
less perhaps in keeping, artistically considered, than the
vase it supports, which in both form and decoration is
* The pedestal was unfortunately at Mr. Marjoribanks' seat in Inverness-
shire, a district too remote for a photographist to be easily met with.
Chap. XI. VASE: FALCKE COLLECTION. 513
most masterly. In
the bas-relief we
have anothersection
of Apollo and the
Nine Muses. Every
portion of this lovely
vase will bear in-
spection, whether it
be the masks, the
festoon ornaments,
the beading, the bor-
dering, or the plinth.
The height of the
vase is 12 inches;
of the pedestal, 9
inches. In the lat- - -
ter we have one of - QQQQQQ º
_º is
º
those incongruities
which occasionally
disfigures Wedg-
wood's more classic
specimens,the blend-
ing of the modern
and antique ; as,
though the upper
moulding, and per-
haps the rams'horns,
may be referred to
a classical model, * -->º-
the female figure, º º º -
the griffins, and st-
(Fig. 111.) vase AND PEDEstal. BLAck And whire Jaspen-
the border round FALCRE coll-ECTIox.
º
-
WOL. II. LL

514 VASE : BARLOW COLLECTION. Chap. XI.
the plinth, are purely mediaeval in character and
style.
The succeeding woodcuts give two other fine and most
original specimens of black and white jasper. The first
(fig. 112), known as the ‘Bridal Vase, is in Mr. Barlow's
(Fig. 112.) BRIDAL vasº. BLACK AND will TE JASPER-BARLow Col. LECTION.
collection. The hymeneal torches, their interlacing cords,
the flange, the border beneath, and the exquisite decora-
tive border round the crown of the plinth, are all worthy
of minute examination. In the next choice example we
have perhaps excess of ornament, though really deadened
in effect by the shadows of the grounds. The Grecian con-
voluted ornament of the centre is well carried out by those
of the plinth, the section above the pedestal, and the upper
portion, though the critical eye perhaps sees in the child-

CHAP. XI. VASE: BAS-RELIEF. THE DANCING HOURS. 515
like figure which crowns the
whole, another blending of the
modern with the classical in
style. A Cupid would have
better borne out the relations
suggested by other portions of
the ornaments. This exquisite
specimen belongs to Mr. Tulk
of Firfield, Addlestone, Surrey.
The next most lovely vase (fig.
114) strikes the eye at once by
its simplicity, perfection, and the
entire keeping of all its details.
It is said to be the last made by
Wedgwood, and in conjunction
with his pupil, William Adams.
Being brought into the room
where the great potter lay upon
the sick—bed from which he never
rose again, the master bestowed
it upon his friend and favourite
pupil, by whom it was grate-
fully and reverently preserved.
Ultimately it passed into the
hands of Adams's granddaugh-
ter," and now adorns, with other
choice specimens of Wedgwood-
ware, a quiet parsonage in Corn-
wall. Adams afterwards settled
at Tunstall, and vied with Turner
of Hanley in the production of
(Fig. 113.) vase. BLAck AND white
JASPER-TULK COLLECTION.
-
ºwº
º
-
(Fig.114) was e. BLUE AND wºrre
JASPEn-Avºny COLLECTION.
* The wife of the Rev. Wm. | writerisindebted for the photograph
Avery, of St. Goran, Megavissey, of which the woodcut is an exact
Cornwall, to whose kindness the copy.
L1, 2


516 WILLIAM ADAMS, CHAP. XI.
the finest specimens of jasper ware; for the secret of its
chief ingredient, the sulphate of baryta, was spread far
and wide for some time previous to Wedgwood's death.
Adams acquired a good trade, and his show-rooms at
his works were on a truly splendid scale; * but he died
suddenly in the prime of life, and now it is unknown if
his only surviving and youngest son Benjamin succeeded
him in his business.”
The colour of this vase is of extraordinary beauty, and
is due to a discovery made by Adams—but now, it is
said, lost—of the liberal use of the purest gold filings in
the composition of the body. When the pupil made the
success of his experiments first known to his great master,
Wedgwood remarked, ‘I have hitherto put too much
butter in my paste, probably meaning that the use of this
finer metallic oxide made cobalt less a necessity than
heretofore.” This beautiful example of jasper ware is 16
inches high, and the subject of its bas-relief Flaxman's
Dancing Hours. The stem and plinth are alike most ex-
quisite, and the handles faultless in their annexation. It
will be observed that both the decoration of the neck and
* From Mrs. Boote, an aged lady,
and another descendant of Adams, we
have the following interesting par-
ticulars: ‘Mr. Adams was himself
the true type of the English gentle-
man; with a benevolence of nature,
and generosity of heart that made
him a singularly attractive person.
His wife too was a loveable character;
and his four children all growing up
to man orwomanhood, were examples
of all that tended to make a home
harmonious. But this picture of
domestic bliss was not destined to
last long; for consumption swept off
in rapid succession one son the eldest,
attheage of 21, and then the youngest
daughter. As nearly as I can task
my memory Mr. Adams himself died
as it appears somewhat suddenly.
He occupied an elegantly furnished
house standing in its own grounds
at Tunstall. In each room were
many and most exquisite specimens
of jasper. I know not how Mr.
Adams acquired the privilege of
manufacturing this ware, but I re-
collect its being said that it was a
privilege which would die with him;
and which I imagine it did, as the
works were shut up after his death.’
* Shaw, with his usual inaccuracy,
says that Benjamin Adams made
jasper ware at Tunstall in 1800.—
Hist, of Staffordshire Potteries, p.
about the year 1804 or 1805, and
221.
* Communication from the Rev.
Wm. Avery.
CHAP. XI. VASE : BOHN COLLECTION. 517
the entwining serpents had been used by Wedgwood long
before in the decoration of his fine crystalline jasper vases.
The three woodcuts which follow illustrate vases of
other forms and styles of ornament, the ground being
blue and the decorative portions white. In the first
(fig. 115)—from Mr. Bohn's rich collection—we have the
quatrefoil or cheque pattern, already seen in Mr. Glad-
stone's déjeúner service,
with small bas-reliefs of
a somewhat unusual cha-
racter. Gilding was rarely
introduced upon the jas-
per vases; but in this case
the crowning bunch of
grapes is so decorated.
The pattern on the foot
is also elegantly in keep-
ing with that of the body.
The bas-relief on the next
example (fig. 116) gives
us again Apollo and the
Nine Muses; wreaths and
musical instruments form-
ing the underlying bor-
der. The upper portion
of this vase bears
the minutest inspection,
crowned as it is by Pe-
gasus, and adorned with tºº
leafage ornament of an WITH GILDING-Boºn COLLECTION.
elegant character. The octagonal base is however in
objectionable taste. The goblet-shaped vase (fig. 117)
which follows—white, on a pale sea-green ground—is one

518 VASE: MAYER COLLECTION. Chap. XI.
of a pair in Mr. Falcke's collection. The scroll ornamenta-
tion is, as it will be observed, a repetition of that on Mr.
Tulk's fine vase. Anything more beautiful than the form,
colour, and ornamentation of this lovely cup cannot well be
(Fig. 116.) VASE- BLUE AND WHITE JASPER--MAYER COLLECTION.
conceived as seen in a woodcut, for half of the finest effects
of the ornamentation is lost in this, as in other instances,
through the absence of the necessary contrast in colour."
Did our space permit, a lustre candlestick would be
* The ordinary jasper vases ranged in price from £2 126 to £1 11 6.
Vases 114 inches high were charged £3.3 each; those of 10 inches £2 2

Chap. XI. HAND-LAMP. 519
given, but a specimen of a hand-lamp (fig. 118) of antique
form must suffice. This
is white on blue, and the
small bas-relief represent-
ing Bellerophon watering
Pegasus at the Sacred
Spring is one common to
countless cameos; and the
oak-border, though, per-
haps, critically speaking,
not in keeping with the
antique subject of the bas-
relief, is truly elegant.
The jasper body was, as
already seen, early applied
to the purposes of personal (Fig. 117.) GoBLET. PALE GREEN AND where
- JASPER-FALCKE Collection.
ornament. Rings, seals,
necklaces, brooches, pins, bracelets, earrings, buckles, chate-
(Fig. 118.) HAND-LAMP. BLUE AND white Jaspen.-Mayen collection.
laines, watch-cases, watch-keys, snuffboxes, small pocket-
Those of course which were richly ornamented with the finest bas-reliefs,
as that of Apollo and the Nine Muses, or the Dancing Hours, were charged
much higher. ,


520 PERSONAL ORNAMENTS. CHAP. XI.
cases of every shape and kind, were articles set with, or
formed wholly of the most exquisite cameos and intag-
lios—the setting being gold, silver, but more commonly
steel. From the date of Bentley's death, or shortly after,
to the close of Wedgwood's life—which may be said to
form the true period of this exquisite work in its highest
degree—the number and beauty of the ornaments thus
produced can hardly be conceived. Birmingham was
still the great workshop for those set in steel, but much
of the finest gold work was done in London by an
engraver and setter named Darling. Some of the small
bas-reliefs and cameos thus enshrined, seem in their
groups and figures to breathe and live; an intense vitality
denoting the conceptions and work of true artists, and
standing out antique-like and in infinitely marked con-
trast to their dead and earthy representations in modern
days, though struck from the old moulds or copied from
the old models.
To exemplify these beautiful objects, we give a brooch
(fig. 119), a snuff-box
(fig. 120), a locket (fig.
121), a watch-case (fig.
122), a pair of ear-
rings (fig. 123), an
opera-glass (fig. 124),
a girdle-buckle (fig.
125), a ring (fig. 126),
and a pair of smelling-
bottles (fig. 127). The
little bas-reliefs on
- the brooch, snuff-box,
* ºr watch-case and ear-
- rings, seem in their

CHAP. XI. SNUFF-BOX. 521
figures to live. Flaxman's Cupids making their sacrifice
to Hymen speak to one another and move, even whilst
we look; and the Muses watering Pegasus in Helicon
is still more expressive of intense vitality. This small
bas-relief is one of Flaxman's masterpieces. The horse
is so instinct with life that it seems to snort and move;
(Fig. 120.) SNUFF-Box. BLUE AND WHITE JASPER.-BARLOW COLLECTION.
and the Muse standing beside it looks as though she
lifted her water-bearing vessel to its lips. The life-like
attitude of the Muse who seeks to wash the foot of the
immortal steed, and of the one who caresses it, are equally
remarkable. Even the water breaks into waves. The
ornamental setting of this most perfect and exquisite
example of Wedgwood's and Flaxman's art in combina-
tion, shows in masterly detail one of the finest borderings
peculiar to the jasper ware. The nosegay cameo, framed
in gold as a locket, charms by its simplicity, and on the

522 EAR-RINGS AND OPERA-GLASS. Chap. XI.
watch back we have the Three Graces as derived probably
from an antique gem.
(Fig. 121.) Locket. DARK BLUE AND white
JASPER BARLow Collection.
The ear-rings (fig. 123) are
a study. The chief bas-reliefs
represent Night and Morning,
and the small figures in the Fis tº ... "......"
uppersections arederived from
antique gems. The setting is steel. The opera-glass was
that used by Queen Charlotte;
the chief moulding, as also
those faceted, give a rich
effect, and the floral festoons
add a beauty to the whole;
but the female figure, though
probably derived from an an-
tique source, is clumsy and ill-
proportioned. In the buckle
still attached to the gold lace
band which formed the girdle,
we have another of those orna-
ments favoured by our great
grandmothers. The setting is
**.*.*.*.*.* * steel, and the little bas-reliefs
JASPER-BARLow Collectrox.
* The latter, Aurora meeting the Dawn. The whole subject is seen in
the exquisite cameo given in Vol. I. p. 252.



Chap. XI. BUCKLE AND RING. 523
are from designs by Lady Templeton. The one repre-
sents Sterne's Maria; the
other a Bourbonnais Shep-
herd. Both are minute
copies of large bas-reliefs.
The next example (fig.126)
is a ring of great beauty;
the subject, Jupiter.
The two smelling-bottles
(fig. 127) represent a class
of useful ornaments which
were very popular. In
decoration they are much
the same; the chief differ- .
ence being in their forms Q.
and bas-reliefs. - - - - - - -
Much has been already tº º open-ass.
said and shown relative to BLUE AND WHITE JASPER-BARLOW COLLECTION.
the cameos. The intaglios, as regards illustration, we
… -
º |
---
-
-
---
º
§
º
º
:
§
º
(Fig. 125.) Buckle to ginnie, Blue and white Jaspen.-Boax colºriº-


524 INTAGLIOS AND CAMEOS. Chap. XI.
have necessarily passed over; the difficulty of represent-
ing their sunk portions being insuper-
able to the artist, at least so far as
to do them justice. Two examples
we however give: one, the tail-piece,
Health is Rest;" the other—at a later
page–represents as a seal the Slave,
º, modelled by Hackwood, both as a
cameo and intaglio, for the Society
for the Abolition of Slavery. Speaking of the originality
|
|:
.
º
2.
DE LA RUE COLLECTION. SIBSON COLLECTION.
(Fig. 127.) SMELLING-BOTTLES, BILUE AND WHITE JASPER.
of his labours in this direction, Wedgwood writes to
Darwin, ‘I only pretend to have attempted to copy the
antique forms, but not with absolute servility. I have
endeavoured to preserve the style and spirit, or if you
please the elegant simplicity of antique forms, & so
doing to introduce all the variety I was able, & this Sir
* Vol. II, p. 103.


CHAP. XI. ORIGINALITY OF WEDGWOOD'S CAMEOS. 525
Wm. Hamilton assures me I may venture to do, & that it is
the true way of copying the antique. You ask “Was any
thing of consequence
done in the cameo or
medallion kind be-
fore you? In real
stones, & in imita-
tion of real stones
in paste, or soft co-
loured glass, much
has formerly been
done, witness the
Portland Vase and
numberless pieces of
inferior note. Basso-
relievos of various
- - - (Fig. 128.) CAMEO. BLUE AND WHITE JASPER.
sizes have likewise MAYER COLLECTION.
been made of a
warm brown earth of one colour. But of the improved
kind of two or more colours, and a true porcelain texture,
none were made by the ancients or attempted by the
moderns that I ever heard of till some of them began to
copy my jasper cameos.” Such is Wedgwood's own testi-
mony to the truth and originality of this branch of his
art, and of which, considering the vehicles he employed,
the ancients had not even a conception.
Elongated picture cameos were used for a great variety
of purposes. One already given (fig. 94) is full of vitality.
The Cupid chasing the butterfly, the one blowing a pipe
or horn, the two sporting on the ground, are no dead
* Wedgwood to Darwin, dated from Blackpool, Lancashire, June 28,
1789.

526 CAMEOS. Chap. XI.
pieces of clay, but children instinct with the artlessness
and gaiety of their years." The cameo on page 525 (fig.
128)—a Cupid with a floral wreath—throws his flowers
in the air as though the very spirit of spring, youth, and
sunshine animated his whole being. How graceful and
inimitable is the whole! How typical of innocence and
of a golden age In the two cameos which succeed
(figs. 129, 130) we have other specimens of these beau-
tiful gems. The subjects, Neptune borne
on the ocean on a shell, and a Water-
god pouring out a river from his pitcher,
are particularly worthy of attention. In
another illustration already given (fig.
**...” 93) we have one of those curved cameos
used for insertion in articles of fur-
niture, in boxes of all kinds, and
for mounting as buckles. The
design is probably one of those
supplied by the threeladies of rank,
Lady Diana Beauclerk, Lady Tem-
(Fig. 130.) CAMEo.—subson pleton, and Miss Crew, whose fame
COLLECTION-- it now is, that they employed their
pencils in the service of their great countryman. The
figure of the girl reading reminds one of a design of
Stothard in its simplicity and innocence, but the child
who listens is far less perfect. We also include in this
section the jasper bas-relief, the Apotheosis of Virgil
(fig. 131). Its date of production is uncertain, for though
the chimney-piece at Longton Hall—of which it forms
* These picture cameos, encased Their price, as given in one of the
in crystal, were much used as lids to foreign invoices, is £3 3 each box.
small boxes. A toothpick case of this One would now realize twice or
character is in the possession of Mr. three times that sum.
Barlow. Its beauty is extraordinary.


Chap. XI. APOTHEOSIS OF VIRGIL. 527
a part—is referred to in 1777, there is reason to think
it was not completed till some time after, as this bas-
relief is not named in the last Catalogue, that of 1779,
published prior to Bentley's death.
(Fig. 131.) CIRCULAR Bas-RELLEF. Apotriº osts or vina L.-MAYER collectiox.
Again we turn to the ornamental useful ware to give
six more examples of the elaborate pains Wedgwood be-
stowed in this direction. This exquisite cup and saucer
(figs, 132, 133), from Mr. Bohn's collection—blue ground
and white ornaments—is one of the finest specimens of
decorated jasper extant." Every detail will bear examina-
* This highly ornamented ware cans and saucers, 15/6. Tea Canis-
was very costly. Chocolate cups and ters were from 18/each.-Invoice,
saucers were from ei iſ each. Coffee December 6, 1787. Mayer MSS.

528 CUP AND SAUCER BOHN COLLECTION. CHAP. XI.
tion. The trophies, the rams' heads, the fillets or ribbons,
the floral festoons, and the medallions, all deserve the
minutest inspection. The
latter are in pairs; the
first represents, apparent-
ly, Bacchus in his chariot
drawn by pards; the other,
Orion on the dolphin.
The difference in the me-
dallions on the cup, and
- - the unique character of
(Fig. 132.) cup. BLUE *...* the ground border, be-
speak the lavish pains
bestowed on this class of ornamental ware. Such cups and
Fig. 133.) saucº R. BLUE AND WHITE JASPER-Boºn Co-LECTION.
saucers must have been intended for preservation in a
cabinet, for they are articles to contemplate, not to use.


CHAP. XI. EXAMPLES: FALCKE AND TULK COLLECTIONS. 529
The next examples (fig. 134) are of a character still more
rare. The ornaments are blue, the ground white. The
(Fig. 134.) covemed cup AND saucer. BLUE AND white JASPER.—TULK collection.
floral wreath round the saucer, the pensile leaves and
flowers about the cup, the edging of the lid, and the flower
(Fig. 135.) CREAM CUP, white JASPER witH GREEN wrºath.-FALCRE CCLLECTION.
of the water-lily crowning it, are most lovely. A cream
cup of unusual form and decoration is the subject of the
next woodcut (fig. 135). The ground is white, the floral
festoon green; whilst the small bas-relief medallion is white
on a blue ground. The cut succeeding shows a cup of the
WOL. II. M. M.


530 FINAL SPECIMIENS. Chap. XI.
choicest beauty (fig. 136). The bas-relief is a triumphal
procession of Cupids, from a de-
sign by Flaxman. The ground
is a blue of the rarest tint, and
brings to the recollection the fine
colouring of Dresden and Sèvres.
It is figured in the last edition of
the Catalogue published during
- Wedgwood's lifetime. The last
"º dº º and final example (fig. 137) of
these beautiful productions—white on blue—has some
features in common with specimens already given.
º |
º º º º
º
(Fig. 137.) cup AND saucer. PALE BLUE AND wºrrº. JASPER-MAYER collection.
It will be observed that the borderings of the jasper






Chap. XI. JASPER BORDERINGS. 531
ware are almost as varied as those on the enamelled; but
there is this difference, the former are more reticulated
in their character, in order
to show the colour of the
ground beneath; whereas
the latter are rather the
superinduction of high-
toned tints upon lower
ones, for the purpose of
contrast. The most beau-
tiful and original amongst
the jasper borders is that of the ribbon, which is said to have
been taken from
a sketch by Flax-
man. Wegivehere
a sectional exam-
ple (fig. 138), in
order that the ex-
ceeding beauty of
this bordering may
be more distinctly
seen. The one
which precedes
it is of still greater
rarity, it forming
theborderofapair
of fruit baskets."
Many other ex-
amples might be
(Fig. 138.) Jaspºº Bondºn EDGINGs.
given, but these
will suffice. (Fig. 139.) Bust of MERCURY-FALckº collection.
* In the possession of the writer. The ground is dark blue, with an
elegant outer basket-work of white and yellow.
M. M. 2



532 MERCURY AND SHAKESPEARE. Chap. XI.
To the same period, 1786–1795, may also be assigned
the highest productions in many other classes of orna-
mental ware. The crystalline jasper vases and other
articles in that body had dropped apparently much into
abeyance, but the Etruscan painted vases were still sought
for as masterpieces of their kind. In the black Egyptian
(Fig. 140.) ov-A-LAQUE, BLACK BAS-LTES HEAD or su-Kºsºvº.
or basaltes, the busts, plaques, and some of the bas-reliefs,
were become, for size and perfection, absolute. This bust
of Mercury (fig. 139) from Mr. Falcke's collection, and
the plaque or large medallion of Shakespeare (fig. 140)
from that of Mr. De la Rue, justify this high encomium.
Anything more perfect or full of expression than either

Chap. XI.
FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS.
533
was never produced. The Mercury is from a model by
Flaxman, and was probably one of the many sent by him
from Rome. The large
medallion of Shake-
speare is equally a mas-
terpiece; for, if ideal-
ised, we at least feel
that we have before us
a countenance worthy
of our king of poets.
Theimprovementsin
the cane-ware, straw-
colour ware, and black
ware—decorated with
red ornaments—were
by this period also
marked; as this straw- (Fig. 1419 straw coloured vase, men wise
coloured vase with red
LEAVES.-Bablow collection.
vine leaves (fig. 141), and black vase (fig. 142) with red
ornaments, will testify."
BLACK WASE, RED on NAMENTS.–BARLow collectrox.
(Fig. 142.)
* In this section, in which con-
tinuousimprovements in ornamental
ware have been referred to, many
articles of a distinctly useful charac-
space permitted. Amongst others, a
very beautiful open-worked and
highly glazed cruet-stand, as also a
red teapot of palm-leaf form, with
white flowers in relief, both the pro-
ter might have been specified had perty of H. G. Bohn, Esq., the
eminent connoisseur. They are re-


534 I'OREIGN IMIIPOSTS. CHAP. XI.
From a very early period, Wedgwood had naturally
taken the deepest interest in all those questions which
bore a political or commercial relation to the manufacture
and trade in pottery. At various periods throughout
1772 and 1773, we find him and Bentley in negotiation,
through Lord Gower, with the Lords of Trade, as to
the prohibition of, and duty upon, ware imported to
France. Their representation of the injury effected by
these restrictions was courteously listened to, and hopes
were for a time entertained that by their means redress
would be afforded; but the war with that country, con-
sequent on our quarrel with America, intervened, and the
restrictions, so far as the majority of the continental states
could enforce them, became more grievous than ever. In
1775, Lord Gower greatly aided the potters in their contest
with Champion; and in the succeeding year he rendered
essential service in respect to lower duties on Saxon
porcelain. At the beginning of the year, Lord North
had consulted the chief manufacturers in Staffordshire on
the question of a freer trade to continental states. ‘We
are much obliged to Lº North for his attention to our
manufactory & for his condescendtion in asking our
opinion,’ wrote Wedgwood to Bentley.
My sentiments perfectly coincide with those you have
delivered to the Treasury, & I hope the rest of our brethren
will agree with us. I should be asham'd to feel anything like a
fear in having a freer intercourse open'd between Great Britain
& all the Potteries in the World—we enjoying a like liberty of
exporting our manufactures to continental states."
But the wishes of the minister and the manufacturers
were one thing; realisation another. The rulers of most of
markable examples of Wedgwood's Mr. Bohn an engraving of the cruet-
persistent efforts to improve and stand will subsequently appear.
beautify the commonest articles for * Wedgwood to Bentley, February
daily use. Through the kindness of 3, 1776. tº sº
CHAP. XI. DEMAND IN FOREIGN MARKETS. 535
the continental states were dazzled by the fallacious prin-
ciple of forcing home-manufactures by premiums, and by
imposing duties on those of other countries, and concessions
were rarely made." Yet, in spite of these retarding cir-
cumstances, the exports of earthenware steadily increased.
In a conversation with Lº Gower as to improvements in trade
(again wrote Wedgwood to Bentley) I told his Lordship that the
sale of our manufacture had greatly increased of late in Ger-
many, Russia, &c., & our own business continued good notwith-
standing so many prohibitions & high duties had been laid upon
it abroad, & believed the demand for it in foreign markets under
all these disadvantages was owing to its being the best & cheapest
pottery ware in Europe, & that we had no objection as potters to
a free trade with all the world except the East Indies.”
* In 1785 the American market
was overstocked with earthenware,
and sales were almost stationary.
In the next great market, Germany,
the different states were continually
laying on new imposts or prohibi-
tions. In Saxony a high rate of
duty was imposed on English goods.
In Brandenburg and Prussia they
were prohibited, and ten per cent.
was laid by the King of Prussia upon
their going into Dantzic ; besides
another very high duty on the same
duty in their way to Poland. In
the Austrian Netherlands English
manufacturers paid fourpence per
pound weight including the packages,
which was nearly three times the
value of the goods. The Germans
were also at this date establishing
manufactories of earthenware in order
to compete with us in the English
markets. In Russia the duty was
forty per cent., in spite of which the
exports of English ware were very
large. In Holland the demand was
large though the duty was high. In
Spain the duty from the period of the
war was high, yet imports from Eng-
land were considerable, and a large
demand for goods, including those
highly finished, existed in Turkey,
the East Indies, and Italy. In
Sweden and Denmark they, as also
in Portugal, were prohibited; in
France likewise, though useful
earthenware as well as porcelain of
French manufacture might be im-
ported into this country upon pay-
ment of a certain duty.
* Wedgwood to Bentley, August
22, 1777.
From Wedgwood's answer to
one question—that relative to the
then existing superiority of British
earthenware—there seemstobe truth
after all in the old tradition that he
was made Her Majesty's potter in
1763, and this after the presentation
of a service of some kind in his im-
proved cream ware. The occasion
was probably the birth of Prince
Frederick, afterwards Duke of York,
June 17, 1763. ‘The Revolution in
our favour was brought about by the
invention of several new species of
earthenware, never made before in
this or any other country, and is
greatly promoted since by the skill
and ingenuity of those concerned in
this business cooperating with the
cheapness and excellence of the use-
ful sorts and by the encouragement
received since the year 1763 from
the patronage of their Majesties and
the public.” In another paper en-
dorsed ‘Answers from the Manufac-
turers of earthenware in Stafford-
536 TRADE WITH IRELAND. CHAP. XI.
Such, generally speaking, were the opinions of the Staf-
fordshire potters in relation to continental states, because
they well knew that, in order to secure the export on a
sufficiently remunerative scale of their own productions,
they must make like concessions in relation to the manu-
facturing products of those they wished to secure as
Even with respect to Ireland, they desired
the same freedom of interchange, provided the fiscal bur-
CustomerS.
dens in either country were equalised; for it had to be
considered that the English manufacturer was heavily
taxed, and the manufacturer in Ireland hardly at all.
It is not known what part the master Potters took in
the concessions made in 1780 by the English Government,
in respect to the foreign and colonial trade of Ireland, or
if they joined with those who treated the removal of cer-
tain prohibitory duties upon some of the staple articles of
Irish manufacture as an invasion of their vested rights.
We are only certain that the general opposition brought
to bear against the Act passed at that date rendered it in
fact a dead letter; and when, five years later, Pitt, with
enlightened judgment, sought—though prematurely—to
adjust the commercial relations of the two countries on
an equitable footing, the old antagonism sprung anew into
life and the manufacturers of northern Staffordshire re-
newed with vigour their former contest, and armed with
their old plea—inequality of taxation—and consequently
a higher rate of productive cost. Abstractedly considered,
shire': ‘To this manufacture (the
cream ware) on its first appearance
the Queen graciously condescended
to give her name and patronage,
commanding it to be called Queen’s-
ware, and at the same time rewarded
the inventor with the honourable
distinction of Her Majesty's Potter.’
This distinction must have been a
comparatively barren one, and Her
Majesty's Potter held in little re-
membrance, for Miss Chetwynd in
1767 to have applied, as we have
seen she did, to a stranger in New-
castle for a Royal tea-service, in-
stead of giving the order direct to
Wedgwood,
CHAP. XI. POPULAR IGNORANCE. 537
Pitt's views of commercial policy were just and sound; but
they were far in advance of general opinion, and hope-
lessly impracticable in the face of two hostile legislatures,
and two nationalities opposed to each other through the
force of bad laws and years of misgovernment. On the
other hand, the manufacturers, though patriotic and pains-
taking, were almost to a man as ignorant of the true
principles of commercial freedom, as of those which govern
the rise and continuance of great staples of industry. The
wiser of them saw in the union of the two countries and
the rule of one legislature, the first step to the solution
of these great difficulties; but they were scared by a
phantom of their own creating, when they fancied that
the manufacture of iron or earthenware or like staples
would be transported, through the agency of commercial
treaties, from one country to the other.
In these mixed opinions Wedgwood, Boulton, Watt,
and many others shared; and the former, in spite of his
visibly declining health, threw himself into the contest
with an energy and ability that it is astonishing to con-
template, even at this day. He was in fact the life and
soul of the great commercial movement against the Irish
Propositions. Viewed by the light of experience, and a
sounder knowledge of the natural laws which govern pro-
duction and commercial exchanges, we can but admire his
energetic patriotism, though utterly dissenting from the
principles on which it rested. Restriction had been the
creed of Englishmen for generations; and thus even the
man whose opinions relative to art had all the freedom
of nature, shared, with nine-tenths of his countrymen, in
errors yet unexploded. .
As early as 1784, Pitt had under consideration his
538 WEDGWOOD'S ENERGY. CHAP. XI.
scheme for giving to Ireland unlimited commercial ad-
vantages; and, in January 1785, the Eleven Resolutions
framed by himself and his colleagues were transmitted to
Dublin. Early in February they were laid before the
Irish Parliament, and on the 22nd of the same month
before that of England. But, prior to this, Wedgwood,
ever watchful where the interests of his country and its
manufactures were concerned, had conferred with his
friends in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and else-
where. He visited town, accompanied by one of his sons
and Chisholm, and took spacious and handsome rooms
at 10 Great George Street, Westminster; and, two days
previous to the Resolutions being laid before the House,
he gave evidence to a Committee of the Privy Council, to
which the duties and powers of the Lords Commissioners
of Trade and Plantations had been transferred in 1782.
After stating that the export of earthenware to Ireland
had steadily increased; that the cost of sending it thither
from the Staffordshire potteries was 7!, per cent. ; that
the duty upon ware exported to Ireland was 15 per
cent. ; and that a pottery for making cream-ware had
been established in Dublin in 1774, though soon given
up, he came to the chief point of his evidence, that in
answer to the question—If British Potteries would have
reason to fear a competition from Irish Potteries, were
such established P. “I certainly apprehend, was his
answer, ‘ that there might be danger of a competition
in time, in their own and every foreign market. I should
think we were safer if earthenware was allowed to be
imported free of all duties into both countries, because
the Irish would not have then so much encouragement
to begin to set up Potteries, or to establish them to any
CHAP. XI. IRESTRICTION AND FREE TRADE.
5:39
extent.” In this reply lay the whole weight of the argu-
ment, so far as the earthenware trade was concerned.
The Potters were willing to compete with Ireland on the
principles of free trade. But, fettered by heavy fiscal
burdens, and fearful as they were of further imposts, they
were unwilling to trust to the chance of the establishment
or non-establishment of Potteries in a country where taxa-
tion scarcely existed and labour was cheap. They pre-
sumed that, because glass houses had been established
and were flourishing since a duty had been laid on Eng-
lish glass, so also the same process would follow with
respect to pottery; but the experience of near a century
has proved the fallacy of these opinions. The two cases
were wholly different. Glass can be made almost any-
where, but the production of pottery depends upon im-
mediate sources of coal, if not of clay ; and, though
possessing some of the materials within her area, Ireland
even at this day has but one pottery, and that recently
established for small ornamental articles.
Two days after this examination, we find Wedgwood
hurrying down again into Staffordshire, and on the way
we hear first of the Chamber of Manufactures. He writes
thus to Boulton, who, also probably examined by the
Committee of the Privy Council, stays in London —
I go by Birmingham as your desired & will endeavour to see
Mr. Garbett & one or two more at the Hotel. I mean to re-
commend to them the measure of a Committee of Delegates
from all the manufacturing places in England & Scotland to
* Evidence in the Council Chamber,
Whitehall, February 19, 1785. Mr.
Josiah Wedgwood, Delegate from
the Staffordshire Potters. Unprinted
Mayer MSS. This evidence is most
difficult to procure.
Not a notice of
it appears in the Lords' Journals.
According to Mr. Wedgwood it was
reprinted in the General Advertiser.
The files we have been able to con-
sult are imperfect, the only evidence
extant being that of Mr. Robert Peel
on the cotton trade.
540 CHAMBER OF MANUFACTURERS, CHAP. XI.
meet & sit in London all the time the Irish commercial affairs
are pending. This strikes me as a measure which may be pro-
ductive of very beneficial affects, principally in forming and
cementing a commercial band which may be of great use upon
others as well as the present occasion. If this is approved of,
I submit it to you Gentlemen who are already upon the spot,
whether it would not be proper to apply to the various country
connections in town for them to write to their friends. Perhaps
a printed letter from the delegates already in town recom-
mending such a measure after stating the necessity, & might
be proper . . . . Consult L" Sheffield, he will give you able
advice & assistance."
From this proposal sprung the celebrated Chamber of
Manufacturers, which formed so important a feature in the
great commercial contests of that period; and for this it
was that Flaxman made a drawing of arms. The idea of
an institution of this character could have been no new
one to men like Wedgwood, Boulton, Thomas Walker of
Manchester, John Wilkinson the ironmaster, and many
others; for, to say nothing of the old Chambers of Com-
merce, of which they must have heard, they had been
accustomed to occasionally meet in their respective centres
of industry for the purpose of deliberation on important
commercial questions. The idea was therefore at once
realised. The delegates then in London met at the George
and Vulture Tavern, Cornhill; rules were proposed and
drawn up by Chisholm; a large room was hired at 38
Fenchurch Street. Mr. Nicholson, who had been pre-
viously employed by Mr. Wedgwood in Amsterdam, was
appointed secretary. The Chamber was to consist of
president, vice-presidents, chairman of committees, dele-
gates, and members. The subscriptions, £1 1 a year, or
Wedgwood to Boulton, dated from Maidenhead, February 21, 1785.
Soho MSS.
CHAP. XI. ITS CONSTITUTION. 541
a donation of £10, gave a vote. Sir Herbert Mackworth,
M.P., was induced to become president, and the chairman
of committee was the most important delegate upon the
spot—Wedgwood, Boulton, Walker, or Wilkinson, as the
case might be. Thus, with a central point of action, the
movement increased in force; and, through the medium
of the Chamber, public meetings were held at the London
Tavern, the Crown and Anchor, and elsewhere; papers
and resolutions were printed and circulated, delegates
were summoned, witnesses examined, and the chiefs of
Opposition were appealed to. But the constitution of a
General Chamber in no way relieved Wedgwood of the
dead weight of business and responsibility. Many of the
delegates were unpractical, sluggish, or soon wearied; and
he had to appeal to their patriotism again and again. He
had to discover and open new sources of information, to
overlook ill-digested statements, or alter those which were
not rigidly true. He had to bear censure, and he did
not escape calumny." He had to confer with ministers,
and consult the members of Opposition. We find Dr.
| Wedgwood and other of the whole, and they had waited with no
delegates were censured because they small anxiety for alteration of the
did not petition against the Reso- objectionable parts of the Resolu-
lutions as soon as they became tions. The delegates also thought
known; as also because they did not that when the Resolutions were so
upon their examination before the modified they would be held forth
Committee of the Privy Council for their consideration and approba-
make known all those facts and tion or the contrary.”—Abstract of
reasons which they afterwards paper, March 19, 1785. Mayer MSS.
brought in evidence against the Irish In a public appeal made at a later
Resolutions. It was also said that date, the Committee of the Chamber
the delegates joined with the oppo- of Manufactures spoke of the ne-
sition more upon factious principles glect of their private affairs, and of
than from apprehension of any real injury to their health incurred by
danger of the Irish Resolutions pass- their public labours. The public
ing into a law. Wedgwood replied had not treated the Chamber well;
generally to these charges by saying and in Ireland they were accused of
‘That the delegates thought the unkindness to the sister kingdom,
Resolutions were so far binding upon and of undue partiality to their own
the British House of Commons, that interests.
they could not alter one without the
542 WEDGWOOD'S INTERVIEWS WITH PITT. CHAP. XI.
Pretyman appointing, on two occasions, an early morning
hour for Wedgwood's interview with Mr. Pitt. Grave
and brief were doubtless these discussions with the re-
(Fig. 143.) CAMEo Mººn-LLION. WILLIAM PTT-MAYER COLLECTION.
served and pre-occupied minister, not a word on art even
closing those on politics; but there were times and seasons
when Pitt's simple and unostentatious orders were sent to
* The result of one of Wedgwood's contrary. An account of the matter,
interviews with Dr. Pretyman in the written by Wedgwood himself, was
absence of Pitt led to misstatements published by his friend Almon in
which greatly annoyed him. His the columns of the General Adver-
conduct was marked with great tiser.
dignity, and Pretyman's much the

CHAP. XI. MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITION. 543
Greek Street. From his childhood, Wedgwood's works
had been before him—for his mother, Lady Chatham,
was one of the great potter's earliest patrons—and we
have seen how beautiful was the dessert-service he had
had enamelled for her—the grape pattern—with fruit
blushing purple, the tendrils and leaves dressed in green
and gold. The adornment of this exquisite service had
been a labour of taste and inclination; for Wedgwood
profoundly venerated Chatham, knowing as he did—as
all Englishmen do—what the great statesman had been
to England in her hour of peril. There were interviews,
too, with the Duke of Portland, his Grace occasionally
calling upon Wedgwood in Great George Street. By the
chiefs of Opposition he was still better known—Fox,
Lord Sheffield, Mr. Eden, Sir Charles Grey, Sheridan, and
many others visiting him or inviting him to dinner. Ever
ready to mingle the graces with the graver duties of life,
Fox on one occasion introduces Lady Diana Beauclerk to
Wedgwood by sending some of her beautiful drawings.
Of these the latter writes, with compliments:—
A thousand thanks for the beautiful drawings he has received,
& will be much obliged to Mr. Fox, if he will be so good to
signify to Lady Diana Beauclerk how much he esteems himself
indebted for this flattering mark of her Ladyship's notice. He
has sent a few bas-reliefs, which were modelled from some beau-
tiful cut Indian paper which Lady Templeton favoured him
with—just to shew the manner in which he will attempt to
copy the drawings he is now honoured with—Mr. Fox is
desired to dispose of the bas-reliefs as he thinks proper—Mr.
W. has other obligations to Mr. Fox's kind partiality which he
will ever remember with gratitude—Nor can the manufacturers
of G. Britain ever forget what they owe to his very able &
spirited exertions in their favour." -
* Wedgwood to the Right. Hon. C. J. Fox, dated Great George Street,
July 23, 1785. Mayer MSS. -
544 MR, EDEN. CHAP. XI.
The letters to Lord Carlisle which Mr.Eden had published
in November 1779, first made his name familiar to Wedg-
wood; and subsequent commissions for earthenware and
cameos led to correspondence, and this to personal know-
ledge. As chairman of the Committee appointed in 1784
to enquire into the illicit practices used in defrauding the
revenue, Mr. Eden had several conferences with Wedg-
wood; and now the Irish Propositions were laid before
Parliament, the former, as a member of the Opposition,
took active measures in support of the views held by the
delegates. His opinions were in unison. He writes in
one of his numerous letters to Wedgwood:—
You observe it is now admitted by Mr. Pitt, that the counter-
vailing duty described in the fifth Proposition is not to be the
sum of the original duty estimated by weight or by measure—
but a sum adequate to the duties paid on the material of manu-
facture—I think it appeared yesterday, but I am sure it may
be shewn by able men in different branches of manufacture,
that the notion of an adequate cowmtervailing duty is impos-
sible to be reduced to practice in many articles of manufacture,
and the result will be what appears in other parts and views of
the business, that it is idle and visionary to place on the same
commercial ground two neighbouring nations, when the one is
highly taxed, and the other comparatively without taxes. It
might be happy enough for both the nations to form a national
union of Government and Taxation; but this union of advan-
tages without any union of burthen is stark nonsense—And the
worst part of it is, that at the same time you establish so silly
a system, you for ever preclude the establishment of the wise
and beneficial system."
On the grounds thus explained by Mr. Eden, as also on
others, the General Chamber of Manufacturers had com-
menced their opposition to the Government measure.
1 Mr. Eden to Wedgwood, dated Parliament Street, April 16, 1785.
Mayer MSS,
CHAP. XI. MEETINGS, PETITIONS, AND DELEGATES. 545
Their principle was still to retain Ireland in commercial
subordination to this country; nor would they allow that
the Propositions at least intended a participation and
community of benefits, and the aggregate interests of the
empire. Meetings were held, petitions were presented–.
the first being those from Manchester, Birmingham, and
the Potteries—witnesses were examined, and counsel
heard, at the bar of the House of Commons." It was a
party question, a great Whig question; and as such it
was warmly supported by the Opposition. But, generally
speaking, the public, and indeed some of the great traders
and manufacturers, were indifferent to the outcry. Many
of the ironmasters, soapmakers, tanners, sugarboilers, and
others, would not trouble themselves to send delegates:
this, numerically speaking, not from enlightened motives,
but because they were ignorant and selfish. Wedgwood
was constantly urging Boulton to rouse the ironmasters
to a sense of their duty. The Government wished to
settle the matter; the General Chamber of Manufacturers
to gain time. Two months were thus passed. Every
resolution was contested; some more vehemently than
others. Amendment succeeded amendment. The second
and most important Proposition, by which Ireland was to
be admitted to a participation on equal terms with Great
Britain in the commerce of the world, was now qualified
by excepting the trade with India; and the fourth Reso-
lution, relative to duties on the manufacture of either
country, was amended by the introduction of a new term
into the compact, which provided that the laws for regu-
lating trade and navigation should be the same in both
kingdoms; and that such laws and regulations should be
* The celebrated Erskine was their leader.
VO L. II. N N.
546 DEBATES ON THE IRISH PROPOSITION. CHAP. XI.
framed by the Parliament of Great Britain, and be ratified
by the Parliament of Ireland. Both these amendments were
adverse to the interests of Ireland. By the one she was
excluded from the most lucrative branch of British com-
merce; by the second her independence was compromised,
for her Parliament was denied the initiative of any laws
affecting trade and commerce. The eleven original Reso-
lutions became in their amended form twenty. Yet the
commercial interest was still unsatisfied. It was not to
be propitiated with a less concession than legislative
supremacy to Great Britain in matters of trade and com-
merce. The amended Resolutions were submitted to the
British House of Commons on the 12th of May, but before
this many of the delegates had returned home, or were
away on their own business—Boulton amongst others.
Watt pressed for his return ; Garbett secretly urged it.
Watt grew testy. When asked merely to attend a meet-
ing in Birmingham, he would promise, though, as Garbett
said, in a manner “extremely out of temper.” Yet he
loved to grumble about the Supineness of manufacturers
and the heaviness of taxation. ‘The only prospect of
relief, he writes to Wedgwood, after saying that people
ought to go without luxuries in order to compel a with-
drawal of taxes, ‘seems to lie in this, that as everything
has its climax, or maximum, we seem to be fast approach-
ing first to the maximum of taxes, & I hope still faster to
the maximum of national patience; when matters are at
the worst they must mend.'"
If a thousand matters awaited Boulton's return, his steam-
engines at Soho and his mining business at Chacewater, so
1 Watt to Wedgwood, July 14, 1785. Mayer MSS. We learn from
this letter that Boulton was about to set out for Cornwall and stay six
weeks.
CHAP. XI. WEDGWOOD'S UNTIRING ENERGY. 547
also did Etruria want its master; but Wedgwood stood
foremost and faithful to the end. “We all know, he
writes to Boulton, “that any house may be brought to
remove, if those who made it will come forward as they
ought to do. For myself I have only one plain simple
line of conduct to pursue. I have promised those who
sent me hither to do my best to prevent the Irish Resolu-
tions passing into a law. I have done so hitherto & will
continue in the same, though I am even left to do alone.
The loss our cause sustained when you left us will not
easily be retrieved.” Again and again he urged the
iron-masters to shake off their supineness. He himself
appealed to many of the traders in London, yet they sent
no delegates. ‘The principal glover, he says, “has a
contract under government and does not appear. The
button-maker makes buttons for his Majesty & therefore
he is tied fast to his Majesty's minister's button-hole. In
short the minister has found so many button and loop
holes to fasten them to himself, that few of the principle
manufacturers are left at liberty to serve their country.”
Garbett, as usual, was lukewarm. Crawshay, the great
iron-master, favoured the Resolutions. Pitt, as Wedgwood
said, was hurrying on the business. No time was to be
lost. He sent an express for his friend John Wilkinson
— for if the Resolutions have passed by the time you
arrive –is his message—“you will catch the Bill in the
House of Lords.” The General Chamber redoubled its
exertions. It took the opinion of Mr. Sergeant Hill On
the question of Patents, which had been introduced into
the amended Resolutions. It sought for fresh petitions.
Amongst those sent was one from the Committee of
* Wedgwood to Boulton, May 1, 1785. Soho MSS.
N N 2
548 - IRISH AGENCIES. CHAP. XI.
Potters, held at the Swan, Hanley, June 7, 1785. Yet
these efforts were in vain. The twenty Resolutions passed
through the Commons. Then came the hope that they
would not pass the House of Lords, or, doing so, would
not be accepted by the Irish people. The last was the
case. After fierce debates, the Bill only passed the Irish
House of Commons by a majority of nineteen. Such a
victory was no other than a defeat. The Government
relinquished the bill, and the manufacturers of this country
were free from a competition they dreaded, and so erro-
neously. The defeat of this measure to free Ireland from
the commercial restrictions so cruelly imposed upon her
since the Restoration was not without effects of a most
beneficial character. The contest awakened attention to
commercial rights and duties; and the result made clear to
the apprehension of both the ministry and the governing
classes that England and Ireland must be united for an
unfettered commerce to flourish between them. Wedgwood
lost largely by the part he took against the Irish Resolu-
tions. His indirect trade may have not suffered so much ;
but the agencies known to be his perished literally for
some years. Esau Clarke, who had succeeded Brock in the
Dublin business, could sell no goods. ‘Many of the
people of quality that formerly dealt with me,’ he wrote,
‘will buy no more on account of your opposing the Irish
Propositions, and many others will not buy from me
because I cannot sell as cheap as the other houses.’"
‘One nobleman said that if more of Wedgwood's ware
came to Ireland, if the public did not break them he
would.” Clarke then entreats his employer to take the
ornamental stock off his hands, it consisting of “black
| Clarke of Dublin to Wedgwood, August 29, 1786.
CHAP. XI. WEDGWOOD'S LIFE IN LONDON. 549
griffin candlesticks, Tripods, marble and gold vases, cameo-
designs, tea pots, sugar basins, &c.”
This period of severe mental and bodily labour was
varied by artistic business and cheered by the courtesy of
friends. Mr. Wedgwood visited the studios of Stubbs and
Fuseli, and the ateliers of Flaxman, Wyatt, and West-
macott. He dined with Lord Sheffield and others of the
nobility, and occasionally spent a day at Beckenham with
Mr. Eden. He went to Hampstead to see Mrs. Bar-
bauld, who had then a house in Well Walk; and to
Turnham Green, to pay Ralph Griffith a visit. Early in
June, Dr. and Mrs. Darwin were in town, and joined him
on several occasions; and, on the 23rd of the same month,
he turned his face towards home. Failing to see Mr.
Eden to bid him farewell, he wrote and sent some small
bas-reliefs “to an amiable little group he had the pleasure
of seeing at Beckenham.” Upon reaching Etruria, he
recruited himself with a brief tour in Wales, and by a
visit to Archdeacon Clive.” His absence was short, for
his children were at home. His son John had stayed at
Warrington Academy but a few terms, for dissensions
amongst the trustees and bad management were hastening
the end of that once noble institution. He had afterwards
joined his brother Josiah in Edinburgh, and studied there
with him some time. But both had now returned, and
Tom —at this date a lad verging upon sixteen—needed to
be sent nowhere for discipline or study, for he was always
poring over books or else employed in the laboratory
* Clarke of Dublin to Wedgwood, wood's return, he received the thanks
November 5, 1786. Mayer MSS. of the Birmingham Commercial
* They were modelled from cut- Committee for his ability and exer-
tings in paper by Lady Templeton. tions in favour of the manufactures
Nos. 49, 50, 51, 53. of the country.
* A few days after Mr. Wedg-
550 FOREIGN SPIES. CHAP. XI.
with his father's secretary, Chisholm. His passion for
abstract studies was unbounded. Even thus early he was
busy with “Playfair's Chronology, and a little later he
was absorbed in Hartley's work on “Man’ and Edwards
on “Free-will.” Chisholm at this time was not only secre-
tary but schoolmaster. We learn this from Wedgwood
himself. Dr. Austen of Oxford had applied, through
Whitehurst of Derby, for Chisholm's services for a month,
in order to assist him in practical chemistry. “I should
gladly comply,’ writes Wedgwood to the Oxford doctor,
“if I could do it with convenience to myself. But having
six children at home & Mr. C. being their only master in
Some branches of their education you will be convinced
at once that 1 am constrained to deny myself the pleasure
of complying with this request.” In the month succeeding,
he was in correspondence with Mr. Nicholson, the Secre-
tary of the Chamber of Manufacturers, on business relative
to the spy system on trade, then so prevalent. Watt and
some other Birmingham manufacturers had informed him
‘ of there being three different sets of spies upon our
machines and manufactures now in England, from three
different nations.” More were soon afterwards discovered,
and Wedgwood considered it the duty of the Chamber to
put the manufacturers upon their guard against these
dangerous guests; both generally by public advertisement
in the papers and particularly by private letters to friends
in correspondence with the Chamber.
The foreign gentry (he tells Nicholson) have some of them
exhibited the greatest show of impudence ever known upon
like occasions. For having been refused admittance by one
clerk, they have come again when he has been absent, and
almost forced their way to the machines they wanted to see.
* Wedgwood to Dr. Austen, September 23, 1785.
CHAP. XI. REMEDIES PROPOSED. 551
In another instance having been turned out of one door, they
have waited an opportunity of entering in under different pre-
tences at another. Sometimes they pretend to be possessed of
improvements to the machines they want to take drawings or
models of. At others they procure recommendations from
gentlemen who are not aware of their intentions, or even bring
those gentlemen themselves with them, when they can prevail
upon them so far; and in short use every possible means to
accomplish the purposes they came hither for. And therefore
no time should be lost, nor any dilligence spared on our part
to prevent them."
Some of these men were ultimately taken up ; and
means were used to procure the names of those foreign
manufacturers who were likely to employ such agents,
or encourage the emigration of workmen. Whilst, so
little were the rights of labour then understood, it was
proposed to the several provincial Chambers or Committees
of Commerce, to introduce a clause into their respective
rules to the effect that the Minister of State be applied to
to grant his permission to postmasters to open the letters
of such suspected persons. . Four years later, a still more
elaborate system of espionage was discovered. The
searcher at the Custom House, London, came upon five
large chests of suspicious character. Upon being opened,
they were found to contain tools and raw materials in dif-
ferent stages of manufacture. With these was included a
large bound manuscript book filled with drawings and
plans of different machines and engines, with a full account
of each written in the Danish or German language. One
chest had special reference to the manufacture of pottery,
and contained not only ware in every stage of prepara-
tion, but the substances employed for glazing and colour-
* Wedgwood to Nicholson, dated from Stone, October 25, 1785.
552 LJUNGBERG THE DANE. CHAP. XI.
ing it. The owner was found to be a Dane named
Ljungberg, who had been in this country thirteen or
fourteen years, and all that time had been employed in
obtaining every available manufacturing secret he could.
He had been in the Potteries some weeks; but, detected
in the fact of bribing workmen to procure him drawings
of the kilns, &c., he suddenly decamped for fear of being
arrested. Upon the chests seized at the Custom House
being traced to their ownership, Mr. Byerley and Mr.
Neale, at Mr. Wedgwood's request, inspected that contain-
ing specimens and materials of pottery, and upon their
report a Meeting of Potters was held at Etruria Inn,
August 24, 1789. At this it was resolved, that the
manufacturers of the districts Ljungberg had visited
should petition the Commissioners of Customs to have
the things destroyed. Boulton, Garbett, Walker, and
other influential men, were very active in this business.
A Committee of Manufacturers from the districts the Dane
had visited were appointed to examine the chests; and
Garbett made a report to the Government through the
official channel of Mr. Rose and Mr. Stiles. On the other
hand, Ljungberg had apparently powerful friends, and
through them made strong appeals to have his goods
restored. The result is unknown. But the whole busi-
ness made Wedgwood, Boulton, and many others still
more chary of showing their manufactories, especially to
foreigners. Even when these came prepared with weighty
letters of introduction, Wedgwood habitually declined to
show his works. And in special cases of danger—as where
the visitor had a ready pencil, a keen eye, and sound
judgment—he would, if he had to speed them to Soho,
give Boulton premonitory warning. A case in point was
the visit of the President de Virley, President of the
5
5
3
CHAP. XI. - TRADE WITH FRANCE.
Parliament of Dijon, who brought a letter of introduction
from Sir Joseph Banks.
In December, Wedgwood was supplying, through Mr.
Eden, Pitt with valuable information relative to the trade
between this country and France. In the Treaty of Peace
concluded between the two countries in 1783, it had been
stipulated that commissioners should be appointed to
make the necessary arrangements; and Pitt employed the
Parliamentary recess in maturing this and another mea-
sure of great utility—that relating to the consolidation of
various duties of excise and customs. These sound prin-
ciples of unrestricted national trade, which were thus
practically attempted during the first four years of his
administration, had long been a necessity, both for the
increase of revenue and reciprocal international demand.
It began to be seen that the war of material interests
must cease, and that a trade with twenty-four millions of
people, possessing many valuable commodities which we
stood in need of—and, on the other hand, wanting many
articles which we manufactured—was likely to be an
object of greater importance to a manufacturing and
commercial people than a trade with any nation of in-
ferior population and opulence. Mr. Pitt's scheme there-
fore embraced the repeal, with some few exceptions, of
prohibitory duties on the products of either country;
whilst a moderate tariff, mostly for revenue purposes, was
to be paid on certain commodities, as on porcelain,
earthenware, and pottery, an ad valorem duty of 12 per
cent. reciprocally. -
1 In this year the Staffordshire factures taken into consideration in
potters, through the instrumentality the Treaties of Commerce to be nego-
of Wedgwood, petitioned Fox and tiated.
Sir Grey Cooper to have their manu-
554 PROPOSED COMMERCIAL TREATY. CHAP. XI.
Wedgwood, Boulton, Watt, and some others, whose
views in relation to foreign trade were as free and
enlightened as those relative to commerce nearer home
were narrowed by the dread of manufacturing competi-
tion, regarded the proposed Commercial Treaty in the
most favourable light; and their influence and example
were, there can be little doubt, efficacious in reconciling
large numbers of manufacturers and traders to the
measure. Wedgwood's cream-ware and enamelled and
ornamental ware, were, in the face of prohibitive duties,
well known in France; and many dealers had, since 1783,
impatiently awaited the adjustment of the Treaty." Most
of the ambassadors from the English court to that of
Versailles had carried over beautiful specimens of orna-
mental ware; it was favoured by the Princesses, by the
Cardinals, and high noblesse; and the busts and cameo
medallions of the kings of France, as also of its illustri-
ous men and women, had added to this popularity.
Parliament met on the 24th of January, and, on the
14th of February, Wedgwood, who had been summoned
to attend the Committee of the Lords of Council, set out
on his way to London. At Birmingham he found the
Commercial Committee of that place sitting upon the letters
they had received, and that Boulton and Garbett had
accepted the delegateship. Walker of Manchester refused
to attend, because the Lords of Council would not first
send down the purport of their questions, to be discussed
in a select committee at Manchester; and other delegates
were chosen. The evidence which Wedgwood and his
friends gave on this occasion partook of much of the
* Amongst others, was Charles | chant, of Manchester. August 1784,
Chappuis, of Versailles, ... He had Mayer MSS.
been clerk to Mr. Radcliffe, mer-
CHAP. XI. MR. EDEN'S APPOINTMENT. 555
same character of that given in relation to the Irish Pro-
positions, with the exception that it related to an export
trade with a foreign country. A considerable degree of
caution was required in answering these questions, as ma-
nufacturers, generally speaking, were averse that Govern-
ment should become acquainted with the full extent of
their production and trade." Wedgwood was in daily
intercourse with Mr. Eden, who, as it is well known, had
displeased his party by accepting Mr. Pitt's proposal of
proceeding to France as Envoy Extraordinary and
Minister Plenipotentiary to negotiate the Treaty of Com-
merce. He refers to this matter in a letter to Walker:—
L" Sheffield invited me to his table twice, where I had the
honour of meeting L" North & L4 Loughborough, Mr. Ashley,
Mr. Guttridge, & Mr. Bell. Lº North is you know very excel-
lent company & the little time I could pass with them passed
in the most agreeable manner but it was Committee night at
the Chamber, & as President I thought it might be my duty to
attend & therefore stole away at an early hour. Nothing was
said about Mr. Eden—neither did the Duke of Portland mention
him to me when I waited upon his Grace. Lº Sheffield is the
only one of Mr. Eden's old friends who talks of him freely to
me. He tells the others that they are too violent & that he
cannot give up an old friend all at once.
Yet in spite of this party feeling, Mr. Eden's appoint-
ment gave general satisfaction,” for all were convinced
* At a later date Wedgwood, upon | not wonder if they took the summary
principle, refused Lord Auckland de- Birmingham method with me and
tails of this character. ‘The increase my works. This is a dilemma I am
in our trade,’ he writes, ‘may be 25 sure you would not wish me to risk.”
fold in the last 80 years. But this —Wedgwood to Lord Auckland, Jan.
is mere conjecture & could not be 28, 1792.
well ascertained withoutgoing to the * Boulton, in one of his letters to
books of the respective manufactu- Wedgwood, gives expression to this
rers. If after this examination on general feeling. ‘If Government
my part any disagreeable circum- had left the appointment of a Com-
stances should arise betwixt go- mission to settle a Treaty of Com-
vernment and , this manufacture merce to me, I should have fixed
though they had in reality no rela- upon Mr. Eden, feeling myself as a
tion the one to the other I should member of the General Chamber as
556 GENERAL BUSINESS OF THE CHAMBER. CHAP. XI.
that for once the right man was in his right place. He
proceeded to Paris early in April, and at once entered
upon the difficult business of the Treaty.
From the first, Wedgwood's perplexities and difficulties
with respect to the General Chamber had been great—
these were now increased by dissensions amongst the
delegates. Some were lukewarm and would not attend
except when necessity compelled; and there was a
general feeling that something was wanting to give the
Chamber stability in the eyes of the public. A Charter
was spoken of ; next an Act of Parliament. With either
it would seem to have some existence; as it stood it was
a Chamber, but, as its opponents said, ‘a self-delegated
one.” Besides the business of the Commercial Treaty, it
had at this period under consideration the smuggling of
wool, and the best means of preventing it. Whilst
staying at Matlock the preceding autumn, Wedgwood
had had the felicity of making Arkwright and Sir Joseph
Banks known to each other; and as both were interested
in improvements in the spinning, as also in the general
trade in wool, a correspondence ensued both with Wedg-
wood and the west country dealers and manufacturers.
Art, too, had its share in these multifarious duties.
Wedgwood, who, as we shall see in the next chapter, had
opened negotiations with respect to the Barberini Vase
during the preceding autumn, had now renewed his
efforts to purchase it; and a little later he and Boulton
were again busy with their old business relative to the
sale and improvement of buttons and cameos. By this
a manufacturer and a man who de- true blue that is dyed in the grain.”
spises party. Great pains have been | Quoted in Wedgwood's letter to Mr.
taken by little minded men to clothe Eden, January 5, 1786. Lord Auck-
themanufacturers with party coloured land's Journals and Correspondence,
robes but I am persuaded no reflec- || Vol. I. pp. 92–93.
tions they can make will change the
£
CHAP. XI. PIRATES AGAIN. 557
time it is evident that the secret of the sulphate of
baryta as a body-ingredient in the jasper had become
known, as pirates were abroad. On his way to town
Wedgwood had left some cameos at Soho; Boulton was
absent, SO on reaching town he thus wrote:–
I wish you would give your foreman in this branch a caution
that they are not carried out by any of the workmen, to be
moulded or copied. A manufacturer of Birmingham whom you
know has made a laudable attempt in this way at my warehouse
in town, that is to buy a complete set of cameos for patterns;
but his intention being discovered I told him I must take care
not to sell him a set of models for a few shillings which had
cost me besides time & labour some three times as many
guineas."
Upon leaving Lord Shelburne, in 1780, Priestley settled
in Birmingham, and shortly after, Wedgwood, in order to
assist in his scientific and literary pursuits, generously
afforded him an annual allowance of twenty-five guineas.
This was continued to the period of Wedgwood's death;
and after it by his son Josiah, to the close of Priestley's
life. Other sums were occasionally added as extraor-
dinary gifts; and Priestley's laboratory was profusely
supplied with retorts, tubes, baths, crucibles, mortars, and
other vessels necessary to chemical analysis. Wedgwood
also saw more of Priestley than heretofore; and their
correspondence upon scientific subjects was frequent. In
1788 they discussed the composition of air; and in 1791
had under consideration improvements in furnaces for
heating metals. But, contrary to the generally received
notion, Wedgwood was not, like Priestley, Watt, Boulton,
Dr. Withering, and others, a recognised member of the
Lunar Society. He was occasionally present at its
meetings, and probably contributed at intervals sub-
* Wedgwood to Boulton, June 14, 1786. Soho MSS.
558 DARWIN AND WEDGWOOD. CHAP. XI.
jects for discussion, but Etruria and Birmingham were
too distant for any regular monthly attendance." To
Darwin and himself science always afforded something
new. Bergmann, the friend of Lavoisier, lent whilst yet
in MS. his work on ‘Electric Attractions’ to Wedg-
wood ; and he in turn confided it to Darwin. In
mechanics the model of a steam-engine was contemporary
with that of a windmill. Even before they had discussed
the scientific theory of congelation, Darwin made Wedg-
wood the offer to share in its expenses and profits. But
although the latter was pleased with his friend's proposal
he declined it.
I sigh (he wrote) that I am becoming an old man, that age
and infirmities overtake & more than whisper in my ear that it
is time to diminish rather than increase the objects of my
attention The increasing cares of my family, my various con-
cerns which cannot be delegated to others, with many notices
of a fabric far passed its meridian, all concur in the unwelcome
monition to avoid any further addition to occupations already too
extensive for my peace or content; & loth as I am compel
me to decline accepting the very flattering offer you have made
me.”
Henceforward Darwin's “steam-wheel, as he called it,
stood still, for Derby, whither he had removed, was scant
of men of scientific tastes. But the inventive faculty of
the philosophers was soon again busy. They had an
electrical machine under consideration, and this was fol-
1 Priestley tells us distinctly,
“I consider my settlement at Bir-
mingham as the happiest event
in my life, being highly favour-
able to every object I had in view,
philosophical or theological. In the
former respect I had the convenience
of good workmen of every kind, and
the society of persons eminent for
their knowledge of chemistry, parti-
cularly Mr. Watt, Mr. Keir, and Dr.
Withering. These, with Mr. Boul-
ton and Dr. Darwin (who soon left
us by removing from Lichfield to
Derby), Mr. Galton, and afterwards
Mr. Johnson, of Kenilworth, and my-
self, dined together every month,
calling ourselves the Lunar Society,
because the time of our meeting was
near the full moon.”—Rutt's Life of
Priestley, vol. i. pp. 338, 339.
* Wedgwood to Darwin, August
1782. Darwin Correspondence.
CHAP. XI. SCIENCE AND FRIENDSHIP. 559
lowed by experiments in the construction of lamps. For
some part of their machinery Wedgwood made bladders
of goldbeaters' skin, and Darwin tried weights and springs
of various kinds. These lamp-experiments extended over
four years—1782–1786—and seem never to have been
perfected, as the Doctor only found time for them during
the long nights of winter. Meanwhile, the children of
both families were becoming men and women, and their
intimacy took growth accordingly. The young men at
Etruria sent the Doctor's daughters-in-law valentines and
Christmas presents, and Miss Wedgwood and her sisters
were often at Derby. During some of her visits, Miss
Wedgwood, who was a great favourite with her future
father-in-law, smoothed away perhaps a little of his rug-
gedness, by lessons in music; at others, it was a continued
whirl of festivity. On occasion of one of these visits,
Darwin thus writes:—‘Your medallion I have not yet
seen; it is covered over with so many strata of caps &
ruffles & Miss Wedgwood is whirled off to a card-party—
seen and vanished like a shooting star.’ On the other
hand, the Doctor's daughter-in-law, Miss Pole, joined Miss
Wedgwood in her visits to London; and the houses of
either family stood reciprocally open to each other.
Derby lay in the way to London, and the Wedgwoods
were expected to rest there, either on their going or
return. “Mrs. Darwin,’ writes the Doctor pleasantly on
one of these occasions, “ says she hears your whole family
are going to town in a body, like a caravan going to
Mecca; & we therefore hope you will make Derby a
resting-place, & recruit yourselves & your camels for a
few days, after having travell'd over the burning sands
of Cheadle & Uttoxeter.” Such were the social graces
1 Darwin to Wedgwood, March 13, 1784. Darwin Correspondence.
560 DISSENSIONS IN THE CHAMBER. CHAP. XI.
which varied philosophic intercourse; and many of the
choicest productions of Etruria gave further expression
to a friendship so long and well founded."
The Treaty of Commerce was signed at Versailles on
September 26, although the business connected therewith
detained Mr. Eden in France till the middle of the follow-
ing year. In the interim the convention was signed on
January 23, and soon after the meeting of Parliament an
address in approval of the Treaty was carried by over-
whelming numbers—236 against 116.
Prior to this, the Committee of the General Chamber
of Commerce had marked its approbation of the French
Treaty. But soon after dissensions arose in the Chamber
and amongst the local Committees; and during the absence
of the chief leaders, the General Chamber presented a
petition to Parliament objecting to the Treaty; and this
was followed by innumerable pamphlets of the same
tenor. The whole organisation, both metropolitan and
local, was now in a blaze. The Birmingham Committee
remonstrated, and refused to send further delegates till
the Chamber was remodelled; whilst Wedgwood, to nul-
lify as far as possible both the effects of these dissensions
and the petition opposed to the Government measure,
called a Meeting of Potters. The result was what might
* In April 1786, Wedgwood sent
Darwin's little daughter Violette a
jasper cup and saucer of extreme
that like Pandora's box, it might
contain many evils at the top & hope
at the bottom. These fears ceased
beauty; and a few years later the
Doctor thus writes:—‘Mrs. Darwin
has commissioned me to write to
thank you for the very excellent Bath
you have been so kind as to send
her. But what was the astonishment
of the family when on striking it
there was heard a rattling of armour
within' Some of us began to think
it like the Trojan Horse, & fear'd it
might contain armed warriors; others
On recollecting who was the kind
donor, & that presents from a friend
were not to be suspected like those
of an enemy. So out came the straw,
and with it the bowels of the pesti-
ferous animal, beyond any power of
numbering or naming, for each indi-
vidual of which I am commanded to
thank you over & over, & to add all
our kindest complements to you &
yours.”—Darwin to Wedgwood.
CHAP. XI. DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. 561
be expected. The Potters again signified—as on a former
occasion—their conviction that the Treaty was, in its
nature and tendency, highly advantageous to the country;
and this opinion further enquiry and consultation had
confirmed. Wedgwood's chief opponent in these pro-
ceedings was Thomas Walker of Manchester; a good man
like himself, but systematically averse to the Treaty; as
indeed to any Government measure proposed by Pitt. A
friend of the chief leaders of the Opposition, he seems in
this one point to have cleaved to party rather than distin-
guished principles; and to have overlooked the advantages
and noble tendencies of those great commercial and finan-
cial reforms which marked the first four years of Pitt's
administration. There came days when his courageous
opposition to the arbitrary proceedings of the Govern-
ment—those days when Pitt's violation of constitutional
principles involved the country in an almost inextricable
web of war, debt, and taxation—proved his wisdom and
unselfish patriotism; but in this business of the Commer-
cial Treaty with France, he seems to have been as pre-
judiced and hasty as Wedgwood, on the other hand, was
petulant and complaining. These differences separated
them for a period—when necessary they corresponded
stiffly—but time seems, in some measure at least, to have
healed the wound; for, in 1789, we find them joined
heartily—through the General Chamber—in the common
cause of protecting English manufactures from the plots
of foreign spies."
' Thomas Walker holds a conspi- dom of his country, deserve the hand
cuous place amongst the eminent of an able biographer. He suffered
men of Manchester. His opposition cruelly under the infamous spy-
to the tax on fustians proposed by system of the period; and, in 1794, he
Pitt, and his bold and consistent ad- was tried at Lancaster with six other
vocacy of every question likely to gentlemen, upon a charge of ‘medi-
advance the civil and religious free- tated revolution.’ He was most ho-
VOI. II. O O
562 RENEWED DISSENSIONS IN THE CHAMBER. CHAP. XI,
Wedgwood was greatly harassed by these dissensions
in the Chamber, and by the unwise conduct of many of
the delegates. In some cases he stopped, even whilst at
press, the report of votes and speeches, which would have
done the greatest harm.
They have endeavoured to lay open our dependence upon
Portugal and Spain for raw materials (he tells Boulton), and
what is much more important the extent of our clandestine
commerce with France, and they would have laid bare the
channels of communication also, but happily the Committee
did not know them. . . . . I am just wearied out (he continues)
with the nonsense of some & the pertness & abuse of others, &
if I am not supported from the country soon, either by letters
or by some of the members arriving at the Chamber, I must
quit my post, for I have been buffeted & teased beyond human
patience. Some of my friends say let the Chamber go to the
Devil. I say mo–we may want it hereafter. It should be new
modelled (about which I shall be glad to consult my friends in
Birmingham) but not demolished."
For a time the Chamber—as Wedgwood told Mr. Eden
—‘slept;’ it was then probably remodelled, and continued
in existence till at least the close of his life. But, from
the date of the Commercial Treaty, its deliberations and
acts came but little before the public. -
Thus unfettered, the great natural trade between France
and England was rapidly developed. Sykes, of Paris,
who had already dealt in many articles in jasper ware,
gave further orders; and, in February 1787, Josiah Wedg-
wood the younger visited the capital, and confirmed a
treaty with M. Daguerre for the sale of the finest class of
nourably acquitted; the informer | much of his correspondence with
being convicted of perjury and sen- them on business subjects, chiefly
tenced to two years' imprisonment. political, is still in existence, as also
Mr. Walker, who died in 1819, was a fine portrait by Romney.
on terms of intimacy with many of * Wedgwood to Boulton, February
the chief characters of the time; and 23, 1787. Soho MSS. 4.
CHAP. XI. SYKES ANI) DAGUERRE. 563
goods; and, later in the year, Wedgwood himself, accom-
panied by an interpreter, spent a fortnight there. No
record of this visit exists, nor of one made previously.
Merchants in other parts of France—as at Brest, Dun-
kirk, L'Orient—also opened commissions; and Sykes, as
a symbol of the Treaty, sent Mr. Wedgwood, as also Mr.
Byerley—whom he had known some time—the present
each of a handsome waistcoat.
Flaxman, as we have seen, had finished his two models
for bas-reliefs to commemorate the passing of the Com-
mercial Treaty in January and March 1787. By June,
Some copies were finished and included in an invoice of
Ornamental ware sent to London, being marked at the
price of £3 each. In relation to these, and his engage-
ments with MM. Daguerre and Sykes, Mr. Wedgwood, a
few days later, wrote thus to Mr. Eden:–
I have made an engagement with M. Daguerre & Mr. Sykes
at Paris, & am to serve only two in that place; both these
engagements are only for one year. I take a share of the risk
along with M. Daguerre, & have sent a considerable assortment
to Rouen which I hope will be with him in a little time. I
have also made an exclusive agreement with Mr. Sykes for the
city of Bordeaux to which place also I have sent a cargo of
goods. I have refused many correspondents, & I am afraid I
shall not able to supply these two sufficiently in addition to my
old friends.-I have modelled two bas-reliefs representing the
Commercial Treaty with France. One of these consists of three
figures. Mercury as the God of Commerce uniting the hands
of England and France. On the other bas-relief is represented
the Temple of Janus shut & the door bolted by two caducei;
Mars in a violent rage is going to burst the door open with
his spear, but Peace arrests his arm and says, or seems to say,
that the door so bolted is not to be broke open. I hope you
will have received the first pair I made, which I sent by the
diligence for expedition, desiring M. Daguerre to deliver them
to you. When his cargo arrives, if you should see anything
O O 2
564 COMMEMORATIVE BAS-RELIEFS. Chap. XI.
you would like to present to your friends, you know I shall
esteem myself honoured by your acceptance of them."
The bas-relief of Mercury here given (fig. 144) was the
one most popular. A considerable number of both were
(Fig. 144.) Bas-RELLE.F. MERCURY JOINING THE BLANDS OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE.
MoDELLED BY PLAxM.A.N.-TULK COLLECTION.
dispersed in this country and on the continent; but they
have now become extremely rare, and sell for ten or a
dozen times their original price. The bas-relief from
which this copy is taken is one of the finest in existence,
and once belonged to Flaxman.”
Wedgwood reaped little personal benefit from the
* Journal and Correspondence of in the possession of Frederick Lock-
Lord Auckland, vol. i. p. 428-9, yer, Esq.
* Another fine but smaller copy is

CHAP. XI. ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE TRADE. 565
Treaty of Commerce. Sykes was a bad paymaster; dis-
putes arose with M. Daguerre; and the breaking out of
the French Revolution annulled at once the Treaty and its
liberal principles of navigation and commerce. Much
beautiful ware, grey jasper with white medallions, sent to
the Princesses of France, brought no remuneration; and
a splendid service, ordered by Phillip Howard, Esq., for
the Cardinal de Rohan, seems, after many adventures and
roundabout methods of conveyance, to have been seized
by the mob of Strasburg, and broken in a million frag-
ments, so hated and infamous was the name of the royal
favourite.
From July 1787 till the close of his life Wedgwood
was more or less active in the cause of the Abolition of
Slavery. He formed one of the Society's Committee, and
attended it whenever he was in town. He contributed
largely to its funds, and wrote long letters to those of his
friends who had been led to believe that slavery was a
good rather than an evil, in relation to the negro race. In
some instances—as in that of Anna Seward—he had the
happiness of converting them to his own views. In con-
nection with Mr. Sneyd and others, he organised country
meetings; and he was in constant
correspondence with Clarkson as to
pamphlets, letters, enquiries, and all
the general business of the society.
Under his directions Hackwood mo–
delled a design of a seal for the
society, which was laid before the
Committee on October 16, 1787. This are us, ºo, exce
design —as seen in the illustration ...” “”
(fig. 145)—was highly approved of:
a seal was ordered to be engraved from it; and in

566 HACKWOOD'S DESIGN FOR A SEAL. CHAP. XI.
1792, Wedgwood, at his own expense, had a block cut
from the design as a frontispiece illustration for One of
Clarkson's pamphlets. His own manufactory also made
good use of the drawing. Seals in all the various bodies,
and cameos in jasper—the ground white, the relief black
— were made in large quantities, and distributed gra-
tuitously, as well as sold. Clarkson himself received
more than five hundred seals and cameos; and as the
cause gained popularity, so also did the design of the
Slave. As a seal, a ring, a shirt-pin, or coat-buttons,
gentlemen wore it; as also ladies, in every possible form,
even mounted as pins for their hair." Through his friend
Phillips, the bookseller, Wedgwood sent some of the
cameos to the illustrious Franklin, and by the hand of an
amanuensis—for he was ill at the time—wrote thus:—
I enclose for the use of yourself & friends a few cameos, on a
subject which I am happy to acquaint you is daily more & more
taking possession of men's minds on this side of the Atlantic as
well as with you. It gives me great pleasure to be embraced
on this occasion in the same great & good cause with yourself,
& I ardently hope for the final completion of our wishes. This
will be an epoch before unknown to the world, & while relief
is given to millions of our fellow-creatures immediately the
object of it, the subject of freedom will be more canvassed &
better understood in the enlightened nations.”
Then, referring to his indisposition, which prevents
his saying more, he begs ‘to be considered, Sir, among
the number of those who have the highest veneration for
your virtues, & gratitude for the benefits you have con-
ferred on society.’ Wedgwood did not live to see the
fruition of these hopes, as the Bill for the Abolition of
1 Clarkson's History of the Abo- ary 29, 1788. Mayer MSS. This
lition of the African Slave Trade, letter is sketched outin pencil on the
vol. ii. p. 162. back of one from James Phillips, the
2 Wedgwood to Franklin, Febru- Quaker bookseller.
CIIAP. XI. MINERAL PRODUCTS FROM SYDNEY COVE. 567
the Slave-Trade was not passed till the Parliamentary
Session of 1807; but his efforts to advance this good
cause, and to increase public sympathy in its behalf, were
not amongst the least prominent of those by which he
sought to leave the world better than he found it.
In 1790 Wedgwood contributed his last paper to the
‘Philosophical Transactions.’ It related to the analysis
of a mineral substance which had been sent from New
South Wales in 1789. It was a Inixture of fine white
sand, a soft white earth, some colourless micaceous par-
ticles, and a few black ones; resembling black mica or
black lead, partly loose or detached from each other, and
partly cohering together in little friable lumps. The
exhaustive analysis he employed led him to the conclusion
that this substance was a species of pure plumbago or
black lead, not hitherto taken notice of by any writer;
but the quantity he had for analysis was too small for
him to determine if it contained zinc, as found by Lavoi-
sier in similar experiments." With this mineral, Sir
Joseph Banks had forwarded some clay from the same
colony, which upon trial Wedgwood found to be of
excellent quality. To give proof of this, the idea occurred
to him to form from it some medallions, with a view to
encourage the arts and to inspire hope, amidst many
difficulties, in the breasts of those distant colonists. It
was a compliment likewise to the eminent naturalist who
was with Cook when he traced the eastern shores of
Australia, discovered the flowery treasures of Botany Bay,
and the unrivalled harbour of Port Jackson; and who,
since then, when the Government of this country saw that,
with America, it had lost its penal settlements and must
* Philosophical Transactions, vol. lxx. p. 306 ut supra.
568 - MEDALLION OF HOPE. CHAP. XI.
look elsewhere, had greatly aided in dispatching the first
band of colonists. Webber, as the foremost artist at
Etruria, modelled the medallion; and the result, as seen
in the engraving, was exquisite. The figure of Hope
(Fig. 146.) oval. MEDALLion. Hope Appnessing peace, LABour, AND PLENTY.
MoDELLED BY wººn.-MAYER co-lºcºmox.
standing on a rock, with an anchor and a cornucopia at
her feet, and addressing the three typical personages
before her, is delicately rendered; whilst the neighbouring
ocean, and the wild country yet to subdue and till, form
an appropriate background. The model inspired Darwin
with poetic fervour; and, classing with it the Slave in-
taglio and cameo and the Barberini Vase, he thus wrote:-
Whether, 0 Friend of Art! the gem you mould
Rich with new taste, with ancient virtue bold;
From the poor fetter'd Slave on bended knee,
From Britain's sons imploring to be free;
Or with fair Hope the brightening scenes improve,
And cheer the dreary wastes at Sydney Cove;
Or bid mortality rejoice and mourn
O'er the fine forms on Portland's mystic urn.

CHAP. XI. DARWIN'S APOSTROPHES. 569
Whether, O Friend of Artſ your gems derive
Fine forms from Greece, and fabled Gods revive;
Or bid from modern life the Portrait breathe,
And bind round Honour’s brow the laurel-wreath;
Buoyant shall sail, with Fame's historic page,
Each fair medallion o'er the wrecks of age;
Nor Time shall mar, nor Steel, nor Fire, nor Rust
Touch the hard polish of the immortal bust.
These verses, which greatly pleased Mr. Wedgwood,
were sent to him whilst staying at Blackpool for the
(Fig. 147.) canico Mºnal Lion, sin. Joseph Banks.-MAYER collection.
benefit of his health; and, a little later, they met the
approbation of the Queen. In November, the earliest

570 IDECLINING THEALTH. CHAP. XI.
copies of the medallion were ready, and, gracefully con-
signed to Sir Joseph Banks (fig. 147), were dispatched by
the first ship to the far-away colony."
In 1787 Wedgwood again suffered from spectra in
the eyes, and throughout the autumn of that year he was
occasionally very ill. In the spring of the year following,
during a visit to London with Miss Wedgwood, he was
seized with shortness of breath ; and, on recovering from
this, a severe pain in his amputated limb greatly affected
him. It was a nervous and imaginary affection, for it
seemed to afflict the limb long before removed; and it
was not till Darwin's skill was brought to bear that real
alleviation came. For some years he had suffered from
this pain, the result of general decay, long-standing disease,
and several more or less severe injuries to his amputated
limb. In September 1776 he had been thrown from
his horse, and for some time after he moved about on
crutches; and in 1785 two accidents, whilst in London,
added injurious effects. But he had now the happiness
of being aided by his sons in his multifarious business.
Upon his removal from Warrington Academy, young
John Wedgwood had joined his brother Josiah in Edin-
burgh, and together they had carried on their respective
* The medallion of Hope, as well
as the design of the Slave, were en-
graved for the first part of the Bo-
tanic Gardens, ‘The Economy of
Vegetation.” In reference to these,
Wedgwoodwrites: ‘The Slave comes
in so well, & so extremely apropos,
where you have placed it, that I
should be sorry to have it removed,
& I do not see how it can be so well
filled up by any other, especially as
considering it as a companion to the
Hope of Sydney Cove, But I cheer-
fully resign him into the hands of
the powerful magician who can work
wonders, who can liquefy the granite
and still harder flint, into the
softest poetic numbers, & with the
breath of his mouth waft their va-
ried productions to the most distant
ages.”—Wedgwood to Darwin, July
1789. Darwin, on the other hand,
was charmed with the medallion :-
‘I have received great pleasure from
your excellent medallion of Hope.
The figures are all finely beautiful,
& speak for themselves.”—Darwin
to Wedgwood, December 1, 1789.
T}arwin Correspondence.
CHAP. XI. LESLIE THE MATHEMIATICIA.N. 57.1
studies. In 1786 they returned home, and, under the
guidance of Chisholm, continued certain parts of their
education whilst attending business at the works. Sub-
sequently Mr. John Leslie, afterwards Professor of Mathe-
matics in the University of Edinburgh, became for a time
resident tutor at Etruria. But young John Wedgwood's
health was indifferent, and he varied business by occa-
sional change and travel. One season, as we have seen,
he was on the Continent with Webber—at another he
made a tour in Wales. Josiah and Thomas were thus
the home-stayers; and, by the spring of 1788, the former
was able to take a very active part in the higher details
of the manufacture. We find his father writing to him
with respect to some smelling-bottles, on which were
small bas-reliefs or cameo-likenesses of the ‘Stadtholder
and Princess, and also with respect to a fluted altar
flower-pot with a patera at top. This last, he wrote, ‘is
very well executed & a very good thing. These two
articles do you credit as a potter, & will help to give you
our confidence in future orders.’ He then proceeds to
give some artistic hints, and adds: “Such little touches and
finishings show the master in works of art.”
At this date, and subsequently, the works at Etruria
were in the highest state of efficiency. One of the pro-
ductions was a medal commemorative of the recovery of
the King. Some of these were sent to Lord Auckland,
then Ambassador at the Court of Madrid, and with them
Wedgwood wrote:–
I have great pleasure to tell you that the ladies are still so
good as to continue my cameos in fashion, & in order to merit
this as far as I am able, I endeavour to introduce all the novelty
* Wedgwood to Josiah Wedgwood the younger, April 16, 1788.
572 MODELS FOR CAMEOS. Chap. XI.
& as much good work as I can procure for their subjects. I
employ several modellers constantly in Rome, & get what I can
from Paris, & am very happy when I can have anything done
by our own artists in England; but my works are too small &
delicate for them, so that little assistance can be obtained in
England, except what is done under my own eye at Etruria.
Other and greater works were also on hand, the
crowning fruits of a long and laborious life.
* Wedgwood to Lord Auckland, July 5, 1789. Eden MSS.
Coºnton ATION CAMEO.-MAYER Corºcºrrow.

(HAPTER THE TWELFTH.
THE BARBERINI VASE—BROUGHT TO ENGLAND BY SIR. W. HAMILTON
—SOLD TO THE DUCHIESS OF PORTLAND–HER SECRECY-THE SALE OF
HER. MUSEUM-THE WASE PURCHASED BY HER SON, AND LENT TO
WEDGWOOD-SIR. W. H.AMILTON.—DIFFICULTIES-THE SUBJECT OF
THE BAS-RELIEFS–CRITICAL DIFFERENCES–DEATH OF MP. THOMAS
well GWOOD, SENIOR-PARTNERSHIP CHANGES–THOMAs wedgwooD,
JUNIOR-AN ARDENT SCHOLAR–SILVERED WARE—THE FIRST GERMS
OF MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY-FLAXMAN IN ROME–ARTISTS EMPLOYED
FOR MIR, WEDGWOOD-DEWAERE–BAS-RELIEFS–DALMAZZONI—SUB-
ORI) INATE MODELLERS–THEIR WORTH-A FINE COPY OF THE BAR-
BERINT WASE EFFECTED–SEIOWN TO THE QUEEN–TAKEN ABROAD
BY JOSIAH WEDGWOOD, JUNIOR, AND MR. BYERLEY-LORD AUCKLAND
—WRITES IN PRAISE OF YOUNG WIEDG WOOD-PRICE–JOSIAIH THE
YOUNGER AS A POTTER—PIRACIES-WEDGWOOD's HOLIDAYS-IIIs
TOUR IN WAT, ES–A. ROMAN PAVEMENT—HIS LOWIE OF GARDENING—
TIOSPITALITY-PASSION FOR BOOKS-CORRESPONDENCE—BENEFI –
CEN CE—POLITICAL OPINIONS-MRS. BENTLEY-BOUT, TON.—CANDOTU R
WITH PRIESTLEY—HIS LARGE FORTUNE
DISLIKES ACCOUNT-KTFEP-
ING—CHARACTERISTICS.–SIMPLICITY. —INCREASING VALUE OF HIS
ARTISTIC WORKS-MODERN PLAQUES—SIR WILLIAM HOOKER's
MONUMENT—LAST LABOURS–ILLNESS AND DEATH –MONUMENT BY
FLAXMAN.
CHAPTER XII.
FINAL WORKS.
HE Barberini Vase was brought to this country by Sir
William Hamilton at the close of December 1784.
Its fame through the AEdes Barberinae, the works of
Bartoli' and Montfaucon,” the published travels of Brevil
and Misson, and the reports of countless connoisseurs and
men of letters, had long preceded it. It is therefore
not surprising that the Duchess Dowager of Portland,
whose passion for augmenting her Museum amounted
to almost a monomania, and who probably knew of
Sir William's purchase, should be the first to visit him
upon his arrival at his hotel in King Street, St. James's.
Whether she saw the vase on this occasion is unknown,
but four days after we find her, through Mrs. Delany,
sending her proposal to Sir William by his neice Miss
Hamilton, maid of honour to the Queen. Much negotia-
tion followed. For some reason or another it was carried
on by the respective ladies in the most secret manner.
By whispers, signs, confabulations in their parlours and
bedchambers, and by notes.” At length after two or
three interviews between Sir William and the Duchess,
1 Gli Antichi Sepolcri, 1704. * Autobiography of Mrs. Delany,
* L'Antiquité Expliquée. Paris, vol. vi. pp. 191, 199, 200, 205.
1719, vol. v. b. 11. c. vi.
576 SALE OF THE PORTLAND MUSEUM, CHAP. XII.
the negotiation was settled, and the Barberini Vase, as
also two antique gems in intaglio, Hercules slaying the
Hydra, in cameo, a head of Augustus, and a mosaic ring,
passed into her hands. Previous to its removal, Sir
William showed the vase to many of his artistic and
literary friends; amongst whom were Miss Burney, Warton
the poet, and Mrs. Carter of classical fame. But from the
date of the Duchess's possession till her death in the
following year, July 17, 1785, the vase was lost to all
but a few tried and confidential friends, so rigidly did the
Duchess keep the secret of her purchase, especially from her
own family. It is evident that they had greatly dissented
to the sums she had spent on her Museum, as possession
or rarity more than merit or intrinsic value had been her
passion ; and it was well known that she had paid enor-
mous sums for comparatively worthless articles. A glance
even at this day through the sale Catalogue will show
that a large number of items in the collection were simply
duplicates; particularly in the class of shells. Wedgwood,
who was already busy with some attempts to imitate the
vase from the plate in his copy of Montfaucon, and who,
as we have seen, through the business of the Irish Propo-
sitions, and the then pending Commercial Treaty with
France, was in frequent communication with the Duke,
opened a treaty for its possession, for Darwin writes,
“I shall be glad to hear that you have purchased at the
price you wished the famous vase.” But the Duke, if he
wished to dispose of the Museum, was also desirous of
retaining some few of its treasures; and the treaty from
this cause, or some other, came to nothing. In the spring
succeeding, the whole Museum was sold at the late
* Darwin to Wedgwood, January 29, 1786, Darwin Correspondence.
CHAP. XII. LOAN OF THE BARBERINI VASE. 577
Duchess's residence in Privy Gardens, Whitehall. The
sale beginning April 24, ended June 7, 1786, thus ex-
tending through thirty-five days, there being 4155 lots."
It has been said that Wedgwood was present at the sale,
and tried to out-bid the Duke ; but one part of this
tradition is incorrect, and the other may be so. The Duke
of Portland was represented by Mr. Tomlinson, who
bought in the vase at the price of £1029, the cameo of
Jupiter Serapis at £173 5s., and that of Augustus Caesar
at £236 5s.” The truth probably is, that His Grace and
Mr. Wedgwood had come to the previous understanding,
that the one should buy in the vase, and the other have
its loan for the purpose of artistic copy; for three days
after the sale this famous antique passed into Wedgwood's
care, his receipt of possession, and promise of return,
being attested by Mr. Byerley.” -
A fortnight later Mr. Wedgwood consulted by letter
Sir William Hamilton on the difficulties of the task before
him. After speaking of the Duke of Portland's gracious
kindness, and his hope that its present name of the
Portland Vase would never depart from it, he continues:—
When I first engaged in this work and had Montfaucon only
to copy I proceeded with spirit and sufficient assurance that I
should be able to equal or excel if permitted, that copy of the
vase; but now that I can indulge myself with full and repeated
* The Vase was the last lot. Cata-
logue, p. 194.
* Gent.'s Mag., vol. lvi. part 1, p.
540.
* “I do hereby acknowledge to have
borrowed and received from His
Grace the Duke of Portland, the
Vase described in the 4155 lot of the
catalogue of the Portland Museum,
and also the cameo-medallion of the
head of Augustus Caesar being the
lot of the same catalogue and both
WOL. II.
sold by auction by Messrs. Skinner
the 7th day of the present month of
June, 1786, & I do hereby promise
to deliver back the said Vase and
Cameo in safety into the hands of
his Grace upon demand.
Witness my hand this 10th day of
June, 1786,
Jos WEDGWooD.
| (Signed in the presence of)
THOS BYERLEY."
P P
578 ANTICIPATED DIFFICULTIES. CHAP. XII.
examinations of the original work itself, my crest is much fallen,
and I should scarcely muster sufficient resolution to proceed if
I had not too precipitately perhaps, pledged myself to many of
my friends to attempt it in the best manner I am able. Being
so pledged, I must proceed; but shall stop at certain points till
I am favoured with your kind advice and assistance.
Wedgwood then goes on to tell Sir William of the faith
he has in Webber's high ability as a modeller, the
capacity of the jasper body to be cut and polished at the
seal engraver's lathe, and also of its property of taking a
blue tint from cobalt of any degree of strength. He then
proceeds :—
It is apparent that the artist has availed himself very ably of
the dark ground in producing the perspective & distance required,
by cutting the white away nearer to the ground as the shades were
wanted deeper, so that the white is often cut to the thinness of
paper, & in some instances quite away, & the ground itself
makes a part of the bas-relief; by which means he has given to
his work the effect of painting as well as sculpture; and it will
be found that a bas-relief with all the figures of a uniform white
colour upon a dark ground will be a very faint resemblance of
what this artist has had the address to produce by calling in the
aid of colour to assist his relief. That hollowness of the rocks,
& depth of shade in other parts, produced by cutting down to
the dark ground, & to which it owes no small part of its beauty,
would all be wanting, & a disgusting flatness appear in their
stead. It is here that I am most sensible of my weakness, &
that I must of necessity call in the engraver to my assistance,
in order to produce the highest finished & closest copies we are
capable of making. But in this resource difficulties arise, & I
fear insurmountable ones; for how few artists have we in this
branch whose touches would not carry ruin with them to these
beautiful & high wrought figures | And suppose one or two could
be found equal to the task, would such artists be persuaded to quit
a lucrative branch of their profession, & devote half a life to a
single work, for which there is little probability of their being
paid half so much as they earn by their present employment;
for I do not think £5,000 for the execution of such a vase, sup-
CHAP. XII. THE ORIGINAL VASE. 579
posing our best artists capable of the work, would be at all equal
to their gains from the works they are now employed in ; & the
taste of the present age, you well know Sir, is not awake, not-
withstanding all you have done to rouse it, to works of much
time and great expense. Here then I stand greatly in need of
your assistance, for unless some new expedient can be happily
thought of, we must submit to the loss of a beauty, which we
are perhaps capable of producing if all other circumstances were
capable of bringing it forward. —I suppose it is admitted that
the form of the vase is not so elegant, as it might be made if
the artist had not been possessed of some very good reason for
contenting himself with the present form—either perhaps that
he would engage the whole undivided attention of the spectator
to his sculpture—the vase itself being the production of an
inferior artist, the verrier — or because the material made use of
under the circumstances necessary for the display of his art,
that is, the body being made of one colour, and the surface
covered over to a due thickness with another, was not capable
of taking a form with those delicate parts on which its beauty
as a simple vase would in a great measure depend, & which
might be given to a vase made of metal or any more manageable
materials.-Now though we should suppose the latter to be the
case, I suppose you would still advise me to copy the form of
the vase as well as the figures. But what I wish to ask you is,
whether you would forbid me to apply these figures to any other
form of a vase, or with the addition of any borders, or other
Ornaments.
Mr. Wedgwood then proceeds to discuss the question
of different classes of copies, to suit the requirements of
purchasers of varied means. He then adds:–
In examining the bas-reliefs upon the vase, there appear a few
palpable slips of the artist's attention, both in drawing & execu-
tion, as you have no doubt yourself observed. Would it be advis-
able in these cases to make any deviation from the original, or to
copy as close as we can its defects as well as its beauties P. Most
of the figures have their surfaces partially decayed by time.
When we mould from these figures, may we venture to restore
their original smoothness, with care to preserve the drawing &c.,
or let the copies pass deficient as time has left the original?
P P 2
580 BARBERINI BLACK. CHAP. XII.
. . . Several gentlemen have urged me to make my copies of
the vase by subscription, & have honoured me with their names
for that purpose; but I tell them, and with great truth, that I
am extremely diffident of my ability to perform the task they
kindly impose upon me; and they shall be perfectly at liberty
when they see the copies, to take or refuse them ; and on these
terms I accept of subscriptions, chiefly to regulate the time of
delivering out the copies, in rotation, according to the dates on
which they honour me with their names."
We have no clue to Sir William's answer to these ques-
tions; but the result makes it probable that he advised
a strict keeping to the original, except so far as to correct
defects arising from artistic lapses or decay. From this
date till July 1789, a period of three years, we hear
nothing further of the vase. Webber must have com-
pleted his modelling by the summer of 1767, as in the
July of that year herepaired to Rome, and was absent more
than a twelvemonth. But there were other difficulties
than those connected with the earlier portions of the
artistic work. It took time, skill, and extraordinary
patience to hit the exact tint of body colour; which, para-
dox as it may seem, was black and yet blue. Even as
late as May 1790, they were still busy with trials for
‘Barberini black.” The lathe work and polishing also
required the rarest patience and ability. In July 1789
no perfect copy had yet been effected. ‘The prospect
however brightens upon me,’ writes Mr. Wedgwood at
that date to Lord Auckland, then Ambassador at Madrid;
‘ and after having made several defective copies, I think
I begin to see my way to the final completion of it.”
Three months later his hopes were rewarded. The first
* Wedgwood to , Sir William of a mixture of blue and black, and
Hamilton, January 24, 1786. then dipped in black.
* Mems, from London to Etruria, * Wedgwood to Lord Auckland,
May 9, 1790. The best was made July 29, 1789, Eden MSS.
CHAP, XII. THE BARBERINI VASE, 581
perfect copy was accomplished, although not so fine in
all respects as the one taken abroad by Josiah Wedgwood,
junior, and Mr. Byerley in the succeeding year. This
first vase was sent to Derby for Dr. Darwin's inspection,
but under strict injunctions not to show it except to his
family. The Doctor was however too proud to be con-
servative. “I have disobeyed you, he writes, ‘and shown
your vase to two or three, but they were philosophers,
not cogniscenti. How can I possess a jewel, and not
communicate the pleasure to a few Derby philosophers?' "
The Barberini Vase was discovered between the years
1623 and 1644, during the pontificate of Urban VIII.
(Barberini), beneath a mound of earth called Monte del
Grano, about three miles from Rome on the road to the
ancient Tusculum. It was enclosed in a sarcophagus of
excellent workmanship, and this in a sepulchral chamber.
An inscription on the sarcophagus, which was otherwise
covered with fine bas-reliefs, showed it to have been
dedicated to the memory of the Emperor Alexander
Severus and his mother Julia Mamaea, both of whom were
killed in the year 235 during a revolt in Germany. The
vase, in height ten inches, was deposited in the library of
the Barberini family, and the sarcophagus in the Museum
of the capital. The material of which the former was
composed was by Montfaucon and others conjectured to
be a precious stone, but Mr. Wedgwood's examination
proved it to be formed of glass; the ground being a dark
blue, so nearly approaching black as to appear of that
colour except when held in a strong light. The white
bas-reliefs are of glass or paste ; the material having
been fused on in a mass, and then cut out by the
| Darwin to Wedgwood, October, 1780. Darwin Correspondence.
582 THE SUBJECT OF ITS BAS-RELIEFS. CHAP. XII.
skill and patience of the gem engraver into the designs
required. The subjects of these bas-reliefs, as also the age
and place of production of the vase, are points so wholly
unknown as to be still open to conjecture and criticism.
With respect to the first every critic has differed. The
Italians and French first entered upon the discussion; and
the introduction of the vase into England was a signal for
the critics here. Mr. Charles Greville, who published
some very fine engravings by Bartolozzi of the vase,
considered the bas-reliefs typified the death and resurrec-
tion of Adonis. Darwin, who consulted Warburton's
Divine Legation, and many other works, thought the
bas-reliefs bore reference to the Eleusinian mysteries, and
this, with some trifling difference, was the view adopted
by Wedgwood in his pamphlet on the vase. Another
critic, Dr. King, in entire ignorance of the arts of
antiquity and their best periods, conjectured that these
designs bore reference to the birth and acts of the
Emperor Alexander Severus," whilst a far more learned
and enlightened critic of our own day considers that
one of the groups represents Peleus approaching Thetis.
These critical differences might be repeated to a weari-
some extent. It is on the whole perhaps safest to
conclude, that the subjects of the bas-reliefs are simply a
heathen and poetised allegory on the trials of human
life, and its close. Such vases, as in the case of the Greek
encaustic vases prepared for the Olympian games, may
have been designed with a view to a general purpose,
rather than a particular one. Of the vase itself, if it does
belong to the best period of Grecian art, that prior to the
age of Alexander, it may have formed a portion of those
* Archaeologia, vol. viii. p 307–315. * King's Antique Gems, p. 194.
CHAP. XII. TASSIE'S COPIES. 583
innumerable spoils which we learn from Livy, Plutarch,
and other writers were poured into Rome, as proofs of
subjugation and conquest. But it is questionable if the
Greeks excelled as much in the art of the verrier as in
that of the potter; whilst the Alexandrians, at a date
when Rome was in its glory, supplied the most match-
less specimens in glass and paste the world had yet seen.
Wedgwood discovered that the Portland vase had been
broken previously and repaired, as also that the bas-relief
head which forms the bottom had belonged originally to
some other vase or fragment of antiquity, and that it had
been ground down and then inserted by processes far
inferior to those used by the original artist. A mould of
the vase was made by Peckler the gem engraver, whilst it
was in the possession of the Barberini family, and from
this, on its first arrival in England, a certain number of
copies were taken in plaster of Paris by Tassie, who
afterwards destroyed the mould."
: At the close of 1788 Mr. Wedgwood had to regret the
loss of his able partner and cousin, Thomas Wedgwood;
and fifteen months later he himself retired from the more
active part of his business. From the death of Mr.
Bentley to January 16, 1790, the whole concern had been
exclusively his own; but from this last date to June 30,1793,
the firm consisted of Josiah Wedgwood, Sons and Byerley.
The eldest and youngest sons, John and Thomas Wedg-
wood, then retired; and from this date till the 20th of
January 1785, the partnership consisted of Josiah Wedg-
wood, senior, Josiah Wedgwood, junior, and Thomas
Byerley.” Upon his retirement from the firm in January
* Of these, which are now extremely years ago, has become of great value.
rare, one is in the possession of Dr. * It had to be carried on nominally
Rendrick of Warrington, and since in Wedgwood's name for a few days
the serious injury to the orginal a few subsequent to his death.
584 THOMAS WEDGWOOD. CHAP. XII,
1792, Mr. John Wedgwood became a junior partner in the
London and Middlesex Bank, Stratford Place, London; and
the youngest, whose health began to show symptoms of
decline, quitted the details of business for the change of
home and foreign travel, and the society of various literary
and scientific friends. Trained in science by Chrisholm,
and guided through the higher department of mathe-
matics by John Leslie, afterwards Professor in the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh, we find him taking interest in the
most abstract questions. During the period he was con-
nected with the manufactory he ordinarily supplemented
the duties of the day by rigorous study carried on till far
into the night. On several occasions his father deplores
this passion, and expresses a fear ‘that Tom is hurting
himself.” Yet he was no mere bookworm. Whilst health
lasted he took interest in such athletic exercises as cricket
and bowling, and formed one of a body of young men
known as the ‘Staffordshire Bowmen.” They wore a
handsome uniform, and met for regular drill and exercise
with the bow.” He was also a skilful draughtsman,
having received, as did the rest of Mr. Wedgwood's
children, lengthened instruction from Webber. In 1788
it was proposed he should study in Rome, but Webber,
who was there at the time, advised a more thorough
mastery of the principles of art before repairing thither.
The plan was therefore changed for a brief visit to
Germany, Florence, and Venice. For a period he seems
to have been most active and skilful as a potter. He
sketched out new patterns of every kind, both for useful
and ornamental ware ; and his scientific experiments led
1 ‘Tom is very good, he labours * In December 1792, Thomas
too hard at his studies & the works | Wedgwood pays Boulton a bill of
together.' Wedgwood to Josiah £51 6s. for buttons for the use of
Wedgwood, junior, October 10, 1790. his corps, Soho MSS.
|
- |
|
:
|




Chap. XII. SILVERED WARE. 585
in turn to improvements. To solve some problems con-
nected with light he used silver differently prepared, and
his observations thereon led to the invention of what was
termed “silvered ware,” namely a pattern of dead or bur-
nished silver upon a black earthenware body.' We
first hearof this ware in February 1791 and the engraving
(fig. 148) will give some idea of this unique contrast. But
º
º-
(Fig. 148.) silvººd wane. TEATRAY-FALCRE coul-ECTION.
the love of science prevailed over all. In November 1790
he was busy with experiments on quicksilver; and in
1791 Burley, his father's Birmingham mounter, prepared
him solid cylinders of silver, some highly polished, others
not. Barometer tubes of peculiar construction were also
made for him; and silver wire of singular fineness. Ni-
trate of silver was sent down from Apothecaries' Hall, and
the best mathematical instrument maker of the day made
* Thomas Wedgwood to Byerley, February 1791, Mayer MSS.


586 & EARLY PHOTOGRAPHY. CHAP, XII.
him dividers and other instruments of the utmost delicacy."
His father, as early as 1774, had used the camera obscura
in taking views for the Russian service; and Dr. Turner
of Liverpool, as it was well known, had either invented or
brought to tolerable perfection the art of copying prints
upon glass by striking off impressions with a coloured
solution of silver, and fixing them on the glass by baking
on an iron plate in a heat sufficient to incorporate the
solution with the glass. With knowledge thus obtained
and observation directed, it amounts to absolute certainty
that Thomas Wedgwood during some of his experiments
on the production of light from different bodies by heat
and attrition,” made certain discoveries, which led prac-
tically to the first principles of photography. He ad-
vanced so far as to throw objects on paper prepared with
the nitrate of silver, but neither at that date, nor in subse-
quent experiments with Sir Humphry Davy, could a
method be discovered to fix them there with any per-
manence. The impressions were even at the first faint,
and lapse of time has almost obliterated them. But
enough remains, as in the engraving from a breakfast-table
scene from one of these early pictures, to prove the truth
of the tradition handed down, that Thomas Wedgwood was
amongst the earliest discoverers of photography, or, as it
was then called, heliotype. This and another ‘silver
picture’ which remains “are wholly different in every
respect from the so-called photographs from Soho. The
latter were with much probability the product of some
* Mems, from Etruria to London, * Representing a man playing a
November 1, 1790. Thomas Wedg- || bagpipe. Both are very faint, so
wood to Burley, November 2, 1791. much so that in making his drawing
Ibid. 1792. Mayer MSS. of the breakfast table, the artist had
2 Published in 1791–2. Phil. to use a lense.
Trans, vol. lxxxii. pp. 28, 270. -
CHAP. XII. FLAXMAN IN ROME. 587
of Egginton's water-colour processes; whilst those from
Etruria are evidently due much more to scientific or che-
mical manipulation than to art. Thomas Wedgwood
made no secret of his discovery, though he did not
advance far enough to make it serve any practical pur-
pose; and his family, to whom the results of his experi-
ments were well known, can still supplement, through
testimony handed down, the proof derived from these
specimens of his valuable skill.
Upon reaching Italy in the autumn of 1787, Flaxman
and his wife, after spending some little time in viewing the
country and the remains of ancient art, took a house or
rooms in the Via Felice, Rome: and here the great sculp-
tor entered at once upon those labours of self-improvement
which had brought him to Italy. Wedgwood, with his
usual beneficence and enthusiasm for art, had very evi-
dently advanced a portion of the necessary funds for this
journey to Italy; and to liquidate this advance, as well
as keep open a running account for necessary payments,
Flaxman's arrangement with his friend seems to have
been this : to execute Occasionally, when time and other
engagements permitted, the model of some choice bas-
relief or other work for Mr. Wedgwood, but princi-
pally to suggest, Overlook, and give finishing touches to
the works of such artists as, hired expressly for the pur-
pose, should give the whole of their time and attention
in modelling either in direct copy of the antique, or in
compositions variously suggested from the same source.
This is borne out by what Flaxman says in a letter to
Byerley early in the spring of 1788.
I have seen the curiosities of Rome, Naples, and Paestum, and
have now got a good study (sic) and shall continue please God
uninterrupted in my pursuit and employments here, among which
588 HIS FRIEND JOHN DEVAERE, CHAP. XII.
I have been seeking a beautiful subject which I shall begin
immediately and finish in the best manner the instructions of
the finest works of antiquity will enable me, and employ all the
time I can for Mr. W--. When you write to Mr. Wedgwood
you will be so kind to inform him Mr. Devaere has been at work
with the utmost diligence ever since he has been here on the
bas-relief of the Borghese Vase in which he has succeeded very
well, but it will still take him some weeks to finish, and after he
has done I also shall have something to do to it. Mr. Wedgwood
will easily conceive as this is new work to Mr. D–– he must
needs be slow at first, especially as he takes so much pains. As
a proof he follows his studies well—he has already gained the
Pope's first silver medal, for a figure modelled at night in the
Roman Academy." -
The modeller here referred to had followed Flaxman
to Rome. He was the sculptor's personal friend, and
probably one of the French artists mentioned by Mr.
Wedgwood in his letter to Lord Auckland. His engage-
ment was at a certain yearly salary, which was to be
increased if he was diligent and successful. He was
eminently so, for Flaxman in the succeeding year had the
pleasure of sending word to Greek Street that ‘Mr.
Devaere had finished the bas-relief of Proserpine in the
most beautiful manner. His salary was not only increased,
but towards the latter part of his residence in Rome, Mr.
Wedgwood generously allowed him to take commissions
for work, and to employ only what time he could spare
for Etruria. He came over to England prior to Mr.
Wedgwood's death, and ultimately succeeded Webber at
the Ornamental Works; he was known there as John
De Were. Whilst in Rome he used Flaxman's atelier, and
thus his modelling was constantly open to the improve-
ments and suggestions of the sculptor, as also to his
| Flaxman to Byerley, dated Rome, March 15, 1788. Mayer MSS.
:

CHAP. XII, WEDGWOOD TO FLAXMAN, 589
finishing touches. In reference to him, Mr. Wedgwood
writes to Flaxman :—
I am much obliged for your kind attention and the employ-
ment of your good taste in the choice of subjects for Mr. Devaere's
modelling, and amongst them the last model of the Discovery of
Achilles, I admire very much for the spirit, action, and beauty
of the figures, as well as the interestingness of the story itself
The history of Orestes is an excellent classic subject likewise, &
its being divided into several groups might increase its useful-
ness, but there is one objection which I fear is insurmountable
and that is the nakedness of the figures. To clothe them would
not only be a great increase of labour, but would require the
hand of an experienced master in the art, and besides then the
piece would not be a copy from the antique. I know that the
nudities might be covered with leaves, but that is not enough.
The objection applies to the Judgment of Paris & other pieces;
and indeed the nude is so general in the works of the ancients
that it will be very difficult to avoid the introduction of naked
figures. On the other hand it is absolutely necessary to do so,
or to keep the pieces for our own use ; for none either male or
female of the present generation will take or apply them as
furniture if the figures are naked."
It does not appear if the bas-relief here referred to
is that where Achilles, in order to avenge the death of
Patroclus, leaps down from the wall into the ditch of Troy
and shows himself suddenly to the dismayed Trojans;
or to that other passage in his life where his sex is revealed
in the court of king Lycomedes by his seizing the armour
instead of choosing the jewels laid before him. If the
latter, and it probably is, we give it in the annexed full-
page woodcut—Achilles and the daughter of Lycomedes.
The figures are white on a black ground.
As already seen, Webber's visit to Italy took place at
* Wedgwood to Flaxman, February 11, 1790. The same objection ap-
plied to a beautiful bas-relief of Bacchantes at the Villa Albani.
590 SUBORDINATE ARTISTS EMPLOYED, CHAP. XII.
the same date as that of Flaxman's. The former upon his
arrival in Rome employed the services of a high-class
Italian artist named Angelo Dalmazzoni, and with him
and young John Wedgwood he made three lengthened
excursions in search of antique subjects from which to
model. Dalmazzoni's labours extended over a con-
siderable period; namely, from the autumn of 1787, to
probably, the close of Mr. Wedgwood's life. He worked
independently of Flaxman's control, and employed four or
five subordinate artists named Pacetti, Angelini, Manzo-
lini, Fratoddi, Mangiarotti, and Cades. Whilst Webber re-
mained in Rome, Dalmazzoni and his artists received pay-
ment and instructions from him; but after his departure,
an English resident named Jenkins transacted all such
necessary business as could not be immediately referred
to Greek Street or Etruria. Many of the models of bas-
reliefs sent to England were named as those of the first,
second, and third expeditions. Pacetti's works were
very numerous. They included figures reclining over
the Muses, figures from Homer, copies from Herculaneum,
and copies from bas-reliefs in the Museo Capitolino.
Amongst these were Priam kneeling before Achilles beg-
ging the body of his son Hector; the fable of Prometheus,
the original of which was on a small urn; the Triform
Goddess, who was called Luna in heaven, Diana on earth,
and Hecate in hell; Esculapius and Hygeia; the Simula-
crum of Hygeia; a Faun with three Spartan Bacchantes;
and Endymion sleeping on the rock Latmos. Amongst
other and more original subjects were Marcus Aurelius
making his son Commodus Caesar, Apotheosis of Faustina,
and the Nine Muses. Pacetti's labours also included the
whole life of Achilles, from his mother Thetis in childbed,
to his triumph over Hector. Angelini also modelled
:

3.

CHAP. XII. SUBJECTS MODELLED. 591
largely. To him are due the subjects of Apollo with the
Muse Erato; Pluto carrying off Proserpine, preceded by
Hercules, a Victory, and Mercury; the whole Fable of
Meleager; the Apotheosis of a young Prince; two Fauns;
two Bacchantes; and a Silenus, and several figures repre-
senting the pleasures of the Elysian fields in games,
dancing and banqueting." -
Fratoddi and Mangiarotti were cameo engravers, and
to these were assigned the copying on shells of the finest
antiques. Angelini also executed some of his best work
in cameo.” The models of the artists were usually laid
on fine slates; the modelling wax being a composition of
bees’-wax, a few drops of turpentine and a little vermilion
to give colour. Of these the artists also sent casts; and
after the recurrence of one or two accidents, from pressure
and the admission of sea water, the models, in accordance
with Mr. Wedgwood's desire, were sent by one ship and
the casts by another. With so many artists thus employed,
it may be presumed that these models were very nu-
merous. The bills of lading give boxes by almost every
ship that left Leghorn; and in some of these books, prints
and cameos were transmitted, which Flaxman, Jenkins,
or Dalmazzoni had purchased for Mr. Wedgwood. It
will thus be seen how little of the work of this period was
really Flaxman's. He had come to Rome to study, and
his application for this purpose was incessant. He had
also on hand as commissions a group of colossal size, the
Fury of Athamas, for Lord Bristol; the Cephalus and
Aurora for Mr. Hope; his designs for Homer, Æschylus and
Dante, besides some others. He may have overlooked
* Accounts and letters of Angelo the cameos is given by Dalmazzoni,
Dalmazzoni. Mayer MSS. but it is too long to quote in this
* A list of many of the subjects of | edition,
592 FLAXMAN’S BOOKS.
CHAP. XII.
many of these productions, and given finishing touches to
those of Devaere; but the large majority of the models
which are still assigned to him were in reality the work
of other artists." Of the subjects of his commissions for Mr.
Wedgwood during his seven years' residence at Rome
we have no direct evidence. That he executed some, is
clearly proved by the small yet continuous sums he was
always drawing upon Greek Street. He was also in fre-
quent correspondence with Mr. Byerley, who at that date
had his private house at Paddington, and who during
Flaxman's absence had kindly taken charge of a chest full
of books belonging to him. This was opened in July
1788, and Plato's Dialogues, Virgil's AEneid, Ovid's Meta-
morphoses, Apollo Ornus on the Egyptian Hieroglyphics,
and another, were taken therefrom, and forwarded to the
sculptor in Rome.” -
Of Pacetti's work,” we are enabled to give two ex-
amples, the Birth of Achilles, and Priam begging from
Achilles the body of his son Hector. The latter is taken
from the back of the sarcophagus of Alexander in the
Museo Capitolino. The third example, the Sacrifice of
Iphigenia, is also from the same source, and is, with little
doubt, the work of the same artist.* The Floral Sacrifice,
1 Mr. Chaffers confirms this state-
ment. The names of the artists were
originally fixed to each model.
* Flaxman to Byerley, July 8,
1788, Maye MSS.
* Of this bas-relief Dalmazzoni's
descriptionis most explicit. ‘Priam
kneeling before Achilles, begging
the body of his son Hector. The
young man standing by Hector is
Automedonates, his shield bearer.
The first vehicle is the car of Hector,
and the second the cart with presents
to Achilles.” Such are Dalmazzoni’s
words. But the young man standing
by Hector is not his shield bearer;
but Automedon the charioteer of
Achilles. As already seen this bas-
relief is mentioned in the first edition
of Wedgwood and Bentley's Cata-
logue. But this version of it must
have been in either the white biscuit
or basaltes body. Large jasper
tablets were not brought to perfec-
tion till 1778-9, and those with black
grounds, as in the one referred to
were coeval with the copies of the
Portland Vase, 1790-1791.
* Fine as this bas-relief is—an un-
draped copy in the Barlow collection
is still finer. Wedgwood was quite
right in saying that it took an experi-
(soiloartoo shoa) aoſ nuovs ºrvºorra v-ſarrºw-swa
ſ/\\ ，
ſ -
\， ,
ſ.

THE BARBERINI, on Portland vasº.

CHAP. XII. ARTISTIC JTUSTICE. 593
which accompanies the Birth of Achilles, is one of those
early subjects Flaxman modelled for Wedgwood.
If these fine bas-reliefs lose somewhat of classic interest
through it being thus proved on evidence not to be mis-
taken that they are the productions of men less famous
than Flaxman, they are nevertheless works of the highest
merit. If Devaere, Dalmazzoni and the rest worked thus
in the spirit of truth, and, giving us copies of antique art,
give also their antique grace and vitality of conception,
what a moral and indefensible wrong to assign to another
the worthy labour of their hands. Fictions of this cha-
racter serve neither art nor truth. So far as the former is
concerned, and the purposes it has to serve, it would be
even well if artists were less slaves to the ideas of an ob-
solete past; but rather, by recurring to nature as the
ancients did, enter upon the same boundless field of fresh-
ness, power and originality. We even think that had
Wedgwood, through his artists, been less a copyist, he
would have done more justice to himself; and anticipated
in a degree that newer age of “visible presentment' which
will be surely ours when artists—whether painters or
sculptors—shall seek to create in accordance with the
spirit of their time, rather than be lifeless imitators and
copyists of the obsolete ideas of an irrecoverable past.
The bas-relief of the Birth of Achilles has been hitherto
assigned to Flaxman, but if reliance is to be put on Dal-
mazzoni's own description, it is Pacetti's. In simplicity
and truth of conception, and in the grace of the female
and infantile figures, it is quite worthy of the great master.
It is also essentially true to that canon of his art—and
of the best age of Greek art too—that one idea should
enced master to clothe the figures of antique art, and even then the result is
never satisfactory.
WOL. II. Q Q
594 FIRST FINE COPY OF THE WASE, CHAP. XII.
govern the whole, and the field of representation be not
over-crowded.
By the close of April 1791 one of the finest copies of the
Portland Vase till then or subsequently made was brought
to London, and after being shown to the Queen by Mr.
Wedgwood's friend, M. de Luc, it was placed for some days
in the rooms of the Society of Antiquaries, and whilst
there, its entire similitude to the original was certified by
Sir Joshua Reynolds. Upon its removal thence to Greek
Street, tickets to view it were issued. Persons of the
highest rank and position availed themselves of this pri-
vilege; and when the show was closed it formed the gem
of a rich assortment of ornamental goods, taken abroad
by Josiah Wedgwood the younger and Mr. Byerley. Their
passport was signed on the 24th of June by the Duke of
Leeds, and by the 2nd of July they reached their first
point of destination—the Hague. Here, through the
friendship of Lord Auckland, the vase was shown during
a private interview to the Prince Stadtholder and the
Princess of Orange, and afterwards, at a breakfast given
by Lady Auckland, again to royalty and the chief people
of the Hague. The vase excited universal admiration;
and men whose lives had been passed amidst the arts de-
clared it to be a masterpiece. One, named Bost, who
had been long an admirer of Wedgwood's skill, and was
with his wife a collector of Wedgwood's works, considered
that no other manufacture in the world could pretend to
such a high degree of perfection. Lord Auckland was
equally enthusiastic. He considered such a work a
subject for national pride and an honour to the English
Ambassador who had occasion to show it. Great as this
praise was, he had that to say in sincerity which came
nearer still to the great potter's heart. After referring to
CHAP. XII. FOREIGN CRITICISM. 595
Wedgwood's pamphlet on the Wase, and gently hinting
that its explanations of the bas-reliefs did not satisfy him,
he added in his letter: -
But I will use the two or three minutes which I can further
dispose of to say a few words on a subject which with all your
enthusiasm for arts and Sciences probably interests you much
more. I mean your son. We all agree—and in this respect the
people of the Hague are not bad critics—that your son is a very
fine young man, with every appearance of having profitted fully
by the excellent education you have given him, and I have not
a doubt he will prove a source of great happiness and credit to
you."
After it had given much joy to the household at Etru-
ria, the father in his pride enclosed this letter to his son,
with congratulations on the honours which had already
attended his and Mr. Byerley's progress.
From the Hague the travellers proceeded to Amster-
dam, and thence to Hanover, Berlin and Frankfort.”
At Berlin the vase was shown to the royal family; but in
spite of generous hospitality and lavish praise, subscribers
were few. No price had yet been named, for Wedgwood
himself could hardly fix it.
With respect to the Barberini Vase, he writes to his son:
I do not yet know what to say about the price. I have not
yet been able to make another good one. I have tried five
more since you left us, but not one near so good as that you
have. So that unless we are more successful £50 is too little
to save us from loss. Perhaps it would not be amiss to say this
to some of the noblesse. However there is no appearance at
present of its being at all prudent to fix the price at less than
£50. What encouragement is there for the moderns to attempt
July 1790. Mayer MSS. Wedgwood, the elder, but this is a
* Whilst in Saxony Mr. Wedg- mistake. There is no evidence that
wood, junior, and Byerley visited the Josiah Wedgwood, senior, was ever
Royal Porcelain works at Meissen. in Germany.
Marryat, in his history of Modern
* Lord Auckland to Wedgwood, Pottery, says this visit was made by
Q Q 2
596 TOUR IN GERMANY. CHAP. XII.
the production of such works, if their patrons refuse to pay #'s
part of what the ancients paid to their artists."
Of the fine copy which thus accompanied the travellers
the injunctions not to part with it were most stringent.
I do not know whether I have told you in so many words that
you must not on any account part with the vase, but bring it
back with you. It will be necessary to keep this identical one
that I may be able to confront gainsayers with it. We have not
yet made one near so fine as yours.”
As early as the previous May twenty copies had been
subscribed for, and this number was ultimately much
increased; but from the difficulties attending the various
processes and their great cost, it is probable that not more
than fifty copies were made in Wedgwood's lifetime, and
even these were not all of an average degree of merit.
Nor were they all exactly similar; some of the vases
being ‘made with the white without any blue in it, and
some with the yellow-white, as different people have
different tastes.’ “
After visiting all the chief cities in Germany, for
the purpose not only of showing the vase, but also of
settling various intricate business matters with different
correspondents, and opening new agencies for the sale of
jaspers, cameos and common ware, Josiah Wedgwood
junior and Mr. Byerley returned to their native country
* Wedgwood to his son Josiah,
October 14, 1790. Mayer MSS.
*Ibid. September 23, 1790.
Mayer MSS.
* Mems. from London to Etruria.
May 9, 1790.
It is uncertain how many copies
of the Portland vase are yet extant.
Through the kindness of Isaac Falcke,
Esq., we give the list subjoined:—
British Museum, 1 copy; Museum
in Dresden, 1 ditto; Museum in
Rome, 1 ditto; Apsley Pellatt, Esq.,
1. ditto; Joseph Mayer, Esq., 1
ditto; D. C. Marjoribanks, M.P., 2
ditto; John Augustus Tulk, Esq., 1
ditto; The Right Honourable Earl
of Mansfield, 1 ditto; Henry Dur-
lacher, Esq., 1 ditto; Isaac Falcke,
Esq., 1 ditto; Museum of Practical
Geology, Jermyn Street, 1 ditto;
Francis Wedgwood, Esq., Barlaston
Hall, 1 ditto; The late Henry Thomas
Hope, Esq., 1 ditto; J. Jones, Esq.,
1 ditto;-total, 15.
CHAP. XII. JOSIAH WEDGWOOD THE YOUNGER, 597
in December, where a joyful welcome awaited them, both
in London and at Etruria. The vase which they brought
back with them was immediately sent down to Etruria, for
the purpose of comparing it with what had been done and
was doing. Unfortunately, there also returned with them
the larger part of the beautiful ornamental goods, chiefly
cameos and medallions, which had been prepared for the
fairs of Leipsic and Frankfort and the coronation of the
Austrian Emperor Leopold. But the coronation was post-
poned; and princes and people were alike too impoverished
by war, heavy taxation, bad harvests and deficient vintage
to have money to spare for the embellishment of their
homes or persons. Wedgwood was rejoiced to have his
son near him again. He was the head of the manufactory
now, and all his father's letters prove that he was not only a
most skilful potter, but to him was also due much of the suc-
cess which attended Wedgwood's copies of the Portland
Wase. It was his experiments which brought to perfection
the blue-black colour of the body, which tested the kind of
clay least liable to cracking, and who mastered many of
the niceties in firing. In 1793, Josiah Wedgwood the
younger married," and the old man had the delight before
his death of looking upon the faces of a newer gene-
ration.
During his son's absence, and after his return from the
Continent, Mr. Wedgwood was again greatly disturbed by
fresh instances of the wholesale piracy of his finest works
in heads and cameos. The chief seats of this atrocious
and indefensible system were Birmingham and the
* January 1793, Josiah Wedgwood the banker, married a younger sister
junior, of Etruria,Staffordshire, mar- of the above lady. Wedgwood at his
ried Miss Allen, eldest daughter of death had three grandchildren—a
John Bartlett Allen, Esq., of Pem- daughter just born to his son John,
|
brokeshire.—Gent.'s Mag. 1793. and the infant son and daughter of
Shortly after, John Wedgwood, Esq., Josiah Wedgwood junior.
|
598 ORGANISED PIRACY. CHAP. XII.
Potteries, and even London was suspected. In Birming-
ham some of the mounters, for the sake of a small bribe,
permitted casts to be taken of the heads and cameos
intrusted to them ; and in the Potteries the thieves had
organised a perfect system. Here a room was kept and a
journeyman modeller employed by some persons in
London or Birmingham, who engaged to supply any
manufacturer with casts of the finest things made at
Etruria. Bas-reliefs and cameos were alike the same, and
even casts of the Barberini Vase were promised, as soon
as any copies were made public. In cautioning Mr.
Byerley in respect to the men employed in Greek Street,
Mr. Wedgwood wrote: “As most of our bas-reliefs are
undercut it will be discoverable whether casts have been
taken from them or not for it will be almost impossible
to get the plaster perfectly clean out, but then they must
be very narrowly examined.” Yet in spite of every pre-
caution, the thefts of these clever rascals had in a greater
or less degree a long duration.
Although his health was much impaired, and during
the last five years of his life was a frequent cause of
grave anxiety to his friends, Mr. Wedgwood's retire-
ment from the active duties of his manufactory was at
first more nominal than real. He however took longer
and more frequent holidays than heretofore ; and now
usually spent portions of the spring, summer and autumn
at Weymouth, Blackpool in Lancashire, Buxton or the
Lakes. Buxton and Blackpool were favourite places of
sojourn. Here it was that Dr. Darwin would occasionally
join him for a day or two, and where, renewing their old
scientific discussions or suggesting new ones, the hours
* Wedgwood to Byerley, December 12, 1790. Mayer MSS.
CHAP. XII. HOLIDAYS. 599
passed quickly by ; Wedgwood's sobriety of judgment
tempering the daring flights of Darwin's keen and previ-
sional intellect. From Blackpool Wedgwood usually
diverged into the Lake district with his wife and
daughters, there to spend some weeks in the leisurely
idleness of a true holiday. Weymouth he did not like,
although he received much attention from the aristocracy
who visited it. In August 1793, he made a tour in
Wales, and of a portion of this a brief diary remains."
Passing by Worcester, Malvern, Ledbury, Ross, Chepstow
and Pontypool, he, with those of his family who were his
companions, repaired to Caerwent (the ancient Venta) to
see some Roman pavements of great beauty. The One
first discovered had greatly suffered from neglect and
vandalism. Those uncovered for his inspection were
better preserved. Their patterns were, he found, of five
colours; first, a dark colour nearly black, made from a
native species of slate stone ; second, a dark and light
brown, made likewise from the stones of the country split
into laminae; next came white formed of indurated chalk ;
whilst the red tesserae were simply pieces of common tile.
Though these colours, with the exception of the white
were far from being bright or pure, Wedgwood was
exceedingly struck with the general effect. “Brighter
colours, as he justly said, ‘would have produced that
harshness which in some of our carpets is so offensive to
the eye.’ Antiquarianism had been an occasional recrea-
tion to him for some years. Once or twice he had been
the guest of Major Rooke at Mansfield Woodhouse, near
Nottingham, and had met there Gough, Nicholls and
other well-known characters.
At home his greatest hobby in later years was his
1 Mayer MSS.
600 WEDGWOOD IN HIS GARDEN. CHAP. XII
garden. Darwin had taken the greatest pains to select
a head-gardener, and Downes, as his name was, was his
master's right hand. The numerous bills in existence"
for what were then rare and costly shrubs and flowers,
though now common in our gardens, show what pains
were lavished on this part of the adornment of Etruria.
His daughters shared in this taste. They were his con-
stant companions in greenhouse and garden, and in their
great love for him, looked upon it as a privilege to test
the grace and beauty of new flower-pots and vases from
the Works, by variously adorning them with flowers. At
that date the cultivation of fruit under glass was but yet
in its infancy. Downes and his master were however
most successful in the production of hothouse grapes;
and an aged lady yet living, spending whilst a child
an autumn afternoon at Etruria, recollects the fine and
tempting branch Wedgwood cut off the vine with his own
hand and handed down with a triumphant ‘There!' He
and his neighbour, the Rev. Mr. Sneyd, made trials of .
various coloured bricks for walls on which fruit was grown;
and their experiments seem to have resulted in a prefer-
ence for black and highly glazed surfaces. With his neigh-
bours of every rank he lived on terms of cordiality. In
June 1787 he opened a bowling-green for their use;
and he divided his patronage amongst those who were
in trade. Whatever could be bought good of its kind in
the Potteries was always favoured. A man of great
ability named Massey at Newcastle supplied the manufac-
tory with tools of every description, even those for the
modellers; and from his old friend Samuel Mayer of the
1 Mayer MSS.
CHAP. XII. TASTEFUL AND GENEROUS HOSPITALITY. 601
same place he had what saddlery he needed, as well as all
leather goods for the Works. *
From his first occupation of Etruria Hall his establish-
ment had been that of a country gentleman of good estate;
as his fame and consequently his necessary hospitality in-
creased, his establishment was likewise added to. In 1794,
seven male servants,” a large proportion of maid-servants,
and these headed by a housekeeper, attended on the family
and its incessant round of guests. The Hall must have
often borne the appearance of a first-class London hotel
during the season. Guests ever coming and going, visitors
from the works, neighbours and friends. Foreigners from
every country were occasionally there, and distinguished
Englishmen formed a large proportion. Wedgwood had
a strong sense of fitness and convenience, and without
wasteful expenditure or Ostentation, he had made his
house ‘a comfortable place. Guests might well like to
come and linger. In the cheery sitting-rooms, so full
of light and warmth, they found the loveliest works of art
—vases, bas-reliefs, cameos, medallions, and many other
treasures of choice workmanship—on the harpsichord the
newest music, on the shelves the newest books,” as bills
remaining show. Each day at three o'clock the dinner
table was laid for unexpected as well as expected guests,
for it was never known who might arrive before or
after the meal was served. By the master's desire the
service of the table was often changed. This week
Etruscan painted plates and dishes adorned it, next simple
* Massey's bills. Various dates, * Every poor musician or author
Ditto Mayer's.-Mayer MSS. was sure of subscribers to his works
* List of maleservants. Duty was at Etruria. And the numberless
paid for ten horses. Wedgwood was a bills for picture frames paid to Flax-
good horseman, and to the last ac- man's brother by Miss Wedgwood
companied his daughters in their and her sisters prove the practical
daily rides. interest they took in art.
602 - LOVE FOR BOOKS. CHAP. XII.
cream colour, a third the grape pattern or some other varia-
tion. To-day the salt-cellars were jasper with Flaxman's
bas-reliefs, to-morrow black basaltes of exquisite form, or
vessels resembling shells. The dessert would be served
in dishes formed as autumnal leaves, or in those modelled
from the antique. Even the cook had moulds for her
puddings, her fruits and her jellies, of varied kinds. Such
was the master's taste. -
The collecting of books was also to the last another
of Wedgwood's recreations. During Bentley's lifetime
Payne's catalogues of second-hand books were sent regu-
larly to Etruria, and those Wedgwood marked were
supplied. Chest after chest found its way into Stafford-
shire; but time was often wanted to unpack and arrange
them, much less to read them. On one occasion he
writes to Bentley, ‘I thank you for the catalogues, but
have not had time to read a page. My wife says I must
buy no more books till I build another house, and
advises me to first read some of those I have already.
What nonsense she sometimes talks!”. Yet In spite of this
remonstrance the old taste still prevailed'; and as his
youngest son grew into manhood the library became still
larger and more philosophical and scientific in character.
The book bills paid by Mr. Byerley were for still larger
sums, and Chisholm and his master were always sending
for some fine work—either for the artists’ or their own
scientific information. In this relation to his art Wedg-
wood's liberality was unbounded. Nothing was spared
which might enrich it. “Get books, prints, models and
all you require, was often repeated to Bentley, whose
tastes in this respect were as munificent as his own. All
the best artistic works which were issued from the presses
* Wedgwood to Bentley, August 1779.
CELAP. XII. CORRESPONDENCE. 603
of Rome, Florence, Venice, Bologna, Paris, Amsterdam
and elsewhere, at the close of the seventeenth and during
the first half of the eighteenth century, were purchased
and laid before his modellers. In this wide range of
vision, this use of collateral agents, this subserviency
of means to ends, were included some of the great
elements of Wedgwood's success.
His correspondence had always been extensive.
Towards the close of his life it increased. Lord
Dundonald wished to enlist his aid in a scheme for
extracting tar and pitch from coal, Lavoisier solicited him
to contribute to the “Annales de Chimie, a scientific journal
intended as a vehicle to the discussions and opinions of
advanced chemistry. He corresponded with Arthur
Young on many points relative to retorts and draining-
pipes; and with Bramah on the machinery of baths and
other domestic conveniences.
Generosity had always been one of his characteristics.
As his life drew to its close, it merged into a thoughtful
beneficence, as wise as it was genial. At the close of the
American war he contributed on several occasions to the
relief of the distress of British residents in that country. In
1792 his sons and himself conjointly gave £250 towards
the succour of the people of Poland. He subscribed
to the Philanthropic and other Benevolent Societies, and
to that for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. In September
1793, when a public subscription was proposed for the
relief of the five thousand emigrant French clergy then
in this country, he would not contribute till the relief of
the laity was included, considering that they were by far
the greatest sufferers." To his own workmen, and the
* Proposal to relieve Emigrant French Clergy. Wedgwood's MS.
remarks thereon, suggesting not to omit Laity.— Mayer MSS.
604 PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. CHAP. XII.
poor of the Potteries generally considered, he was the
kindest friend. A free library and sick fund were
attached to the Works," and for some months previous to
his death he was actively employed in an attempt to
procure the erection of a House of Industry for the parish
of Stoke, but his endeavours were defeated by the
prejudice and alarm of the lower orders.
After the outbreak of the French Revolution various
societies were formed in London and the large provincial
towns, for various purposes connected with politics; but
in more than one instance he refused to join them, as he
considered such associations did little more than set one
part of the nation against another. It was in Parlia-
mentary Reform he saw the true remedy for many
political evils.
Speaking politically (he wrote to his son Josiah) I believe you
know my sentiments, that so long as we have septennial Parlia-
ments it is of little consequence who is chosen into them. . . A
real Parliamentary reform is therefore what we most stand in need
of, & for this I would willingly devote my time, the most precious
thing I have, or anything else by which I could serve so noble a
cause. . . These are the principles on which I have hitherto acted,
but I do not desire you to adopt them merely because they
have been mine. Examine for yourself, and then act according
to your honest conviction in this and every other instance,
and your conduct whether it is the same as my own would
have been in like circumstances will nevertheless have my ap-
probation.”
The truth and value of his friendship we have seen
in respect to Bentley, Brindley and Darwin. We hear
little of Mrs. Bentley after her husband's death, except as
| Both were under the manage- History.—Watchman
ment of Mr. Greatbach. The books | November 7, 1863.
were all excellent of their kind, * Wedgwood to Josiah Wedgwood
and included Essays, Lectures and junior, May 17, 1790,
Newspaper,
CHAP. XII. FRIENDSHIPS. 605
Wedgwood managed that part of her income which lay in
canal shares and profitable mortgages. Sheresided in Gower
Street, then a new and choice quarter of London, from
its contiguity to the open fields, and often sent parcels
into Staffordshire, by the boxes which went from Greek
Street, so that we may presume she was an occasional
guest at Etruria. With Boulton Wedgwood's friendship
and communion stood true to the end. The generous
rivalries of their prime rather strengthened than not the
manly regard of their years of decline. To the last they
loved art, and assisted each other in its improvement.
Though Wedgwood lost considerably by Boulton's
mining schemes, he yet stood by him in the hour of
need. He lent Boulton £5,000, which was repaid with
interest in 1792. It was at that date also that Wedg-
wood, yet alive to every improvement for his manufactory,
opened, through his son, negotiations for the erection of
a steam-engine on the principle known as the Sun-and-
Planet motion.
Much as he regarded his friends, Wedgwood when
necessary did not hesitate to speak with candour. After
the Birmingham riots, which as Darwin said “were a
disgrace to mankind, for active ignorance delights in
repressing the sciences it does not understand, Wedg-
wood joined Mr. Russell in affording adequate relief to
Priestley. The latter, in the confidence of friendship,
sent him his “Appeal to the Public,’ whilst yet in MS.
On its return, Wedgwood ventured to propose certain
alterations in the preface. He thought the bitterness
displayed therein would only inflame public animosity
still more. He considered Priestley to be superior to such
a species of resentment, and he did not wish that an idea
should be promulgated, that the Dissenters were in any
606 CARE FOR HIS RELATIVES. CHAP. XII.
way inimical to the government, whilst the truth was so
opposite.
Wedgwood by industry and wise investment accu-
mulated more than half a million of money. To each of
his three daughters he left a portion of £25,000, to his
son Thomas £29,000, to his son John £30,000, and to his
son Josiah a proportionate sum, and, with the exception
of the share enjoyed by Mr. Byerley, who survived till
the close of 1810, the whole of his splendid business.
Mrs. Wedgwood, who outlived her husband twenty years,
had an adequate life interest in his estate. Mr. Wedg-
wood survived all his brothers and many of his sisters.
Mrs. Willet enjoyed an ample provision, Chisholm a
life annuity, and many other of his relations and servants
received some token of his favour. As Dr. Darwin well
said afterwards:—
He never knew an instance of a man raising himself to such
opulence and distinction who excited so little envy; and this in
a great measure arose from his prudent and modest acquisition
of riches, and also from the circumstance that he was free from
the failing which frequently attends easily acquired riches
of neglecting his poor relations. He kindly attended to his and
was of essential service to many of them.
One of his personal peculiarities was his dislike to ac-
counts. He used to say he knew he had lost thousands
by not attending to this department of his business: but
he could not bring himself to enter upon the details of
figures, as they so wholly interrupted those trains of
thought necessary to his work. One or two old pocket-
books bear evidence to this idiosyncrasy. They contain
a jumble as strange in its way as the pocket-books of
Brindley. For instance, he will set off on a journey on
horseback to London, and for the first few miles he will
diligently record his expenses, even to the penny he gives
CHAP. XII. PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS. 607
a girl for opening a gate or gathering him a bunch of
wayside flowers. Then he drops off into some meditation
concerning mixtures, colours, or forms, and all else is for-
gotten. The next entry is at the distance of days, and
then it will relate to some possible degree of fineness in
wire sieves, or some chemical experiment. In respect to
debts he would take no advantage of other creditors. In
the long course of his business life he only in one in-
stance arrested a person, and that arose from a palpable
attempt to misuse his property. When any of his subor-
dinates took proceedings of this nature without his
knowledge, they were speedily terminated by enlarging
the person, and paying all the costs himself.
Simplicity, modesty, indomitable energy and industry
were amongst his strongest characteristics. He could not
be idle. He would not believe in the impossible. His
words to his own men were, in all cases of difficulty, what
they had been to the excavators of the Harecastle Tunnel—
“It must be done.’ In his youth and days of prime, he rose
in summer with the sun, in winter before it was light; and
was often down and busy in his Works before his men
arrived. He would take up the thread of every man or
woman's duty from day to day and mentally review it—
and this even after a month's absence from home. It was
not till his means were ample that he began to indulge in
simple luxuries. He then buys a diamond and ruby ring
as a love-token to his wife, and treats him-
self to the engraving of a seal with the
family arms. From this date the majo- || º
rity of his letters to Bentley are sealed Wº
with it, and from two of the best im- \ g
pressions the little engraving here annexed riº.
is taken , (fig. 149).
8.
* tº
g º
A-Eº
* Fººs.
iſ sº
*-ºº º
###E.
ºfflº
Eºs
#§

608 INCREASING VALUE OF HIS WORKS, CHAP, XII.
In reviewing the life of this distinguished Englishman
one point is very striking, that of an entire harmony
between the moral and intellectual faculties, or what
painters would call “keeping.” We have had men with still
higher degrees and character of intellect; but in them
perhaps the moral faculties have been weak or otherwise
intelligence subordinated to morality. But here the
entire harmony was as perfect as it was rare. No doubt
if we could see the diamond a little nearer we should
discover specks and flaws, just as occasionally in his
works we come upon minor incongruities—a classical bor-
dering allied with a group of modern figures, or a mediaeval
decoration in juxtaposition with a design drawn from the
antique. He himself confesses to occasional infirmity of
temper and other small shortcomings; but the very con-
fession only proves the worth and modesty of the man.
As he himself well said, his ornamental works “only
wanted time and scarcity to make them worth anything.’
Our day proves this. Articles which originally cost pence
sell for pounds now. With increased knowledge and taste,
with more enlarged conceptions of art, with our desire to
be creators rather than imitators, this worth will grow ;
till at length, enshrined—as we hope they may be—more
and more in Museums and Collections accessible to the
people, they may teach their great artistic lessons, not in
the direction of servile copy, but in the direction which
leads on ; the taking up of art in terra-cotta where the
great master left it, and whose possible beauty and per-
fection he saw in vision, but which the low artistic culture.
of his time did not suffer him to realise. Through means
of this character we may beautify the architecture of a
newer age in a manner worthy of what has gone before.
Not by weak and servile copies of the ideal grace of an
CHAP. XII, SIR WILLIAM HOOKER'S MONUMENT. (309
effete theology, but by visible presentments of vital pas-
Sages in our national history. The Greeks had Homer, we
too have a Shakespeare; and the trammels of costume
which our artists profess to be their hindrance, will be as
nothing when men shall lend their will to vitalize the
work which lies before them. Could Wedgwood rise
again, he would stand amazed at the veneration and re-
gard which cleaves to his name and his productions.
Men of the highest intellectual gifts collect the latter;
and we are beginning to see that we may resort to his art
for the expression of sentiments at once appreciative and
reverent. In the jasper body which he invented, in his
manufactory at Etruria, plaques with fern leaves in bas-
relief are, at this date, in the workmen's hands for the
i
i
--
.º#
|!
(Fig. 150.) FERN PLAQUES IN JASPER-WARE, FoRMING PART OF THE MONI-MENT
TO SIR WILLIAM JACKSON HOOKER, KEW CHURCH
adornment of a monument in Kew Church to the
memory of the late Sir William Jackson Hooker, whose
name, in connection with his many valuable labours, is as
great in botany as Wedgwood's is in pottery. Our
illustration (fig. 150) shows this beautiful design, so
far as the potter's art extends."
Early in life Wedgwood had directed his attention to the
discovery of a soft glass which, free from any admixture of
From a design by Reginald Palgrave, Esq., of the House of Commons.
WOL. II. R R





610 WEDGWOOD'S DECLINE. CHAP. XII.
lead, should seem as an innoxious glaze for common pot-
tery. His experiments were interrupted by other duties.
He resumed them in 1794; but whilst his trials gave
flattering hopes of ultimate success, illness again prostrated
him. The symptoms were old ones—pains in his right
jaw and in what Darwin quaintly called his ‘no leg,' short-
ness of breath, and debility. He repaired, as was his
wont, to Buxton ; and upon his return was so much better
that his son Josiah wrote cheerily of him to the doctor,
and he himself indorsed this good news by a letter to his
old friend. In reply to this, Darwin wrote:
Your letter gives me great pleasure in assuring me, what
your son Josiah had before mention'd, that you have become
free from your complaint—the ceasing of the palpitation of your
heart & of the intermission of your pulse is another proof of
your increase of strength. In respect to your breath being less
free in walking up hill I ascribe to the distant approach of age
and not to Asthma. You know how unwilling we all are to
grow old. As you are so well, I advise you to leave off the
bark & to take no medicine at present."
This letter is dated December 9, 1794; and Wedgwood
folding it, indorsed it, though with an error as to date,
‘Dr. Darwin, December 3, 1794. In the writing is the
visible sign of failing power. A few days after, his face
swelled, and, attributing this to a decayed tooth, he sent
for Mr. Bent to draw it. But, to the surgeon's consterna-
tion when he came, he discovered early symptoms of mor-
tification. The distress of Wedgwood's family was ex-
treme when they learnt this. From this date he grew
gradually worse; his throat became inflamed, and his
weakness increased. Dr. Darwin hastened over from
Derby, and with two other physicians and Mr. Bent
* Darwin Correspondence.
Chap, XII. THE CLOSE OF A GOOD LIFE. 611
watched sedulously by his bed. But nothing could save
him. He suffered greatly from pain and fever. As these
lessened, insensibility came over him ; and thus in uncon-
Sacred to the Memory of
JOSLAH WEDGWOOD, F.R.S. and S.A.
Of Etruria in this county.
Born, August 1739. Died January 3rd. 1795.
Who converted a rude and inconsiderable
Manufactory into an elegant Art and
An important part of National Commerce.
(Fig. 151-) wºnºwoon's Moxºntºr. PARISH CHURCH, store erosº
sciousness he passed away from the scene of his labours,
and his good life, on Saturday, January 3, 1795, in the
sixty-fifth year of his age.
His children and his devoted wife, whose life, as
R. R. 2

61.2 WEDGWOOD'S BURIAL. Chap, XII.
Byerley wrote to Boardman, had been so full of happi-
ness, were his only nurses, and kept their watch and
performed their ministry with a love and devotion never
surpassed.* Throughout a wide neighbourhood and at the
Works a breathless interest attended on his state; and
- - -
º --- - - - - - -
ºr - ºr - -
(Fig. 152.) ºn-Avº, or Josiah wºod-wooD AND 111s wºul-E.
when all was over, his old and faithful servants mourned
sincerely.
From the nature of his complaint, he had to be buried
speedily. Through the deep snow, which then lay over
England, he was borne to his last resting-place in the
porchway of the old parish church of Stoke on Tuesday,
January 6. At a subsequent date, Flaxman made his
monument, and it was placed in the chancel (fig. 151).”
* Byerley to Boardman, January º for the monument £93 10s.-
18, 1795—Mayer MSS. ſayer MSS.
* September 3, 1803. Flaxman was




CHAP. XII, WEDGWOOD'S MONUMENT AND GRAVE. 613
Upon the rebuilding of the church upon a fresh site in
1829, the monument was removed into the new chancel;
and the grave thus uncovered, with that of his wife,
who died January 15, 1815, now lies simply railed in, as
seen in the engraving (fig. 152), amidst the other graves
in the churchyard. No more than this simplicity was
needed, for his name lives in the industrial history of
the country he loved so well, and so enriched by the
bounties of his art and the example of his worthy life.
CAMEO.--Anlow co-Lºrrow.

615
(Fig. 153.) Bust or wedgwood by Foxtaxa. PrºsextEd to the wedgwood Memonial
INSTITUTE BY JOSEPH MAYER, F.S.A., LIVERPool.
THE WEDGWOOD INSTITUTE.
EDGWOOD’S art, considered relative to its highest de-
velopment, being in advance of the times in which he
lived, it naturally followed that during the period which suc-
ceeded, the taste for his productions should be confined to a
few, and that little more than vivid traditions of him as a
man and as a citizen be treasured in the district to which he
belonged. It was also natural that in an age of more general
culture, purer taste, higher artistic conceptions, the sense of
what he did for art, the potters art especially, should be super-
added to these traditions of personal veneration; and that
consequently combined in fitting and vital union, appreciation
should widen its bounds, and exist everywhere where culture
has touched with its humanising and purifying influence.
Wedgwood in his own day was the artist for the few—in ours



616 WEI)(; WOOI) MEMORIAL INSTITUTE.
for the many—for happily Museums and National Collections
show his beautiful works; and all who know something of the
artistic, social, and industrial history of their country, can in a
greater or less degree, appreciate the principle he brought so
efficiently into operation—that of the union of grace and utility,
and the applicability of such to every possible and varied
purpose of his art. Herein lies the artistic philosophy of
manufactures; and as we ourselves have risen through culture
to an appreciation of its necessary and vital truths, so also arose
the idea—widening, extending, and at length made objective—
of erecting a MEMORIAL to him, that whilst provincial in its
immediate utility should be national in its fame. Such is the
WEDGWooD MEMORIAL BUILDING now in course of erection at
Burslem in Staffordshire. It will combine in an improved
form the old Free School of Burslem —will be a Museum of
Ceramic Art, a School of Design, a Laboratory, and a Free
Public Lending Library. Its first stone was laid on October 26,
1863, by the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Chancellor of the
Exchequer. The permanent maintenance of the building has
been provided for under the provisions of Mr. Ewart's Public
Libraries and Museums Act, which entitles the Institute to the
advantages of a penny rate upon the property of the district.
From the first the idea has been to make the building
emblematic of the arts of the district—and illustrative of the use
of terra-cotta—as one of the distinguishing decorative features of
modern architecture. For this reason the admirable design of
Mr. Robert Edgar of London was chosen, which being in the
Pointed Style, based upon those types of ceramic architecture
so prevalent in Northern Italy during the fifteenth and sixteenth
century—allowed of the introduction of terra-cotta in varied
ornamental forms. The windows, the doorways, the outer
cornices and walls will be thus ornamented; a frieze divided
into eight or more compartments, will represent as many
of the industrial processes of the potter's art. Portraits of
Wedgwood's distinguished friends and contemporaries, as also
of celebrated potters of every age painted in Majolica colours
on large plaques, will fill the spaces of the arched window-
heads, and over the chief entrance panels in jasper ware will be
introduced. This variety of colouring with the richly moulded
and ornamental brickwork will make the building unique in its
kind.

{} | 8 NATIONAL AND LOCAL DUTY.
The library, and a spacious reading-room will occupy the half
of the ground floor to the left of the main entrance; while to
the right accommodation will be provided for the school. There
will also be a laboratory and a room for literary and scientific
lectures and discussions. On the upper floor the central space
will be occupied by the museum ; and to the right and left of
this will be the School of Art with its class-rooms for pupils of
both sexes, and in various stages of progress. This upper
floor, which was designed in the most painstaking manner, by
the late eminent natural architect, Captain Fowke, C.E. will be
wholly top-lighted. In the museum—which may be considered
I the feature of the scheme most interesting to those not resident
or directly connected with the locality—it is hoped will be
gathered the choicest examples illustrative of the history of
pottery in all countries and in all ages, but especially of our
own land, and of those times which led up to the crowning
glory of Wedgwood's productions.
Regarded in its national sense, those who are proud of their
country, of the industrial arts which have made it what it is,
and who would give higher scope and aim to ultimate results,
will recollect that institutions of the kind can only fulfil their
purpose when rich in those appliances and accessories which
teach and examplify. Hence, whatever serves to increase their
efficiency, or is gathered into them, with a view to utility,
whether it be by gift or bequeathment, is at once an expression
of admiration and sympathy, and is productive of far more
powerful and lasting results than can arise from accumulation
in private museums and collections. Viewed locally, the
Wedgwood Institute will, if rightly understood, serve a higher
purpose still. It will hold in constant recognition the fame of
a good man and his admirable works. It will teach to all—
if indirectly—through the traditions and history of his life,
that patience, humility, truth, persistence, and an earnest desire
to perfect so far as possible, are necessary to fulfilment and
success. Scholars on the very spot where he himself fought so
bravely many difficulties of his earnest life, they will learn and
desire to carry on their local art with an efficiency worthy of so
great a master. They will perceive that he was no mere
copyist, but looked around him widely for those analogies
and truths out from which freshness and originality come: and
they too, if the Memorial Institute fulfil its purpose rightly,
POSSIBLE RESULTS, 619
will not rest satisfied with productions which only bear a far-
off likeness to the things and ideas of an effete past; but so
become creators in their lovely art, as to make what they
create at once an evidence and a sign that they have profited
directly and indirectly by the life and memory of Wedgwood,
and this in a manner worthy of him and of their country.
CAM is:0. "I'l ME WITH HIS SCY"I'll E. —
B.AIRLOW COLLECTION,

IN ID E X.
ADA
AP* S, William, Wedgwood's favour-
ite pupil, a souvenir presented to,
ii. 515; a discovery made by, ii. 516;
Mrs. Boote's reminiscences of, ib.
720te.
Adams, Benjamin (son of the preceding),
an inaccuracy of Shaw's with respect
to, ii. 516.
Adams, the Messrs., Wedgwood's inter-
course with, ii. 288.
Adelphi, the, rooms for Boulton and
Wedgwood in, ii. 222; opening of
various business show-rooms in, ii.
228; Wedgwood's objections to, ii.
288.
Aiken, Dr., theological tutor of Warring-
ton Academy, i. 320.
Aiken, Miss, see Barbauld.
Allier, the, M. Tudot on the potters of
the valley of, i. 23.
America, North, loss to the mother
country through her contest with the
colonies of, ii. 417.
Angelini, an Italian artist, subjects
modelled for Wedgwood by, ii. 591.
Anglezark, Lancashire, export of spar
from the lead mines of, ii. 10.
Anson, Mr., manufacture of a tripod for,
ii. 223.
‘Antique,” the, use of the term as ap-
plied to Wedgwood's vases, ii. 108;
Wedgwood assisted by noble patrons
in the study of, ii. 161.
Apprentices, their treatment by Man-
chester manufacturers, i. 304.
Architecture, in England, the pointed
style of, i. 53, 54.
Argyll, the Duke of a task undertaken
by Wedgwood at the desire of, ii. 188.
Arretium, the rare red lustrous ware of,
i. 24.
Art, mediaeval, indebted to the antique,
i. 28; Roscoe's opinion as to the con-
nection of the various periods in the
history of, i. 56; inutility of imitation
in relation to advance in, i. 64; cir-
cumstances that led indirectly to the
improvementoftheceramic department
|
BAR
of, i. 87; every stage of civilisation
expressed by certain aspects of, ii.
153; originality and imitation in, ii.
593.
* Arts, the, the Handmaid of,’ a work
once much esteemed, i. 375.
Artis, Mr., discovery made in the Castor
potteries by, i. 20.
Artists, females employed by Wedgwood
as, ii. 88; proposal of a training aca-
demy for, ii. 180; one from China
patronised by the fashionable world,
ii. 231.
Ashenhurst, Mrs, difficulties respecting
the purchase of an estate from, i. 491.
Astbury, Samuel, a trade secret disco-
vered by, i. 135; the real precursor of
the Wedgwoods, i. 140; his improved
pipe-clay wash, i. 141 ; superior white
ware produced by, i. 142; adventure
which led to the use of calcined flint
by, i. 147; his son's first attempts to
produce cream-coloured ware, i. 156.
Auckland, Lord, ambassador at Madrid,
letter from Wedgwood to, ii. 571.
Audley, the Barons, rights conferred on
potters by, i. 101.
ACCHUS, the Birth of, tablets of,
ii. 335, mote.
Bacon, John, a sculptor employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 89; the first Royal
Academy medal for sculpture gained
by, ii. 90.
Bagot, Sir William, a chimney-piece for,
ii. 375, a splendid room in the man-
sion of, ii. 376.
Banks, Sir Joseph, Wedgwood's analysis
of a mineral sent from Australia by,
ii. 567; a beautiful medallion mo-
delled in clay received from, ii. 568.
Barbauld, Mrs., her first poetic attempt,
i. 320; her hymns, i. 321; Wedgwood's
intimacy with, ib.
Barberini Vase, the, Webber's assist-
ance in the production of a copy of,
ii. 507; its fame, and interest excited
622
BAR
on its arrival in England by, ii. 575:
Wedgwood's failuretosecureit, ii. 576;
his anticipated difficulties in the imi-
tation of, ii. 577, 580; his receipt
acknowledging the loan of, ib. note;
the first perfect copy of, ii. 580; his-
tory and description of, ii. 581; subject
of the bas-reliefs on, ii. 582; Wedg-
wood's discovery relating to, ii. 583;
moulds and copies taken of, ib.; the
exhibition and travels of one of the
finest copies of, ii. 594; Wedgwood's
difficulty in fixing a price for his copy
of, ii. 595; copies made during
Wedgwood's lifetime, and those still
extant, ii. 596.
Barlow, Stephen, executed for his share
in a riot at Etruria, ii. 473.
Barlow's collection, the foundation of
ii. 409, note.
Barnet, Mr., a painter employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 295, note.
Baryta, the sulphate of, or cawk, Wedg-
wood's attention directed to, ii. 315.
Baryta, the carbonate of, found too vari-
able for an efficient basis, ii. 315. See
also Terra Ponderosa.
Basaltes, black, popularity of the busts,
&c. in, ii. 141; beauty of the design
and decoration of the vases in, ii. 142,
146; bas-relief medallion portraits
in, ii. 389.
Bas-reliefs, Wedgwood's manufacture of
ii. 135, 230; facilities for the pro-
duction of, ii. 323; great improvement
in ii. 370; description of an early one,
ii. 371, note.
Bateman collection, the, Norman pitcher
with heraldic devices in, i. 37; orna-
mented pitcher in, i. 73; curious or-
namental dishes in, ii. 115.
Bath, Wedgwood's show-rooms at, ii.
254; threatened opposition of Mr.
Palmer at, ib.; a good story respecting
Mr. Boulton at, ii. 255; Wedgwood's
account of his mode of life at, ii. 258;
Sir H. Harbord's visit to Wedgwood's
rooms at, ii. 259.
Baumgarten, Mr., the wares of Etruria
and Soho introduced into Italy by, ii.
217.
Baxter, Mr., Russian Consul, his visit to
Staffordshire, ii. 304.
Beads, Pyrometrical, the introduction of,
i. 159.
Bead-mouldings, beauty of those exe-
cuted by Wedgwood, ii. 19, note.
Becket, the Bookseller, invoice of a
cream-coloured dinner-service for, i.
478.
Benson, Thomas, discovery of a method
of grinding calcined flints by, i. 149;
INDEX.
BEN
specification of his method, i. 152,
70te ; immense service of his inven-
tion, i. 153.
Bentley, Thomas, his introduction to
Wedgwood, i. 301; his early life,
education, and apprenticeship, i. 303;
engaged in business at Liverpool, i.
305; his connection with the estab-
lishment of Warrington Academy, i.
306; his literary tastes, i. 307; his
circle of friends, i. 308; record of
Priestley's friendship with, i. 309;
his connection with Octagon Chapel,
Liverpool, i. 313; his interest in the
erection of new buildings for it, i.
317; a contributor to the ‘Gentle-
man's Magazine’ and the ‘Monthly
Review,’ i. 323; his confidential rela-
tions with Wedgwood, i. 326; publi-
cation of a pamphlet on the scheme
of the Trent and Mersey Canal by, i.
346; extract from pamphlet by, i.
351; his ideas regarding liberty in
England, i. 363; his trade in earth-
enware, i. 396; his appearance and
manners, ib.; his literary labours
on behalf of the Trent and Mersey
Navigation Scheme, and his critics, i.
414 ; Dr. Darwin's criticism on a
pamphlet by, i. 416 ; publication of
pamphlets by, i. 418; scheme for the
extension of the Trent and Mersey
Canal to Liverpool, supported by, i.
419 ; sum voted by the Trent and
Mersey Navigation Committee to, i.
452; cordial invitation from Wedg-
wood to, i. 459; increase of his mer-
cantile transactions, and his business
connection with Wedgwood, i. 465;
his opposition to the Slave Trade and
consequent unpopularity in Liverpool,
i. 469 ; agent in Parliament for the
Liverpool Corporation, ib.; his con-
stant services to his friends; i. 470;
various sorts of clay and spar pro-
cured for Wedgwood by, i. 471; Wedg-
wood's proposal to enter into partner-
ship with, i. 483, 486; a future fore-
shadowed by Wedgwood for, i. 485;
his preparations to transform him-
self into a potter, i. 492; his varied
knowledge, ii. 15; his anticipation
of the principles of modern scientific
agriculture, ii. 16; services rendered
to Wedgwood by, ii. 21; his arrange-
ments for commencing partnership
operations, ii. 83; letter to Cox, re-
garding Voyez the modeller, from, ii.
84; takes up his residence at Brick
House, Burslem, ii. 95; a letter to
Cox from, ii. 98; his business at
Liverpool and Burslem, ii. 109; his
INDEX.
PEN
removal to London, ii. 114; his re-
gret at the ruin of the Octagon
Chapel, ii. 116; decline of his health,
ii. 118; his removal to Chelsea, ii.
126; his home and society at Chelsea,
ii. 172; his visits to patrons, ii. 174;
his popularity, ii. 175; friendships ac-
quired by, ii. 176; his account of a
speech by Lord Chatham, ii. 187;
writes in defence of Lord Camden,
ii. 188; a nice question respecting
his partnership, ii. 190; his tem-
porary dissatisfaction, and letter from
Wedgwood to, ii. 192; Wedgwood's
advice to him on balking spies, ii.
214; a pleasant letter from Wedg-
wood to, ii. 257; his marriage to Miss
Stamford, ii. 258; his labours in Lon-
don, ii. 299; stones, clays, and spars
procured for Wedgwood through the
agency of, ii. 312; his literary and
scientific connections, ii. 416; his ex-
tensive knowledge of American affairs,
ii. 417; his club, ii. 418 ; his visit to
France, and the impressions pro-
duced on him by it, ii. 433; his pro-
posed purchase of a house near
London, ib. ; residence of ‘Sukey,’
Wedgwood's daughter, with, and his
care of her in illness, ii. 432; his
death, and entry in the parish regis-
ters relating to his burial, ii. 459;
the tablet to his memory, ii. 461 ;
settlement of affairs on the death of,
ii. 484; Wedgwood's letters to, pas-
S7772.
Bentley, Mrs., her character and rela-
tions with Mrs. Wedgwood, ii. 420;
her position after her husband's
death, ii. 605.
Bequests, curious, relating to articles of
pottery or pewter, i. 74, 77.
Bessborough, Lord, his patronage of
Wedgwood. ii. 132; his great afflic-
tion, ii. 133; medallions prepared by
Wedgwood from gems lent by, ii. 161.
Birmingham, the growth of, i. 24; a
great industrial centre, i. 242; ad-
vantages of its contiguity to the Pot-
teries, i. 243; intellectual activity of
its population, i. 245; substantial
brick tenements at, i. 328; a great
day at, i. 454; Mr. Wedgwood's pur-
chase of an estate in the vicinity of,
i. 457.
Blake, John Bradley, of Canton, his
services to Wedgwood, ii. 452.
Boot, a clever modeller employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 158.
Booth, Enoch, the cream-coloured ware
of, i. 156; method of glazing adopted
by, i. 165.
BRI
Borderings, patterns of, ii. 343.
Bough-pots, ladies consulted by Wedg-
wood respecting, ii. 157.
Boulton Matthew, the great manufac-
turer, ii. 288; his rivalry with Wedg-
wood, and partnership with James
Watt, ii. 453 ; his noble range of
manufactories at Soho, ii. 25; Wedg-
wood's estimation of, ii. 27; a speci-
men of vases produced by, ii. 75;
Wedgwood's generous rivalry with,
ii. 77; the printing with purple and
gold executed by, ii. 78; a visit paid
to London by, ii. 96; a portrait of,
ii. 90 ; the manufacture of vases by, ii.
212; Wedgwood's remarks on his
gallery, ii. 260; works in preparation
by, and his wish for rooms in the
Adelphi, ii. 222; the “long bow’
drawn at Bath by, ii. 255; his chim-
ney-pieces patronised by builders, ii.
372; his setting of seals and cameos,
ii. 400; his difference with Wedgwood
respecting cameos, ii. 401 ; extension
of his business, ii. 403; ideas of
Wedgwood carried out by, ii. 404; his
connection with Watt, ii. 405; Wedg-
wood's continued friendship for, ii.
605.
Bourne Thomas, Esq., indenture of leases
made by, i. 197, note.
Brick House, the, or the Bell Works, i.
329; incidents of Wedgwood's life
connected with, i. 330, et seq.; period
of Wedgwood's first occupation of, i.
455, note; Mr. Bentley takes up his
residence in, ii. 95.
Bricks, trials to discover the best-
coloured, for walls on which fruits are
grown, ii. 600.
Bridgewater, the Duke of, his patronage
of Wedgwood, i. 385 ; his practical
schemes and artistic taste, i. 386;
Wedgwood's interview, regarding ca-
nal navigation, with, i. 422; plan for
the extension of his canal to Liver-
pool, i. 423; financial embarrassments
of, i. 424; his advice to Wedgwood
regarding the supply of Cherokee clay,
ii. 4; his locks at Runcorn, ii. 244;
Wedgwood's intimacy with, ii. 246.
Brindley James, engineer, his improved
flint mill, i. 152; his wide range of
duty, i. 277 ; his connection with the
Wedgwoods, i. 278; a new invention
by, i. 279 ; various improvements
effected by, i. 280 ; curious water-
engine erected at Clifton by, i. 397 ;
mischances during first day's opera-
tions of his mill on the Jenkins, i. 281 ;
Wedgwood's zeal in the promotion
of the Trent and Mersey Canal based
624
BH I
on survey by, i. 346; energetic com-
mencement of the canal works by, i.
456; his continued labours on them;
ii. 503; failure of his health, i. 503,
and ii. 240; a dispute about his por-
trait, ii. 240; his last illness, ii. 241;
Wedgwood's account of his death, ii.
242; Bentley's article on, ii. 416.
Britain, the potter's art in, i. 3; pot-
teries in, i. 10, 12; food and pottery
of the Romanized population of, i.
11; sites of the larger potteries in,
i. 16; colour of the pottery found in,
i. 20.
Brongniart, Mons., a discovery mentioned
by, ii. 24.
Bronze, encaustic, Wedgwood's success-
ful experiment in the preparation of,
ii. 138; he obtains a patent for his
process, ii. 139.
Bronze, statuettes, busts, medals, &c. in,
ii. 139; the statuettes of Mars and
Venus in, ii. 140.
Bronzing and Encaustic Painting, the
materials employed in, ii. 280.
Brown, Mr., Lord Gower's architect, his
opinion of Wedgwood's tablets, and
of a suitable ground colour for them,
ii. 377.
Brownbill, a timorous traveller, ii. 425.
Brownhills, the, scene at the first cut-
ting of the Trent and Mersey Canal
on, i. 454.
Buckle, a, by Wedgwood, of blue and
white jasper, ii. 522.
|Bull and Bear-baiting, its prevalence
in the Potteries, i. 106.
Burdett, a Liverpool artist, his insolent
conduct to Wedgwood and Bentley,
ii. 233.
Burslem, Staffordshire, the earliest point
of settlement in the Pottery district,
i. 100; its condition in 1750, i. 106;
improved manufacture of a new deli-
cate fayence at, i. 171 ; names of
potters in the parish registers of, i.
177; the Overhouse at, i. 181; curio-
sity excited by the arrival of two
strange potters at, i. 182; derivation
of the name of, i. 184; the parish
church of, i. 187; the Churchyard
Works at, i. 188; pot-works from
1710 to 1750 in, i. 191; price of
food at, i. 193, note; description of
Churchyard House at, i. 200; annual
duty on salt paid by the manufactur-
ers of, i. 216, note; the establishment
of a free school at, i. 262; erection
of a town-hall, and formation of a
market at, i. 263; Wesley's account of
his labours at, i. 264, 266; wretched
state of the roads in the neighbour-
INDEX.
CAN
hood of, i. 266; removal of Wedg-
wood's establishment from, ii. 236.
Burslems, the, the family of their rela-
tion to the Wedgwoods, i, 180.
Busts, the labour bestowed on, ii. 362;
the great sale of, ii. 387 ; modelling
bills relating to, ii. 389.
Bute, Lord, Horace Walpole on the re-
signation of, i. 323.
Byerley, Margaret, Mr. Wedgwood's
sister, i. 326.
Byerley, Tom, his cacoethes scribendi, i.
327; Wedgwood's letters respecting,
i. 327, 394 ; sent to America, ii. 49 ;
his vicissitudes, and return to Eng-
land, ii. 424 ; employed as commer-
cial traveller, ii. 426 ; his visit to
Spithead, and remarks on the conduct
of Sir C. Hardy, ii. 450; his marriage
ii. 484; visit to Paris, ii. 506.
ABINETS, gems for, ii. 336.
Caerwent, (the ancient Venta), the
Roman pavements of, ii. 599.
Cameos, &c., early improvement in the
colour and sharpness of, ii. 310, 317;
difficulties in the manufacture and
colouring of, ii. 328; Wedgwood's re-
marks on rivalry in the production of,
ii. 329; exquisite results in, ii. 335;
the multiplication of, ii. 336; the ma-
terial of which composed, ii. 337; ad-
miration excited by those in a white
body, ii. 341; Wedgwood's object in
the multiplication of, ii. 396; the per-
fection attained in the manufacture of,
ii. 397; the centre of Wedgwood's
trade in, ii. 400; the decoration of
furniture with, ii. 402; their beauty
as seen by the solar microscope, ii.
440; Wedgwood on the originality of
those produced by himself, ii. 524;
organised piracy of Wedgwood's finest
specimens, ii. 595.
Canals, internal communication by
means of, i. 276; measures for placing
Hull, Liverpool, and Bristol in com-
munication by, i. 434.
Canal, the Trent and Mersey, Wedg-
wood's activity in the promotion of
Brindley's scheme of, i. 345; rival pro-
jects, and Wedgwood's remarks on
them, i. 347, et seq.; the question of
its termini, and the opposition to, i.
407; Earl Gower's patronage of, i.
410; Wedgwood on the chief oppo-
nents of, i. 411 ; Mr. Garbitt's useful
support and final desertion of ib.;
bill passes the Lords in favour of, i.
412; the press enlisted in favour of,
INDEX.
CAN’
i. 413; absurd stories circulated re-
garding, i. 415; compromises pro-
posed by the proprietors of the
Weaver Navigation in reference to, i.
419 ; Bentley's idea of carrying it to
Liverpool, i. 420; Wedgwood's letter
respecting plans for the extension of,
ib.; the scheme before the House of
Commons, i. 424; plan proposed by
proprietors of Weaver Navigation in
opposition to, i. 425; Mr. Brindley's
opinion as to the feasibility of con-
necting it with the Duke of Bridge-
water's canal, i. 427; meeting at
Worlseley Bridge in furtherance of, i.
429; measures taken to carry it
through Parliament, i. 430; petitions
against it, i. 434; passing of the Bill
for, i, 436; appointment of Committee
and Officers by the proprietors of, i.
449, 453; design of a seal for, i. 450;
digging of the first sod of, i. 454;
energetic commencement of the works
of, i. 456; Mr. Brindley's labours for,
and assurance of the ultimate success
of, i. 497, 498 : meetings of the
proprietors of, i. 499; geological dis-
coveries made during the operations
on, i, 500; the scheme of carrying it
to Liverpool dropped, ii. 239; Wedg-
wood's account of the Committee's
voyage of inspection on, ii. 248; the
Duke of Bridgewater's passenger boats
on, ii. 249.
Candelabra, various forms of, ii. 218.
Candlesticks, Triton, the earliest speci-
mens modelled, ii. 158.
Carolina, South, Wedgwood's fears re-
garding the establishment of potworks
in, i. 367; his experiments on clay
imported from, i. 471; his measures
to secure a supply of clay from, ii. 3;
arrival of the first cargo of clay from,
ii. 6; unsuccessful attempt to establish
the potter's trade in, ii. 475.
Castor, Northamptonshire, the pottery
of, i, 20.
Catalogues, Wedgwood and Bentley's,
the various editions and translations
of, ii. 355; their value in tracing the
history of ornamental bodies, &c., ii.
356; lists of cameos and intaglios in
the first edition of, ii. 357 ; the more
remarkable tablets in the first edition
of, ii. 359; busts, &c. in, ii. 361; ad-
ditions and improvements in the
second and fourth editions of, ii. 362;
appearance of the fifth, with numerous
works ascribed to Flaxman, ii. 363.
Cathcart, Lord, his patronage of art,
and services to Wedgwood, ii. 270,
273; a large order to Wedgwood
WOL. II.
625
CHE
from, ii. 72; the Russian capital
opened for Wedgwood's goods by the
influence of, ii. 115.
Catherine II. of Russia, her patronage
of Wedgwood, ii. 273 : a splendid
cream-coloured service ordered for,
ii. 274; use of the Wedgwood service
at her state dinners, and her appre-
ciation of its excellence, ii. 303, 305;
the catalogue of the service for,
ii. 305.
Cawk, Wedgwood on the precautions
necessary in procuring and preparing,
ii. 319.
Caylus, Count de, a letter from Wedg-
wood to Bentley on the ‘Recueil
d'Antiquités” of, i. 480; his work a
fountain of inspiration to Wedgwood,
i. 481 ; the object and value of his
researches, i. 482; his discovery re-
lating to encaustic painting, ii. 73.
Cement, an excellent one invented by
Wedgwood, ii. 134.
Ceramic Art, the, intimate relation of
food with the progress of, i. 11.
Chaffers, Mr., a potter of Liverpool, his
successful production of a beauti-
ful china, i. 290.
Chambers, Mr. (afterwards Sir William),
artistic patterns lent to Wedgwood
by, ii. 158; his objection to Wedg-
yº tablets for chimney-pieces, ii.
Champion, his monopoly and failure, ii.
421 and 422, note.
Charlotte, Queen, the story of the pre-
sentation of a caudle service to, i.
369, 370, mote; order of a tea-service
for, i. 370, 377; vases for, and de-
signs for their adornment, i. 373,
375; dinner services for, i. 378; the
peculiar endowments of, ii. 379; opera
glass used by, ii. 522.
Chatham, Lord, Wedgwood's cameo of,
ii. 185; Bentley's account of his
great speech on moving an amend-
ment to the address to the King, ib.
et Seg.
Chatham, Lady, dessert service for, ii.
543.
Chelsea, improvement in the manufac-
ture of soft porcelain at, i. 137; its
appearance a century ago, ii. 119 ;
Wedgwood's reasons for removing his
enamelling business to, ii. 119, note;
his desire to purchase the moulds,
models, &c. of the porcelain works
at, ii. 120; success of the porcelain
works under Mr. Spermont at, ii. 121;
prices of the finest porcelain made
at, ib. note; causes of the decline of
the works at, ii. 122; the Wedgwood
S S
626
CHE
manufactory and Mr. Bentley's resi-
dence at, ii. 123; agreement under
which premises were acquired by
Messrs. Wedgwood and Bentley at,
ii. 124, note; a journey from Etruria
to, ii. 179; removal of paintings, &c.
from Etruria to, ii. 180; a pleasant
time for Wedgwood at, ii. 280.
Chertsey Abbey, the beautiful pavement
of, i. 52.
Chester, the border fairs at, i. 292.
Chetwynd, W. R. Esq. (afterwards Wis-
count Chetwynd), i. 381; Wedgwood
employed to erect a monument in
memory of, ii. 224; the work a fail-
ure, ii. 226.
Chetwynd, Miss Deborah, sempstress,
&c. to Queen Charlotte, i. 372, 381 ;
services rendered to Wedgwood by,
i. 382; reference by Horace Walpole
to, ib. note; letter to Wedgwood
from, ii. 226; her character, ii.
227.
Chimney-pieces, difficulty in the manu-
facture of white composition or cream-
coloured tablets for, ii. 311 ; Wedg-
wood urged by Bentley to the produc-
tion of such tablets for, ii. 320 ;
Wedgwood's directions for modelling
a tablet for one, ii. 322; an early
specimen of the tablets prepared for,
ii. 369; Wedgwood's determination to
produce decorated specimens of, ii.
372; one for Longton Hall, and its
decorations, ii. 373; difficulty in fir-
ing the tablets overcome, ii. 374; a
tablet for Sir W. Bagot, of Blythe-
field, ii. 375; opposition of architects
to the jasper tablets for, ii. 378;
specimens still extant of, ii. 383.
China, a beautiful ware produced by Mr.
Chaffers of Liverpool, i. 291.
Chisholm, Alexander, Wedgwood's se-
cretary, his varied attainments, ii. 465;
employed as tutor in Wedgwood's
family, ii. 500.
Chubbard, a Liverpool portrait-painter,
his failure in the plastic art, i.
493.
Clay, its formation in the pottery dis-
tricts of Samos, Athens, and Etruria,
i. 96; its preparation for the use of
the potter, i. 98; its exportation from
England, i. 116; that used for the
production of red lustrous ware, i.
133, 138; ‘Chester,’ or ‘Ball' Clay,
i. 140; the business in, and the supply
of, i. 470; Wedgwood's experiments
with, i. 472; increase of the traffic in,
ii. 8; restriction in the use of the
South-west native species of, ii. 311;
difficulty in the preparation of dif-
INDEX.
CRE
ferent kinds and colours of, ii. 411;
operation of certain circumstances
affecting the supply of, ii. 421.
Clay, cabinetmaker, his ingenious use of
cameos in ornamenting dressing-
cases, &c., ii. 402; Boulton's desire
for partnership with, ii. 403.
Clayton, the Rev. Nicholas, first minister
of the Octagon Chapel, Liverpool,
i. 316.
Colchester, discovery of Roman paterae
near, i. 34. -
Colour, Wedgwood on the duration of
the taste for particular varieties of,
ii. 313.
Commerce, popular ignorance of the
principles of, ii. 537.
Composition, a new white, its properties,
ii. 317; difficulties in the use of, ii.
327. -
Cookery, ancient, and the relation of
pottery to, i. 80.
Cookworthy's (afterwards Champion's)
patent, its injurious operation, and
Wedgwood's opposition to its exten-
sion, i. 421; partial success of the
opposition to, i. 423.
Cooper, Mr., his unfortunate partnership
with Du Burk at Amsterdam, ii. 173.
Copestake, Thomas, a jeweller of Ut-
toxeter, his picturesque house and
workshops, ii. 398; interesting parti-
ticulars respecting, ii. 399, note.
Cornwall, an exploration of the clay-
producing districts of, ii. 422; Wedg-
wood's visit, in 1782, to certain mines
in, ii. 479.
Coward, John, a modeller employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 91; a large and fine
model executed by, ii. 230.
Cox, William, a clerk and book-keeper
employed by Wedgwood, i. 445; letter
from Wedgwood to, ii. 37; Peter
Swift's laconic letters announcing the
amputation of Wedgwood's leg to, ii.
40; Wedgwood's directions for the sale
of certain vases by, ii. 68; confusion
in accounts caused by the carelessness
of, ii. 183; a visit to Boulton's manu-
factory by, ii. 212.
Cratemen, how they adjusted their bar-
gains, i. 107.
Cream-coloured ware, formula for the
manufacture of, i. 157, note; Wedg-
wood's labours to improve it, i. 26i ;
the success of his efforts, i. 285; its
sale promoted by royal patronage,
i. 387; the great demand for, i. 467;
the ornamentation of, ii. 35; further
improvements in, and universal favour
of, ii. 55; criticisms of squires and
housekeepers on, ii. 57; use of the
INDEX.
CRO
printer's art in the ornamentation of,
ii. 58; choice of original designs for
the decoration of, ii. 62; increased
demand among the gentry for, ii. 131 ;
plans for modification of the shade of,
ii. 310; improvement in the enamelling
of, and patterns for, ii. 342; the de-
coration and bordering of, ii. 343, 345;
its gradual decline in popular favour,
ii. 421; royal patronage not worth
much to, ii. 536, note.
Crofts, Mr., a scheme for ornamenting
Iºtruscan vases originated by, ii. 181.
Crusades, the, the great benefit of, i. 85.
Cruskyn, Edward II.'s, entry in the
calendars of the Exchequer relating
to, i. 68.
Cup and saucer, exquisite specimens,
from Bohn's collection, of, ii. 527.
Cupid and Psyche, the Marriage of, a
beautiful specimen of art, ii. 358.
Cyder Bill, the, popular excitement
caused by the passing of, i. 323.
A COSTA, the famous naturalist,
Wedgwood's acquaintance with, ii.
478, mote.
Dale Hall, curious specimen of a memo-
rial tablet from, i. 122.
Dalmazoni, an artist employed for Wedg-
wood in Italy, ii. 590.
Daniel, Ralph, his surreptitious dis-
covery of the moulds and methods of
manufacture employed in France, i.
142.
Darling, engraver and setter, &c., ii. 520.
Darwin, Dr. Erasmus, his character as
a thinker, i. 401 ; his friendship with
Wedgwood, i. 402; his practice as a
physician, i. 403; his profound admi-
ration of Wedgwood's art, i. 405; his
mental culture and ardent pursuit of
medical knowledge, i. 406; the Trent
and Mersey Canal scheme promoted
by, i. 408, 411; letter respecting
Count Lauraguais from, i. 436; wind-
mill for grinding colours invented by,
ii. 29; the use of steam in his manu-
factory recommended to Wedgwood
by, ii. 31; a letter to Wedgwood
from, ii. 42; the secret of Watt's dis-
covery relating to the steam-engine
imparted to, ii. 210; the mechanical
and engineering projects of, ii. 211;
letter on Brindley's death from, ii.
243; Dalton's atomic theory antici-
pated by, ii. 440; his discussions with
Wedgwood regarding education, ii.
446; resuscitation of the windmill
project by, ii. 447; his opinions re-
garding heat and freezing, ii. 469;
627
EDG
Wright's portrait of, ii. 508; a letter
from Wedgwood to, ii. 524; Wedg-
wood's scientific relations with, ii.
558; intimacy of the Wedgwood
family with that of, ii. 559; his verses
on Banks' medallion of Hope, ii. 568;
the first perfect copy of the Barberini;
Vase sent to, ii. 581.
“Death of a Roman Warrior,’ the, a
beautiful tablet, the gem of the De la
Rue collection, ii. 360.
Delany, Mrs., her notices of Wedgwood's
productions, ii. 294.
Delft ware, its importation into England,
i. 109; improvement of English pot-
tery by the imitation of, i. 115.
Denby, a draughtsman at Chelsea, ii.
171.
Derbyshire, characteristics of the pottery
found in, i. 6.
Derrick, Master of the Ceremonies at
Bath, his opinion of the Liverpool
merchants, i. 296.
Devaere, a French artist employed by
Wedgwood in Rome, ii. 588; Wedg-
wood's objections to a bas-relief by,
ii. 589. -
D'Hancarville, his treatise on ancient
vases, ii. 71.
Dishes, varieties mentioned in old in-
ventories, i. 83; curious ornamental, i.
114; landscapes on, ii. 286; various
patterns for, ii. 345, et seq.
Dublin, Wedgwood's business in, ii.
232.
Du Burk, Wedgwood's agent at Amster-
dam, his knavery, ii. 478.
Duffield, near Derby, discovery of Nor-
man earthenware at, i. 37.
Dutch, the, intimate relations of the
English with, i. 110.
Dwight, or De Witt, John, early patents
for transparent earthenware taken out
by, i. 109.
ARTHENWARE, effects produced
by a peculiar mode of firing on, i.
19; the abundant supply, in England,
of, i. 65, 67; preservation of medi-
aeval specimens of, i. 68; Wedgwood's
experiments on the application of a
bronze varnish to, i. 74; importation
from Holland, in the 14th and 15th
centuries, of, i. 79 ; improvement in
the decoration, ii. 75.
Eden, Mr. his opinions on the commer-
cial intercourse of England and Ire-
land, ii. 544; his appointment as
Envoy-Extraordinary to France, ii.
555.
Edgeworth, R. L., Bentley's friendship
s s 2
(328.
EGG
with, ii. 419 ; a visit to Etruria by, ii.
456.
Eggington, a printer of colours at Soho,
ii. 402.
Egyptian Ware, black, or basaltes, i.
138; perfection of the busts, bas-
reliefs, &c., in, ii. 532.
Electricity, Dr. Priestley's experiments
on its application to manufactures, i.
464.
Elers, the Brothers, the site of their
celebrated pot-works, i. 103; their
mysterious proceedings on their arri-
val at Burslem, i. 134; attempts to
discover the secrets of their process,
i. 135; their removal to Chelsea, i.
137; the ware manufactured by, i.
138.
Elers, Paul, Wedgwood's correspondence
with, ii. 453; the extravagant propo-
sitions of, ii. 456.
Elers, John Philip, Wedgwood's account
of his improvements in pottery, ii.
455; particulars related by Edge-
worth regarding, ii. 456.
Elizabeth, Queen, table services of the
middle classes in the reign of, i. 78;
presents of porcelain to, i. 86.
Ely, the arrangement of ornamental
tiles at, i. 49.
IEnamelling, Wedgwood's business ar-
rangements for, ii. 118, et seq.; the
numbers employed by Wedgwood in,
ii. 292; the prices given for, ii. 345,
mote; sales of goods limited by the
high price paid for, ii. 349.
Enamelled Ware, increased demand for,
ii. 291; the process of firing, ii. 300,
770te.
Enamel Painting, experiments on ta-
blets for, ii. 385.
Encaustic Painting, Wedgwood's experi-
ments relating to, ii. 74; he takes
out a patent for a peculiar species of,
ii. 78; the date of his first attempts
in, ii. 108.
Engine-lathe, the first application of
Wedgwood's, i. 340.
England, traces of old handicrafts in
many parts of, i. 33; early manufac-
ture of plates, &c. in, i. 65; causes
of the limited manufacture of the or-
dinary kinds of earthenware in, i. 66;
importation of earthenware in the
13th century into, i. 67 ; exportation
of potters' clay from, i. 68; grotesque
ornamented pottery of the Middle
Ages in, i. 72; the food used in the
Middle Ages by the people of, i. 80,
et seq.; channels through which ori-
ental species reached, i. 84; settle-
INDEX.
ETR
ment of Dutch potters in, i. 109;
importation of Oriental porcelain and
Dutch fayence into, i. 256; badness
of the roads in, i. 269; improvement
of the means of internal communica-
tion in, i. 271; the boatmen on the
canals and rivers of, i. 275; canal
communication in the midland dis-
tricts of, i. 276; the popular taste
for maritime discovery and colonisa-
tion in, i. 477; its progress through
the arts of peace, ii. 103.
Espionage, the attempts of foreign
manufacturers to discover the process
of English pottery by, ii. 550; im-
portant discovery relating to, ii. 551.
Etruria, the canal at, i. 497; improved
engine-lathes for the ornamental
works at, ii. 28; Dr. Darwin's wind-
mill set up at, ii. 30; a vexatious
matter in connection with the canal
at, ii. 38; a visit by Wedgwood to,
ii. 45; Walpole's allusion to the pro-
gress of art at, ii. 75; progress of
building at, ii. 82; the various kinds
of vases produced at, ii. 107; the first
urns executed at, and demand for
them, ii. 108; opening of the orna-
mental works at, ii. 109; the pro-
duct of the first day's work at, ii. 111,
et seq.; Wedgwood’s ‘flitting’ to
Bentley's residence at, ii. 125; great
works necessary at, ii. 126; arrange-
ment of the turning room at, ii. 127;
description in the ‘Gentleman's Maga-
zine,’ 1794, of, ii. 129; first produc-
tion of several kinds of ornamental
ware at, ii. 158; employment of en-
amel painters for the works at, ii.
170; titled visitors to, ii. 176; dif-
ference from those of Soho of the
works produced at, ii. 216; comple-
tion of the works at, ii. 235; the
show-rooms and moulding room at,
ii. 236; the interior of the works at,
ii. 238; busy and useful days at, ii.
280; its superiority to Dresden or
Berlin, ii. 331; the place where Wedg-
wood made his secret mixtures at, ii.
333, 770te; business relations between
it and Soho, ii. 405; disturbance, in
1783, at, ii. 472; efficiency of the
works at, ii. 571 ; a riot at, ii. 473.
Etruria Hall, the site, appearance, and
arrangements of, ii. 128; the plant-
ing and improvements around, ii. 129;
the completion and occupation of, ii.
189; the gardens at, ii. 600; the gen-
erous hospitality exercised at, ii. 601.
Etruscan Painting, Wedgwood's claims
to the invention of, i. 200.
ENDEX. 629
FAL
ALCKE, Mr., a beautiful vase in the
collection of, ii. 512.
Finch, Lady, and her daughters, Wedg-
wood's beautiful likenesses of, ii. 316.
Flaxman, the Sculptor, professionally
employed by Wedgwood, ii. 321; his
first bill to Wedgwood, ii. 322; vari-
ous works by, ii. 323; works which
may probably be referred to, ii. 363;
his labours in 1776, ii. 364; his
model of the Nine Muses, ii. 366;
countermand, happily too late, of a
work by, ii. 367; models in 1777 and
1779 by, ii. 367, 369; a model of his
likeness in wax sent to Etruria, ii.
369; bills relating to work done by,
ii. 485; a note to Wedgwood from, ii.
487; delineations of Childhood by,
ii. 488; various other works modelled
by, ii. 489, et seq.; the celebrated set
of chessmen by, ii. 492; their artis-
tic truth, ii. 494; his drawings for
the arms of the General Chamber of
Manufacturers, ii. 495; his subse-
quent engagements, ii. 503; his de-
parture for Rome, ii. 504; the Duke
de Bouillon's visit in Paris to, ii. 506;
inventory of goods taken to Rome by,
ib. ; various works of his referred to,
ii. 516, 521, 530, 531, 533; beautiful
decoration of a jasper snuff-box by,
ii. 521; bas-reliefs to commemorate
the French Commercial Treaty by, ii.
563; his occupation in Rome, ii. 588;
Commissions on hand to be executed
by, ii. 591; works wrongly attributed
to, ii. 593.
Flaxman, William (brother of the pre-
ceding), employed by Wedgwood, ii.
254, note.
Flint, calcined, discovery of its use in
the manufacture of pottery, i. 148;
deleterious effects of the white powder
of, i. 149; Benson's method of grind-
ing it, ib.; Brindley's mill for the same
purpose, i. 152; variation of body by
the introduction of, i. 155.
Elorida, its clay preferred by Wedgwood
to that of South Carolina, ii. 8.
R'lowerpots, improvements in the manu-
facture and decoration of, ii. 154, 157;
Wedgwood's zeal in the search after
new forms of decorative effect suitable
to, ii. 155; prices of different kinds
of, ii. 158, note.
Food, the relation of pottery to, i. 80.
Fothergill, Dr., his advice to Wedgwood
on the use of foreign clays, ii. 7.
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire, peculiar
arrangement of ornamental tiles in,
i. 49; the debris of pottery found
amid the foundations of, i. 69.
GLA
Fox, the statesman, a mark of attention
to Wedgwood from, ii. 543.
France, the ceramic art in former times
in, i. 62; the most noted wares of, i.
64; Bentley's visit to, ii. 433; Shaw's
attempt to establish the pottery trade
in, ii. 475; unfortunate lot of the
Workmen who had been induced to
emigrate to, ii. 476; the treaty of
peace, in 1783, with, ii. 553; popu-
larity of Wedgwood's ware in, ii.
554; Wedgwood's evidence relating to
trade with, ib.; signature of the treaty
of commerce, with, ii. 560; increase
of Wedgwood's trade with, ii. 562.
Fruit, its abundance in England, and
the manner in which it was served at
table, i. 82, 83.
Funerals, curious particulars relating to
the manner of conducting them in the
latter part of last century, ii. 270, note.
ARBETT, Mr. a chemical manufac-
turer at Birmingham, a friend of
Wedgwood's, i. 409, note; his conduct
with regard to the Canal Navigation
scheme, i. 411; letter respecting the
Trent and Mersey Canal from, i. 412.
Garrick, David, a table and tea-service
for, ii. 351.
Gaul, the domestic pottery of, i. 11;
potteries in, i. 23.
Gems, reported sale of Lord Bess-
borough's, ii. 161; experiments to ob-
tain finer bodies for, ii. 310; cabinets
for, ii. 397; the various forms, uses,
and settings of, ii. 398.
Genius, its admiration for its own works,
ii. 341.
George III., Wedgwood favoured with
an audience by, ii. 175; medal from
Etruria commemorative of therecovery
of, ii. 571.
Gilbert, Thomas, Esq., M.P. for New-
castle, his suggestion for the manage-
ment of the Great Trunk Line, and
Wedgwood's remarkson it, i. 347, et seq.
Gilding, its application to the decoration
of pottery ware, i. 373.
Gladstone, the Hon. W. E., celebrated
déjeúner service in the possession of,
ii. 502.
Glazes: that employed by Luca della
Robbia, i. 57; salt and soda used for
the production of, i. 116; general
employment of that produced by lead
ore, i. 117; accidental discovery of
the value of salt as a component of,
ib.; improvements in, and their use in
a fluid form, i. 164; introduction to
Europe of those composed of felspar,
630
GLI
i. 164, note; first employment of the
fluid varieties of, i. 216; formula for
that used by Wedgwood to produce a
green lustre, i. 239; improvement by
Wedgwood of Greatbach's china glaze,
i. 285; Wedgwood's experiments for
the production of an innocuous glaze,
ii. 609.
Glisson, Miss, an enameller employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 292.
Golding Hill, ancient pot-works at,
i. 103.
Gower, Lord, his appreciation of Wedg-
wood’s cream-coloured services, i. 383;
his patronage of the Trent and Mersey
Canal, i.410; his advice to Wedgwood
as to the best mode of procuring a
supply of Cherokee clay, ii. 4; his
character, ii. 178; his services to
potters, ii. 534.
Grand Trunk Navigation, the, scheme to
connect the midland towns by branch
canals, i. 502; the completion of, ii.
458.
Green, Guy, associated with Sadler in
the application of printing to pottery,
i. 289; improvement in printed
patterns effected by, ii. 347; curious
particulars derived from the bills of,
ii. 351, note.
Grenouillière, La, the shrine of Catherine
the Second's Wedgwood service, ii.
305.
Gresley, Sir Niger, his departure from
Knipersley, i. 397.
Griffiths, the publisher, introduction of
Mr. Bentley to, i. 362; Bentley hos-
pitably entertained by, i. 387; his
subservience to his patrons, i. 389;
his system of reviewing, i, 390, note;
his review of Bentley's pamphlet on
Canal Navigation, i. 418; his visit to
Ridge House estate, i. 460; fragment
of a letter from Wedgwood to, i. 490;
uncertainty as to his house at Turn-
ham Green, ii. 437.
Griffiths, Mr. (brother of the preceding),
appointed Wedgwood's agent for pro-
curing supply of Cherokee clay, ii. 6.
Gubbio, the wares of, i. 60.
Gypsum, its use in moulds for pottery,
i. 142; improvements effected by the
use of moulds of, i. 154.
ADDINGTON, relief tiles dis-
covered in the Abbey Church of,
i. 48.
Hague, the, admiration excited by the
Barberini Vase at, ii. 594.
Hamilton, Sir William, his judicious
purchases and excavations, ii. 70; his
volumes illustrative of ancient vases,
INDEX.
ITA
ii. 71 ; Gibbon's encomium on, ii. 72,
motº ; value of his work on Etruscan
antiquities to potters, ii. 138; present
of a bas-relief from Wedgwood to,
and his acknowledgment of it, ii. 380;
his liberal patronage of Wedgwood, ii.
381; the Barberini Vase brought into
England by, ii. 575; consulted by
Wedgwood as to the reproduction of
that work, ii. 577.
Hampshire, ware of the Romano-British
potteries in, i. 21, note.
Heat, Wedgwood's observations relating
to, ii. 467.
Helegh Castle, the seat of the Audley
Family, i. 102.
Heliotype, see Photography.
Hendshall, Mr., Brindley's successor as
engineer of the Coventry and Oxford
Canal, &c., ii. 244.
Herculaneum Pictures, the artists en-
gaged on, and description of, ii. 371.
Hercules, the Choice of, a tablet by
Wedgwood, ii. 338.
Hodgson, Mr., Executor to Mr. John
Wedgwood, a letter from Wedgwood
to, i. 489; his communications to
Bentley regarding American affairs,
ii. 417.
Bolland, traffic with, i. 109; education
of English potters in, i. 110 ; exten-
sive sale of Wedgwood's goods in, ii.
481.
Homer, the Apotheosis of, a tablet
modelled by Flaxman, ii. 365.
Hooker, Sir William Jackson, the adorn-
ments for a monument to, ii. 609.
Horticulture, neglect, in England, of, i.
81.
DIA, the inferior porcelain of, how
it probably reached Europe, i. 84.
Inkpots, Wedgwood's extensive produc-
tion of, ii. 409.
Institute, the Wedgwood Memorial, ii.
615.
Intaglios, difficulty of giving illustra-
tions of, ii. 524.
Ireland, the trade of, i. 325; Wedg-
wood's reputation in, ii. 176; the pot-
tery trade of, and attempt to adjust
its commercial relations with Eng-
land, ii. 536; Pitt's scheme for the
benefit of, ii. 538; the only pottery
of, ii. 539; Mr. Eden on its commer-
cial relations with England, ii. 544;
opposition to the Government mea-
sures for the commercial advantage
of, ii. 544, 548.
Italy, the potter's art in, i. 55, et seq.;
highest period of the potter's art in,
i. 58; rapid decay of the art in, i. 59 ;
INDEX. 63]
JAN
Wedgwood's works in, i. 60; towns
where majolica was manufactured in,
ib.
JA. Sir Stephen Theodore, Lord
Mayor, his failure, and sale of the
engraved plates produced for, ii. 60.
Japan, failure to imitate the red clay
ware of 134.
Jasper, advantage of having a more dis-
tinct term for, ii. 107, note; steps by
which the ware composed of it was
brought to perfection, ii. 328, et seq.;
confusion arising from the double ap-
plication of the term, ii. 332; its com-
position, ib.; strange peculiarity of the
mixture for, ii. 333; the modern for-
mulae for, ib. note; an improvement
in the colouring of, ii. 334; beautiful
tablets in, ii. 337, at seq., ii. 364 : the
manufacture of tablets for chimney-
pieces in, ii. 372; Wedgwood's esti-
mate of the value of certain tablets in,
ii. 375, noteſ; unwillingness of the
architects to avail themselves of
tablets in, ii. 378; discovery of the
composition of, ii. 395; its adaptation,
in an ornamental form, to useful pur-
poses, ii. 487; variety of ornamental
articles in, ii. 496; various improve-
ments in, ii. 497; specimens of simple
ornament in, ii. 498; references to,
and descriptions of, many articles
composed of, ib. et scq.; Mr. Glad-
stone's déječner service in, ii. 502;
beautiful vases in the black and white
varieties of, ii. 511, et seq.; its chief
ingredient, ii. 516; numerous speci-
mens of personal ornament in, ii. 519;
cups and saucers manufactured of, ii.
527, et seq.; borderings of the ware
in, ii. 530.
Jenkins, the, the completion of Brind-
ley's windmill on, i. 280.
Johnson, Dr., Wedgwood's cameo me-
dallion of, ii. 448.
Juliana the Potter, a payment made by
the executors of Queen Eleanor to, i,
AMES, Lord, a communication re-
garding butter-kits from, ii. 185.
Reir, Captain, commencement of his ac-
quaintance with Wedgwood, ii. 207.
Keppel, Admiral, the popular estimation
of, ii. 449.
Rilns. discovery of several for the manu-
facture of tiles, i. 46; an enamelling
one, ii. 300, note.
LON
ABORATORY, the, articles pro-
duced by Wedgwood for, ii. 409.
Lamps, Candlesticks, and Candelabra, a
specialty in Wedgwood ornamental
ware, ii. 150; materials used in the
manufacture, and variety in the form
and ornamentation of, ii. 151.
Landre, Mrs., a modeller employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 86, 88.
Lathe, the, Wedgwood's appreciation of
the capabilities of, i. 285; various
improvements made in, i. 338; ii.
17; the defects of, ii. 21.
Lauraguais, Count de, a secret for the
manufacture of fine old china offered
for sale by, i. 436; his patent for the
use of Terra Ponderosa, ii. 9.
Lead ore, the manufacture of the glaze
composed of, ii. 118.
Leslie, Mr. (afterwards Sir John, Pro-
fessor of Mathematics in the Univer-
sity of Edinburgh), some time tutor
in Wedgwood's family, ii. 571.
Liber Albus, the, enactments relating to
earthenware in, i. 67.
Lichfield, Darwin's project of a canal
to, ii. 211.
Lilleshall, Shropshire, the embossed tiles
of, i. 47.
Lincoln, discoveries of Roman pottery
at, i. 22. *
Liverpool, the pottery trade at, i. 290;
Wedgwood's visits to, i. 292; its state
and appearance a hundred years ago,
i. 293; vast increase of the trade of,
i. 294; characteristics of its inhabi-
tants, i. 295; Mr. Derrick's opinion
of the merchants of, i. 296; Bentley's
departure a great loss to, ii. 115; pro-
bable advantages of Bentley's remain-
ing at, ii. 117 ; its appearance and
sanitary condition, during Bentley's
residence at, ii. 118.
Ljungberg, a foreign spy in England,
the proceedings of, ii. 552.
Lochee, a modeller employed by Wedg-
wood, ii. 507.
London, Roman, discovery of beautiful
specimens of red lustrous ware on the
site of, i. 24.
London, route of commercial travellers
in the eighteenth century to, i, 147;
opening of Wedgwood's retail trade
in, i. 286 ; state of his business in,
i. 356; visit with Mrs. Wedgwood to,
i. 387; cost of conveying goods from
Staffordshire to, ii. 31 ; Wedgwood's
resolution to open a large warehouse
in, ii. 32, 35 ; opening of another
place of business in, ii. 37; the
region of artists in, ii. 93; how
Boulton and Wedgwood passed their
LUN
time on a visit to, ii. 96; reasons fo
carrying on the enamelling business
in, ii. 119, note.
Lunar Society, the, Wedgwood's connec-
tion with, ii. 557.
AJOLICA ware, the first manufac-
ture of, i. 57; places in Italy where
manufactured, i. 60; variety of forms
in, ib. ; English use of, i. 61.
Malmesbury, Lord, his account of the
favour shown by Catherine I. of
Russia to him, i. 305, note.
Malvern, discovery of underground kilns
in the precincts of the Priory of, i. 45;
specimens of ornamental tiles found
at, i. 49.
Mansfield, Lord, Wedgwood's opinion of
his character as a judge, ii. 101.
Manufacturers, the General Chamber of,
Flaxman's drawings for the arms of,
ii. 495; Wedgwood's first notice of, ii.
539; its constitution and officers, ii.
540; its opposition to the govern-
ment scheme for the commercial ad-
vantage of Ireland, ii. 544; something
required to give it stability, ii. 556;
dissensions in, ii. 560; Wedgwood's
dissatisfaction with the proceedings
of, ii. 562.
Marjoribanks, D. C. Esq., M.P., a beau-
tifully designed vase belonging to,
ii. 512.
Maty, Dr., a present for, ii. 162.
Mather Benjamin, a clerk of Wedg-
wood's, his delinquencies and their
discovery, ii. 261.
Mayer, collection, the, a fire-place of
1569 in, i. 76.
Mayers, the, antiquity of their descent.
i. 177; cup presented by Charles II,
to one of, i. 178.
Meare Benjamin, a chemist or drysalter
of London, his famous prescriptions,
i. 178, note.
Medallions, first attempt to improve the
method and style of, i. 144.
Medway, the, scene of the Roman pot-
teries on, i. 17, 23.
Meredith, Sir Wm., M.P. for Liverpool,
one of Wedgwood’s earliestfriends and
patrons, a slight misunderstanding
with, i. 352; Wedgwood's acknow-
ledgment of the services rendered to
him by, i. 359; cream-coloured dim-
ner service for, i. 360; his connection
with Liverpool politics, i. 161; the
Mersey and Trent Canal scheme sup-
ported by, i. 417; his desire for a
whiter ware, ii. 309.
Midland Counties, the, an important day
for, i. 453. * -
INDEX.
NEW
Modelling, artists employed by Wedg-
wood in, and their bills, ii. 324.
Monasteries, the manufacture of tiles
and pottery by, i. 46; jealous guard
of their artistic productions in clay
by, i. 47.
‘Monthly Review,’ the, Bentley a con-
tributor to, ii. 187.
Moore, warehouseman, Burslem Works,
anecdote of, i. 258.
More, Mr., a man of wealth and taste,
a friend of Wedgwood, ii. 173.
Mortars, difficulties in the fabrication of,
ii. 410.
‘Mother,’ meaning of the term in col-
loquial use, i. 393.
Moulds, the use and improvement of, i.
142; advantage derived from those in
gypsum, i. 154; the effect of forming
them in clay, ii. 365.
Muses, the Nine, Flaxman's models of,
ii. 366.
Museum of Practical Geology, curious
ornamental dish in, i. 114; specimens
of Elers' ware in, i. 139.
Museum, British, artistic studies in, and
consignment of the Hamilton vases to,
ii. 162.
Museum Etruriae, see Catalogue.
Museum, the Portland, sale of, ii. 576;
purchase of the Barberini Vase and
other valuable articles at, ii. 577.
AVIGATION CANAL, Wedgwood's
interest in the promotion of, i. 385,
388 ; ii. 458.
Navigation Committee, the, Wedgwood's
contest respecting the purchase of
land with, ii. 246.
Neale and Palmer, their discreditable
mode of carrying on business, ii. 395.
Nen, the, the potteries once existing on,
and Mr. Artis's discovery of the
method used for firing clay in them,
i. 20.
Newcastle, a sixteenth-century merchant
of, i. 71 ; use of Chester clay by the
pipe-makers of, i. 140.
Newport Street, Long Acre, and Leicester
Square, former artistic associations of,
ii. 93.
Newport Street, Wedgwood's new
warehouse and showrooms in, ii. 93,
94; demand for ornamental ware after
the opening of the place of business
in, ii. 130; Byerley's account of the
crowds of purchasers flocking to,
ii. 135; Wedgwood's anxiety about
the state of his business in, ii. 261 ; a
visit of Queen Charlotte. to, ii. 299,
note,
INDEX.
NOB
Nobility, the English, assistancerendered
in the preparation of the service for
Catherine II. of Russia, by, ii. 305.
Normans, the, the fictile art among, i.
36; discovery of pitchers manufac-
tured by, i. 37.
North, Lord, the potters of Staffordshire
consulted with reference to free trade
by, ii. 534.
CTAGON CHAPEL, Liverpool, the
building and object of, i. 313, et
seq.; the first minister of, i. 316;
decline of the congregation, and sale
of, ii. 216.
Orders, Foreign, sketches sent to Wedg-
wood, with, ii. 482.
Ornaments, moulded, i. 143 ; variety
manufactured by Wedgwood, ii. 520,
et seq.
Over-production, its results, ii. 263.
ACETTI, an Italian artist, numerous
works modelled by, ii. 590; Del-
mazotti's description of a bas-relief
by, ii. 592.
Painting, blue, practice in the English
potteries, previous to 1710, of, i. 163.
Balissy the Potter, the early career and
works of, i. 62; the pièces rustiques
of, i. 63; character of the ware pro-
duced by, ib.
Palmer, Mr., a noted pirate of improve-
ments in pottery by Wedgwood, ii.
137; his imitation of Wedgwood's
black Etruscan shaped vases, ii. 138;
an act of piracy by, ii. 196; proposed
compromise with, ii. 197; additional
acts of piracy by, ii. 202; Wedgwood's
magnanimity in his dealings with, ib.;
misrepresentations of Wedgwood by,
ii. 203; his threatened opposition
to Wedgwood at Bath, ii. 254; his
piracies again, ii. 391 ; his second
marriage and failure, ii. 394.
Paris, what Mr. Boulton saw at, ii. 78.
Pars, Miss, an enameller employed by
Wedgwood, ii. 292.
Patents, the law of, its principle vicious,
ii. 201.
Patronage, Wedgwood's independence of,
i. 369.
Patterns, enamel, imitated from the an-
tique, ii. 342.
Pavement, Roman, i. 41.
Percival, Dr., of Manchester, Wedg-
wood's correspondence with, in refer-
ence to his pamphlet on poisoning by
lead, ii. 452.
Pewter, the introduction into England,
633
POS
of vessels of, i. 77; its qualities, and
the trade in, ib.
Piatti di pompa, or plates for show, the
manufacture of, i. 61.
Pickle-leaves, the manufacture of, i. 162.
Pingo, an Italian modeller employed by
Wedgwood, i. 441.
Pipkins, or porringers, and other articles
in use in mediaeval times, i. 69.
Photography, Thos. Wedgwood's (son of
Josiah) discovery of the first princi-
ples of, ii. 586.
Pirates, their method of procedure, ii.
137.
Pitchers, Saxon, i. 31; Saxon and Nor-
man, i. 37; specimens from Mr. R.
Smith's and the Bateman collections
of, i. 73.
Pitt, the great Statesman, Wedgwood's
medallion likeness of, i. 468; his
scheme for the commercial benefit of
Ireland, ii. 538; Wedgwood's inter-
views with, ii, 542; his plan for the
promotion of trade with France, ii.
553.
Plates, discoveries relating to the manu-
facture of, i. 34.
Platter, the, derivation of the plate from,
i. 33.
Plumier, Mons., author of “L’Art de
Tourner, his ardour for mechanical
invention, i. 340.
Pollard, Robert, a polisher employed by
Wedgwood, his excellence as a die-
sinker and engraver, ii. 59, 390.
Pomona, a beautiful oval tablet, in
the Mayer collection, representing, ii.
339.
Porcelain, its use during the Saxon
period in England. i. 35 ; its intro-
duction into Europe, from the East,
i. 59; transmission to Europe, from
India, of inferior qualities of, i. 84;
the only recorded examples of its
existence in Europe in the 16th cen-
tury, i. 85; the trade in, i. 86; trade
of the East India Company in, i. 87;
benefit to English pottery from the
introduction of Eastern specimens of,
i. 108.
Portland, the Duke of, purchase of the
Barberini Vase by, and understanding
with Wedgwood regarding it, ii. 577.
Portland, the Duchess Dowager of, her
negotiations to secure the Barberini
Vase, ii. 575; her passion for rarities,
ii. 576.
Portland House, the arrangement of, and
a reminiscence of Wedgwood connected
with, ii. 300.
Posset pots; a remarkable specimen in
the Bateman collection, i. 111.
634
POT
Potters, memorials of, i. 35; the en-
caustic tiles fabricated in mediaeval
times by, i. 50 ; articles manufactured
in the Middle Ages by, i. 76; the 18th
century trade customs of, i. 145;
feuds amongst, i. 157; the higher
class of, ii. 202; the incessant endea-
vours of those of France to discover a
native material for the production of
porcelain, ii. 208; the free-trade
opinions of those of Staffordshire, ii.
534, et seq.; their unwillingness to re-
veal the extent of their production and
trade, ii. 555.
Pottery, varieties of, i. 3.; the archaic,
i. 4; Celtic, i. 5; imperfection of the
early specimens of, ib.; the transport,
in Roman Britain, of, i. 16; censor-
ship as to the forms of, i. 17; varieties,
found on Romano-British sites, of, i.
22; progress, under the Saxons, of,
i. 29; Saxon and Norman varieties
of, i. 36; causes of its progress in
England during the mediaeval period,
i. 44; Moorish, and imitations of it,
i. 56; mediaeval fragments of, i. 68;
grotesque specimens of, and their
satirical purpose, i. 73; its quality
and production in relation to food, i.
80; sites, ancient and modern, for the
manufacture of, i. 96; gradual im-
provement in the manufacture of, i.
107; experiments for the production
of a superior kind of, i. 108; its im-
provement in England after the intro-
duction of oriental specimens of, ib.;
beneficial effect produced also by the
excellence of Dutch productions in,
i. 109; early ornamental attempts in,
i. 111; the method of mixture in the
manufacture of marbled varieties of
i. 113; remarks on the piracy of new
processes in the production of, i. 136;
the export trade in, i. 145; great de-
velopment of trade in the 18th cen-
tury in, i. 154; circumstances favour-
able to improvement in the scientific
branches of, i. 163; mechanical im-
provements in the production of, ib.;
men to whom its improvement is
chiefly due, i. 166; excellence of
the specimens produced by the Wor-
cestershire manufacturers of, i. 170;
decrease, in the reign of George II.,
of the home and export trade in, ib. ;
the application of printing to, i. 289;
the exportation of old stocks of, i.
467; Wedgwood’s rapid improvements
in the body and decoration of, i. 467,
note; the supply of native and foreign
clay for the manufacture of, i. 470;
instruments used by Romans in the
INDEX.
PRI
manufacture of, ii. 17, note; the orna-
mentation of, ii. 20; further improve-
ments in the art of, ii. 457; combina-
tion of foreign potters to discover the
processes used by the English manu-
facturers of, ii. 476.
Potteries, the, the limits of, and the
earliest settlement in, i. 100; wonder-
ful growth of the villages of, i. 101;
the highways in the district of, i. 103;
the use of wood and coal for firing
the ovens in, i. 104; condition, food,
and amusements of the population of,
i. 105; prevalence of intoxication
among the inhabitants of, i. 107;
conveyance of Chester clay into, i.
140; great increase of trade and
population in, i. 153; brutality of the
lower classes in, i. 264; miserable
condition of the horses in, i. 267;
improved means of intercommunica-
tion in, i. 273; the rights of traffic
in, i. 274; cost of conveyance by land
and water in, i. 275; disturbed con-
dition, in 1778, of, ii. 471 ; a pam-
phlet addressed by Wedgwood to the
youth of, ii. 474; a foreign spy in, ii.
551.
Potteries, Romano-British, the gradual
decay of, i. 29.
Pot-works, their site and appearance in
Staffordshire, i. 97; the oven, hovel,
Sunpan, &c., of, i. 98; number of men
attached to, and division of labour in,
i. 99 ; picture of a moorland one, ib.;
mode by which, after the Conquest,
the right of establishing them was
acquired, i. 101; the hovels around,
i. 102; the ancient ones on Golding
Hill and in other localities, i. 103.
Pretyman, Dr., result of an interview
of Wedgwood with, ii. 542, note.
Priestley, Dr. Joseph, his intercourse
with Wedgwood and Bentley, i. 307;
his works and scientific labours, i.
318; Wedgwood's friendship for, i.
391 ; reviews of a work by, i. 389;
tenor of his works on liberty, educa-
tion, and government, i. 390; notices
in the Monthly Review of works by,
ib. note; Bentley's intimacy with, i.
440; his application of electricity to
manufactures, i. 463; his experiments
with fluor, ii. 315; the numerous
likenesses of, and Wedgwood's corre-
spondence with, ii. 451; Wedgwood's
generous conduct to, ii. 557; his
settlement in Birmingham, and con-
nection with the Lunar Society, ii.
558, note; alterations proposed by
Wedgwood in the Appeal to the Public
by, ii. 605.
INDEX.
PRI
Printing, its application to pottery, i. 289.
Prior Cruden's Chapel, Ely, elaborate
pavement in, i. 49.
Privy Council, the, Wedgwood's evi-
dence relating to the pottery trade
with Ireland before the committee of,
ii. 538.
Pyrometers, inventive skill displayed in
the construction of, i. 160; Wedg-
wood's writings relating to, ii. 467;
description of, and experiments with
reference to, ii. 468; Wedgwood's
final paper on, and continued experi-
ments relating to, ii. 471.
UAKERS, their patronage of Wedg-
wood, ii. 132.
Quatrefoil pattern, the, a popular style
of ornament, ii. 503.
Queen's Ware, improvement in the ap-
pearance of, ii. 309; plans for the im-
provement of, ii. 310.
ANDALL, Mr., his failure to exe-
cute the Grand Trunk Canal by
ploughs, i. 499.
Reform, Parliamentary,Wedgwood's ad-
vocacy of, ii. 604.
Relief, artistic effect produced by, i. 48.
Renaissance, the, inferiority of the
pottery of, i. 64.
Beynolds, Sir Joshua, Flaxman's cameo
medallion of, ii. 490.
Phodes, David, Wedgwood's apprecia-
tion of him as an enameller and
china-piecer, ii. 36, 90 ; exquisite
work executed by, ii. 91 ; bills show-
ing the sums paid for work to, ib. and
92, note; earliest enamelling by, ii.
118.
Ridge House Estate, its extent and
capability of improvement, i. 458; a
reminiscence of the rebellion of '45
connected with, ib. ; visit of Griffiths
to, i. 460; the future Etruria planned
at, i. 461 ; trouble connected with the
final purchase of, i. 491; new appella-
tion given to, i. 492; the final pur-
chase of, i. 494; Wedgwood's ground
plan for the works on, ib.; a sketch of
part of, i. 495; Wedgwood's reasons
for his desire to extend the bounds of,
i. 497.
Foads, their condition in Cheshire
and Staffordshire, i. 267; in England
generally, i. 269; improvement by the
monastic bodies of, i. 270; bequests
for the improvement of, ib. note;
measures of the Legislature for the
maintenance of, i. 271.
635
SER
Robbia, Luca della, of Pesaro, improve-
ment in the manufacture of pottery
by, i. 57; his works and colouring, i.
58.
Robison, Sam, a generous offer made to
Wedgwood by, i. 449.
Roquet, Mons., a French enameller, the
decorations executed by, ii. 59.
Rosso Antico, the, unsuccessful efforts to
reproduce, ii. 406.
Roubiliac, Wedgwood's admiration of
the works of, i. 442; Darwin's eulogy
on, i. 443; book of sketches left
by, presented by Wedgwood to his
widow, ib.
Runcorn, project of a bridge over the
Mersey at, i. 456; Wedgwood's ac-
count of the Duke of Bridgewater's
locks on the canal at, ii. 244.
Russia, Wedgwood's desire for the in-
troduction of his manufactures into,
ii. 70, note; demand for Wedgwood's
goods in, ii. 115; progress of the
services for the Empress of, i. 169;
patronage of British ceramic art by
the nobility of, ii. 274; extensive ex-
port of ornamental goods to, ii. 480.
Sº AND GREEN, discovery of
the application of printing to pot-
tery by, i. 289; decoration of cream-
coloured ware at the Liverpool pre-
mises of, ii. 58; the early decorations
produced by, ii. 59; popular subjects
for ornamentation selected by, ii. 61 ;
the earlier and later printed ware of,
ii. 64.
Saguntum, Spain, red lustrous ware from
the potteries of, i. 24.
Salt, accidental discovery of its value as
a glaze, i. 117; duty paid to Go-
vernment by the potters for, i. 154.
Samos, beautiful patterns of the bowls
of, i. 25.
Saxons, the, various uses to which wood
was applied by, i. 32.
Scotland, remarkable embossed tiles
found in, i. 56.
Seals, the fabrication of, ii. 385; Pal-
mer's imitations of Wedgwood's, ii.
391.
Service, the Great Russian, views of
places in Staffordshire for, ii. 284;
the propriety of its public exhibition
considered, ii. 285; the employment
of artists on, and the progress of
paintings for, ii. 286; Mr. Bentley's
zeal in urging on the completion of,
ii. 291; names of persons employed
on, ii. 292; public exhibition and
Mrs. Delany's account of, ii. 293;
636
SHA .
disposal of duplicate pieces of, ii. 295;
a cup and saucer of, ii. 296; royal
visitors at the exhibition of, ii. 298;
preparing the estimate of the price of,
ii. 301; settlement of the claim for,
ii. 304 ; Bentley's catalogue of, ii.
305.
Shaw, the Potter, the litigious temper of,
i. 157; his action against Mitchell, i.
158; improvements effected by, i.
159.
Shrewsbury, the Abbey of, tiles of the
sunk pattern in, i. 49.
Shropshire, ware manufactured from the
clays of, i. 13.
Siddons, Mrs., Flaxman's bust and ex-
quisite cameo medallion of, ii. 489.
Simon, Joseph, an enameller employed
by Wedgwood, ii. 90.
Slip-kiln, the, the introduction and use
of, i. 159.
Small, Dr., his settlement in Birming-
ham, and introduction to Boulton, ii.
208 ; his sympathy with James
Watt, ii. 209.
Smith, C. R., Esq., ornamented pitcher
and curious watering-pot in the col-
lection of, i. 73, 76.
Smith, Joachim, a modeller in wax em-
ployed by Wedgwood, ii. 315.
Soho, Birmingham, the noble range of
manufactories at, and the organised
industry of, ii. 25 ; variety of articles
originally produced at, ii. 26; the
metal ornaments manufactured at, ii.
27; Wedgwood's appreciation of the
lathes used at, ii. 28; Boulton’s pro-
cesses connected with the fabrication
of articles in bronze, Ormolu, and
steel at, ii. 74; a visit of Wedgwood's
to, ii. 77; James Watt's first visit to,
ii. 209; difference of its products
from those of Etruria, ii. 216 ; beau-
tiful articles manufactured at, ii. 403.
Soho, London, characteristics, at the
end of last century, of, ii. 290 ;
Wedgwood's negotiations for show-
rooms in, and their opening, ii. 290,
291.
Southwell, Mr. and Mrs., Wedgwood's
discussions respecting the forms of
flowerpots with, ii. 156.
Spain, manufacture of red lustrous ware
in, i. 56.
Spar, its exportation for the use of the
German porcelain manufacturers, ii.
10; Wedgwood's application to Mr.
Whitehurst, of Derby, for a supply of,
ii. 11; his experiments with, ii. 314.
Spath Fusible, the, see Terra Ponderosa.
Spermont, Mr., his management of the
porcelain works at Chelsea, and busi-
INDEX.
STU
ness connection with Boulton at Soho,
ii. 121 ; employment, by Boulton and
Fothergill, of, ii. 212.
Sphinxes, the manufacture, in black
basaltes, of, ii. 159; cost of models
for, ii. 160.
Spies, the necessity of constant precau-
tions against, ii. 214; the impudence
and perseverance of those from abroad,
ii. 550.
Staffordshire, Roman potteries in, i. 14;
thered ware of, ib.; an important day
for, i. 453; the forests and clays of, i.
91 ; character and extent of cultiva-
tion, in former times, in, i. 92; the
remains of ancient potters' kilns in, i.
94; traces of the former picturesque
scenery of, i. 95; the Moorlands of,
i. 96; population of the pottery dis-
trict of, i. 97; site and appearance of
the potworks of, ib.; picture of a
potwork in the Moorlands of, i. 99;
distribution of the ware of, i. 104 ;
early development of the staple pro-
ductions of, i. 105; importation of
Dorset and Devonshire clays into, i.
141; the tile-wrights of, and anti-
quity of their surnames, i. 175; price
of food, in the 18th century, in, i.
193, note; excitement caused by the
re-imposition of the duty on salt
among the potters of, i. 216; alarm
produced by the march of the Pre-
tender's army through, i. 224; loyalty
of the population of, i. 227; Charles
Wesley's account of the brutality of
the colliers in the Southern division
of, i. 265.
Stamford, Mr., of Derby, employed in
the manufacture of tools for Wedg-
wood, ii. 18.
Stamford, Miss, Bentley's marriage to,
ii. 258.
Stoke-upon-Trent, surnames of the old
potters in the parish-registers of, i.
176.
Storer, Mr., his patent, and Wedgwood's
proposal for partnership with, ii. 404.
Stothard, design of an engraving for a
tile or plate by, ii. 65.
Stringer, Dr., Wedgwood's intimacy
with, ii. 46.
Stringer, Mr., a painter of Knutsford,
employed by Wedgwood, i. 493; his
opinion regarding the expense of pro-
ducing the Russian service, ii. 279;
engaged by Wedgwood to take views
for that work, ii. 282.
Stuart, James, Esq., author of ‘The
Antiquities of Athens,’ Wedgwood's
intimacy with, ii. 219.
Stubbs, the animal-painter, his remark-
INDEX.
SUN
able perseverance, ii. 384; Wedg-
wood's experiments on tablets or
pallets for, ii. 385; painting of the
Wedgwood family by, ii. 441 ; por-
trait of Wedgwood by, ii. 491.
Sun-pan, the, the evaporation of diluted
clay in, i. 98.
Swift, Peter, the character and corre-
spondence of, i. 462: his quaint an-
nouncement of the amputation of
Wedgwood's leg, ii. 42 ; Wedgwood's
generous conduct to, ii, 425.
Swinfield, Richard de, facts proved by
the Roll of, i. 66.
ABLE and Tea Ware, union of paint-
ing and printing in the decoration
of, ii. 348.
Tablets, earthenware, used as grave-
stones, i. 118; inserted as memorials
in the walls of houses, i. 120 ; re-
markable specimens of, i. 122.
Tablets, jasper, subjects modelled for,
ii. 335; a suitable ground-colour for,
ii. 377; boxes for the exhibition of,
ii. 380.
Tarleton, Mr., Liverpool, a propitiatory
offering from Wedgwood to the sister
or daughter of, ii. 81.
Tassie, James, a clever artist employed
by Wedgwood, ii. 92; particulars re-
lating to the life and works of, ii.
395; his collection of imitated gems,
ii. 396; his manner of taking medal-
lion portraits, ib. note.
Taylor, Mr. John, Birmingham, a friend
of Wedgwood's, i. 287.
Templeton, Lady, designs of groups con-
tributed to Wedgwood by, ii. 489, 522.
Terra-cotta, Wedgwood's experiments on
marbled bodies in, ii. 65; a caution
respecting imitations of, ii. 67; manu-
facture of bas-relief ornaments for
vases in, ii. 135; opposition of archi-
tects to the decoration of houses with,
ii. 288.
Terra-cotta, crystalline, the invention
and use of, ii. 145; the beauty, in
vases, of, ii. 146.
Terra Ponderosa, or carbonate of baryta,
Wedgwood's discovery of the use of,
ii. 9; experiments by Wedgwood and
others on, ii. 11, et seq. ; experiments
for its introduction among the ingre-
dients of various ceramic bodies, ii.
311, 314; causes of its unfitness to
form the basis of a manufacture, ii.
314 et seq.
Thrift-boxes, manufactured by the
mediaeval potters, i. 76.
Tiles, the earliest to which a date can be
637
VAS
affixed, i. 42; ornamental ones intro-
duced from abroad, i. 42, 43; their
manufacture by religious houses, i.
44; discovery of kilns for the manu-
facture of, i. 45; various classes of
the ornamental varieties of, i. 47; the
sunk pattern of, i. 48; peculiar pat-
terns of, i. 49; beautiful arrangement,
in panels, of ib.; the design, glaze,
colour, and decorations of encaustic
patterns of, i. 50, 51; the site of
graves marked by inlaid specimens of,
i. 55.
Tilework, the use, in ecclesiastical ar-
chitecture, of, i. 42; the introduction
and progress, in its decorated form, of,
i. 53; superiority of English work.
menin, i. 55.
Tilewrights, their craft, and its extent,
i. 34; its antiquity, i. 93.
Treen, the use of services of, i. 79.
Trentham, a tablet and friezes for the
library at, ii. 377; an illustrious trio
at, ii. 386; Wedgwood's visits to, ii.
177.
Tripods, variety produced by Wedgwood
of, ii. 160.
Triton, the, Wedgwood's artistic error in
the design of, ii. 219.
Tudot, Mons., allusion to his researches
in France, i. 21; important discoveries
relating to the potters of the Allier
made by, i. 23.
Turner, Dr. Matthew, of Liverpool, his
intercourse with Wedgwood, i. 300 ;
his excellent colours and varnish, ii.
16, 80.
Turnham Green, Wedgwood's visit to,
i. 388; his objections to it as a resi-
dence for Bentley, ii. 434; Bentley's
removal to, and hospitality at, ii. 435;
household scenes af, ii. 436.
Tyg, the, a two-handed cup, a favourite
drinking vessel, i. 76.
UNMIN Ralph, his sketches of Etrus-
can painted vases, ii. 337.
Upchurch, the pottery of, i. 13.
Urbino, the artists of, i. 60.
Urns, Saxon cinerary, i. 29.
ASES, progress in the manufacture,
colouring, and ornamentation of, ii.
64; vast demand for, ii. 67; names
for distinguishing different patterns
of, ii. 68; Mr. (afterward Sir William)
Hamilton's splendid collection of, ii.
71; curiosities of the trade at Paris
in, ii. 78; care necessary to prevent
imperfections in the manufacture of,
638
VAS
ii. 82; various kinds produced at Burs-
lem and Etruria, ii. 107; those in most
request, ii. 130; increased variety in
the decoration of, ii. 132; dearth of
hands for the manufacture of, ii. 304 ;
surprising demand in Holland for,
ii. 135; originality in the form and
decoration of, ii. 143; the prices for
different kinds of, ii. 148.
Vases, black, the manufacture of white
bas-relief ornaments for, ii. 135; Pal-
mer's imitations of, ii. 138; improve-
ment in the decoration of, ii. 387.
Wases, bronze, the rarity of, ii. 139.
Wases, Etruscan, Palmer of Hanley's
imitation of Wedgwood's, ii. 79; Wedg-
wood's renunciation of his patent for,
ii. ib.; great demand for, ii. 97; the
glaze and painting of, ii. 109; suc-
cessful experiments for the improved
colouring and ornamenting of, ii. 139;
the body used for, and the figures and
groups painted on, ii. 146; use of
mechanical appliances for facilitating
the manufacture of, ii. 182; decora-
tions executed in 1769 for, ii. 183;
unauthorized imitations of, ii. 196;
Sir William Hamilton's objections to
gilding in the decoration of, ii. 229;
one applied to a useful purpose, ii.
403; the most perfect specimens of
Wedgwood's workmanship in, ii. 512,
et seq.; the last made by Wedgwood,
ii. 515; other beautiful specimens of,
ii. 517; prices of those in jasper, ii.
518, note: the continued demand for,
ii. 532.
Vegetables, their scarcity in England
in the Middle Ages, i. 81.
Veldhuysen and Son, Wedgwood's ener-
getic Dutch agents, ii. 481.
Wessel, a garnish of, or service of pew-
ter, sums paid for the hire of, i. 78.
Vessels, jug-shaped, indications of a new
style of pottery in, i. 30; saucer-
shaped, i. 33.
Virgil, the Apotheosis of, a beautiful
jasper bas-relief by Flaxman, ii. 526.
Voyez, John, his great talent as a mo-
deller, &c., ii. 84; Wedgwood's kind
reception of him at Burslem, ii. 85;
his base and ungrateful conduct to
Wedgwood, ii. 86, 87; a probably
false charge against him, ii. 88, 395;
the only known work by, ib.; his
gradual descent in rascality, ii. 392;
his forgery of names, ii. 393; his final
disappearance, ii. 394.
ADD, the Black, of Derbyshire,
analysis of, ii. 478.
INDEX.
WED
Warrington, Richard, of Harrington
Street Pottery,atile engraved by,ii. 58.
Walker Thomas, Manchester, his con-
nection with Wedgwood, ii. 56.
Warburton Captain, Wedgwood's referee
in a case of arbitration, ii. 198.
Ware, various kinds of:—Upchurch, i.
19; Castor, ib. ; red lustrous, i. 22;
white salt-glazed, i. 154; cream-
colour, i. 155; early cream-colour, i.
156; white and fancy, i. 161; tortoise-
shell and other fancy, its colouring,
i. 162; blue scratched, i. 234; green
glazed, i. 239; useful and ornamen-
tal, ii. 191, 527, et seq.; the ancient
red lustrous, ii. 343; the copper glaze
or gold bronze, ii. 408; enamelled
and jasper, and the borderings of, ii.
530; improvements in several kinds
of, ii. 533; the duty on the importa-
tion into France of, ii. 534; increased
exportation of, ii. 535; silver, its in-
vention, ii. 584.
Ware, red lustrous, the principal
sources of, i. 23; discovery of beau-
tiful specimens of, i. 24; analysis of
the glaze applied to, i. 26; preserva-
tion of specimens of, i. 27; discovery
of magnificent fragments of, i. 28.
Warne, Mr., of Ewell, Surrey, urns in
the Museum of, i. 4.
Warrington Academy, the establish-
ment of, i. 305; the first three tutors
engaged in, i. 307; erection of new
buildings for, i. 317; Priestley's resi-
dence and labours in, ib. ; bad ma-
nagement of, ii. 549.
Watt, James, Darwin's prevision respect-
ing the application of steam by, ii. 31;
his first visit to Birmingham, ii. 208;
Dr. Small's appreciation of his dis-
coveries, ii. 209 ; his introduction to
Dr. Darwin, ii. 210; his connection
with Wedgwood in a mining specula-
tion, ii. 479; his dissatisfaction with
the heavy taxation of his day, ii. 546.
Webber, Henry, an able modeller, head
of Wedgwood's ornamental depart-
ment, ii. 465 ; his first essays in
modelling, ii. 506; travels through
Italy with one of Wedgwood's sons,
ii. 507; a beautiful medallion model-
led by, ii. 568; artists employed in
Italy for Wedgwood by, ii. 590.
Wedgwoods, the, account of the family,
i. 177, et seq.; the first potters of the
name, i. 186, et seq.
Wedgwood, the two Aarons, and their
sons, i. 194. *
Wedgwood, Catherine, the three mar-
riages of, i. 197; survey of lands in
the parish of Burslem belonging to,
INDEX.
WED
ib.; her gifts to the church, i. 203;
her will, i. 250.
Wedgwood, John and Thomas (distant
relatives of Josiah), Brindley the
engineer's connection with, i. 278;
their improvements in the art of pot-
tery, i. 282; two welcome guests at
the house of, i. 283.
Wedgwood, John (brother of Josiah), his
position in London, ii.286; his friend-
ship for, and services to his brother,
i. 287; dissuaded by Josiah from a
proposed trip to France, i. 370; a
country present for, i. 395; his life
in London, &c., i. 445; his melan-
choly death, i. 448.
Wedgwood, John (Josiah’s brother-in-
law), his active life, illness, and
death, ii. 427.
Wedgwood, Joseph (a descendant of one
of the elder branches of the family),
Josiah's services and kindness to, ii.
49.
Wedgwood, Josiah, junr., ancient red
ware copied by, i. 26; his promise as
a potter, ii. 571 ; his visit to the
Hague with Mr. Byerley, ii. 594; his
return from the Continent and mar-
riage, ii. 597; decline of his health,
ii. 610; his death, ii. 611; his funeral
and monument, ii. 612.
Wedgwood, Richard, of Spen Green
(father-in-law of Josiah), his success
in business, i. 194; his character,
and the legacies left by, i. 284; his
residence at Etruria, ii. 428.
Wedgwood, Sarah (daughter of the pre-
ceding), her character and habits, i.
283.
Wedgwood, Thomas (grandfather of
Josiah), the potwork of, i. 190; his com-
paratively easy circumstances, i. 193.
Wedgwood, Thomas, part of the perso-
nal estate of, i. 79.
Wedgwood, Thomas, the two doctors of
the name, i. 196; the pottery manu-
factured by, i. 196, 199.
Wedgwood, Thomas (father of Josiah),
his character and skill as a potter, i.
199; the dwelling occupied by, i.
200; the birth of his great son, i.
202; his death and will, i. 217.
Wedgwood, Thomas (cousin of Josiah),
his excellence as a potter, i, 447; his
two sons, i. 448; his peculiar position
as partner in the firm of Wedgwood
and Bentley, ii. 190; his occupation
at Etruria, ii. 280; his death, ii. 583.
Wedgwood, Thomas (brother of Josiah),
his character and position, i. 232;
his friendly relations with his great
brother, ii. 48; the death of, ii. 269;
639
WED
his widow and eldest son, ii. 270,
271; the inventory of his household
goods, and the execution of his will,
ii. 272, note.
Wedgwood, Thomas (the fourth son of
Josiah), his great abilities and early
death, ii. 204; his devotion to study,
ii. 549; his varied attainments, ii.
584; invention of silver ware by, ii.
585; anticipation of photography by,
ii. 586.
Wedgwood, Josiah, strict censorship as
to form exercised by, i. 17; fabrica-
tion of red ware by, i. 26; his medal-
lions and, cameos, i. 144; cream-
coloured ware brought to perfection
by, i. 155, 157; state of the potter's
art when business was commenced
by, i. 165, et seq.; his application to
the advancement of his art, i. 167;
his perception of the truth and beauty
of form, i. 168; the influence of his
more artistic works, i. 169; the birth
and childhood of, i. 202; benefit de-
rived from the character and instruc-
tions of his mother, i. 204; the posi-
tion of his relatives, i. 205; his fra-
ternal tenderness, i. 207 ; his school
and schoolmaster, ib.; early indica-
tions of his talent for construction, i.
209; his susceptibility to the influ-
ences of nature, and his scientific study
of fossils, i. 210, 211; his first labours
as a potter, i. 218; serious effects of
an attack of small-pox to, i. 220; his
indenture of apprenticeship, i. 222;
disease in his knee, i. 228; the last
years of his apprenticeship, i. 229;
the first tea-pot executed by, i.
230; early experiments of, i. 231;
his partnership with Thomas Alders,
i. 233; his residence at Stoke, i. 235;
his association with excellent prac-
tical chemists, i. 236; his partner-
ship with Mr. Wheildon, ib. et seq.;
production of an exquisite green-
glazed ware by, i. 239; an attack of
illness, and its results to, i. 246;
agreement with his cousin, Thomas
Wedgwood, i. 249; working premises
rented by, i. 251 ; his first labours at
Ivy House Works, i. 255; his first
commissions, i. 256; successful imi-
tation of oriental delft by, i. 257;
earliest attempts at relief work by, i.
259; the preliminary labours of, i.
260 ; the improvement of cream-
coloured ware by, i. 261; his atten-
tion turned to the condition of the
public roads, i. 266; his early attach-
ment to Sarah Wedgwood, i. 283;
his improved cream-coloured ware, i.
640
WED
285; preservation of specimens of
his early labours, i. 286; attention
bestowed on the mechanical appliances
of his art by, i. 287; his visits to
Liverpool, i. 292; an accident and its
consequences to, i. 299; his inter-
course with Dr. Matthew Turner, and
his introduction to Bentley, i. 301, et
seq.; his friendship for the latter, i.
307; addition to the circle of his ac-
quaintance, i. 308; commencement of
his correspondence with Bentley, i.
311; his views on literature and
politics, i. 322; his remarks on the
extension of the Excise Laws, i. 323;
occupation of Brick House works by,
i. 329; incidents of his residence
at Burslem, i. 330, et seq.; the course
of his love impeded by law, i. 332;
his marriage, i. 334; engine-turning,
and the invention of an engine lathe
by, i. 338; study of Plumier’s “L’Art
de Tourner' by, i. 339; the first ap-
plication of his engine lathe, i. 340;
his busy life at the commencement of
1765, i. 345; his interest in the im-
provement of turnpike roads, i. 354;
the christening feast of his first-born,
i. 355; extent of his business, i. 356;
his pleasure in intellectual pursuits, i.
363; his opinions respecting the pub-
lic questions of the time, i. 364; his
projected removal from Burslem, i.
365; his imperfect knowledge of
economic science, i. 366; his advance-
ment in his art, i. 368; his introduc-
tion to Royal favour, i. 369; a service
of Staffordshire ware ordered for
Queen Charlotte from, i. 370, et seq.;
experiments for a royal tea-service by,
i. 374; his care in the manufacture of
dinner services, i. 380; aristocratic
patronage of, i. 382; his conversations
with Lord Gower, relating to pottery,
i. 383; glimpses of his family life, i.
391; announcement of an intended
marriage by, i. 393; his friendship with
Dr. Darwin, i. 403; the ardent promo-
tion of canal navigation by, i. 408,409,
413; his remarks on Bentley's attempt
to propitiate Gilbert, i. 415; attacked
withillnessin London, i.419; his suspi-
cions regarding the purity of the Duke
of Bridgewater's patriotism, i. 423;
his liberal support of the project of a
canal to Liverpool, i. 432; his efforts
to secure the assistance of talented
artists, i. 441 ; a present from Roubi-
liac to, i. 443; rooms hired for the
exhibition of patterns by, i. 445; a
reminiscence of one of his visits to
Buckingham Palace, i. 446; his part-
INDEX.
WED
nership with his cousin, Thomas
Wedgwood, i. 447; appointed trea-
surer to the proprietors of the great
canal scheme, i. 449; sum voted by
the committee of the Trent and Mer-
sey Canal to, i. 452; general confi-
dence in the uprightness of, i. 453;
the first sod of the canal cut at Burs-
lem by, i. 454; purchase of an estate
by, i. 457; progress of his friendship
for Bentley, i. 458; his remarks
on Priestley's experiments on the ap-
plication of electricity to manufac-
tures, i. 463; his manner of buying
and selling, i. 465; rapid improve-
ment in the body and decoration of
pottery by, i. 467, note; an early at-
tempt at a medallion likeness by, i.
468; experiments leading him on the
track of a great discovery, i. 472:
curious example of his power of draw-
ing analogies from remote sources,
i. 479; study of the principles of art
by, i. 480; his desire to take Bentley
into partnership, i. 482, et seq.; a
letter worth preserving from, i. 483;
Bentley consents to enter into part-
nership with, i. 486; letter written
on the death of his brother John by,
i. 487; his illness, and sanitary pre-
cautions taken by, i.490; his opinions
regarding the progress of the pottery
art, i. 492; his artistic aspirations, i.
493; a formidable-looking letter
written by, i. 499, note; his remarks
on geological discoveries made during
operations on the canal, i. 500, 502;
a generous letter, with reference to
Brindley, from, i. 503; measures for
securing a supply of Cherokee clay
taken by, ii. 3; his interview with
Brown, the famous landscape gar-
dener, ii. 5, note; the discovery of a
new porcellaneous substance by, ii. 10;
his ability as an analyst, ii. 14; care
in the choice of tools exercised by, ii.
17, 19; his inventive faculty and
mechanical ability, ii. 20; his discus-
sion with Bentley regarding the
engine lathe, ii. 23; benefit derived
from Plumier’s “L’Art de Tourner’
by, ii. 24; his “congresses’ with
Bentley, ii. 27, note ; generosity mani-
fested to brother manufacturers by, ii.
28; his ready perception of the foibles
of human nature, ii. 34; his illness,
and the amputation of his leg, ii. 38;
Mrs. Wedgwood’s ministrations, in
his illness, to, ii. 41; death of his son
Richard, ib.; letter from Dr. Darwin
to, and general anxiety excited by his
illness, ii. 42; his appreciation of
INDEX.
WED
Bentley's letters and friendship, ii.
44; the death of his mother, ii. 45;
his paternal character, ii. 47; his re-
lations with his brother Thomas, ii.
49; disappointment in two of his re-
latives experienced by, ib. ; zeal ex-
emplified in the decoration of his wares
by, ii. 62; his invoices, ii. 67; his
habit of modelling from antique forms,
ii. 69; the study of engravings of
ancient ceramic art by, ii. 72; his ex-
periments relating to colours and var-
nish, ii. 74; his correspondence with
Boulton as to the means of increasing
their business on the continent, ii. 76;
a patent taken out in 1769 by, ii. 78;
art used to promote general well-being
by, ii. 82; a scheme for collecting a
colony of artists around him com-
menced by, ii. 84; his anxiety to pre-
serve all secrets relating to the manu-
facture of his vases, ii. 87; artists
employed by, ii. 89, 92; glimpses of
his life in town, ii. 95; his opinion of
Boulton's proposed union of the pot-
tery and metal branches of trade, ii.
96; a portrait of, ii. 99; his political
opinions, ii. 100; great demand for
his vases, ii. 115; his confidence of
being able to overcome all rivalry, ii.
121 ; letter from Dr. Darwin to, ii.
128; birth of his son Josiah, ii. 130;
Quaker patronage of, ii. 132; his
difficulty in procuring workmen, ii.
134 ; piracy of his various improve-
ments, ii. 136; his adaptations of
pottery to the requirements of modern
civilisation, ii. 145; his skill as a
modeller, ii. 158; his desire for casts
from the antique, ii. 160; attacked by a
disorder in his eyes, ii. 166; his
doubts and difficulties, ii. 167; his
desire to instruct Bentley in the art
of pot-making, ii. 168; kindness
shown by numerous noble patrons to,
ii. 178; his distress on the discovery
of Cox's gross neglect in London, ii.
185; his correspondents of 1769, ib, ;
a great reform in his manufacture
effected by, ii. 188; his unwillingness
to accept certain foreign orders, ii.
189; a difficult question respecting
his partnership with Bentley, ii. 190;
his manly appeal to the good sense of
Bentley, ii. 192; settlement by re-
ferees of his lawsuit with Palmer
and Neale, ii. 199; birth of his son
Thomas, ii. 204; his acquaintance
with Captain Keir, ii. 207; his first
meeting with James Watt, ii. 210;
his visits to Boulton at Soho, ii. 211;
the bold spirit of rivalry expressed
WOL. II.
T T
641
WED
by, ii. 213; constant caution against
pirates urged by, ii. 214; an open,
generous plan of business supported
by, ii. 215; all fear of rivalry dis-
carded, and Boulton assisted in his
art by, ii. 216, 218; his acquaintance
with Stuart, author of the ‘Antiqui-
ties of Athens, ii. 219; his account
of a short tour with that gentleman,
ii. 221; proposal of a business place
in the Adelphi for, ib.; a slight acci-
dent to, ii. 224; letter from Miss
Chetwynd to, ii. 226; his direc-
tions for the display of goods in
show-rooms, ii. 228; his artistic la-
bours in 1770, ii. 229 ; difficulties in
the execution of models sent to, ii.
230; sits for his likeness to a Chinese
artist, ii. 231; glimpses of his domes-
tic life, ii. 234; his navigation duties
after the autumn of 1769, ii. 239; his
friendship with the Brindleys, ii. 240,
244; his contest with the Navigation
Committee respecting the purchase of
land, ii. 246; the frequent severe ill-
messes of his wife, ii. 253, 261, 265,
267; a visit to Bath by, ii. 260; his
anxieties, ii. 261; his conduct as phy-
sician, ii. 264; a conspiracy in his
household, ii. 265; the education of
his children and a holiday trip with
them, ii. 267; his advanced views on
education, ii. 268; the death of two
of his brothers, ii. 269; his remarks.
and precautions regarding the great
order from Russia, ii. 275; his early
use of the camera obscura, ii. 282;
his advanced ideas on art, ii. 289; the
works in which his fame culminated,
ii. 300; he renounces the idea of pro-
ducing a whiter ware than Queen's,
ii. 309; improvement of white bis-
cuit by, ii. 310; experiments carried
on by, and their result, ii. 311 ; his
experiments on spars, ii. 314 ; assist-
ance in experimentalising rendered by
Priestley to, ii. 315; portraits of the
nobility in terra cotta, produced by,
ib.; a new white composition pre-
pared by, ii. 316; a journey in search
of cawk undertaken by, ii. 331; a col-
lection of his works projected by, ii.
336 ; his enthusiastic admiration of
his own cameos, ii. 341; his study of
conchology and the adaptation of shell
forms to art, ii. 346; the proposed
erection of enamel works by, ii. 349;
tile-making gradually declined by, ii.
350; tablets and heads produced by,
ii. 365; his criticism on a model of
Flaxman's, ii. 366; remarks on the
price of tablets by, ii. 375, note; his
642
WED
assurance of the ultimate apprecia-
tion of his chimney-pieces, ii. 379;
suffering from his amputated limb
experienced by, ii. 386; a visit of
Lord and Lady Warwick to, ii. 397;
his differences with Boulton respecting
cameo colouring, ii. 401; his knowledge
of American affairs, and free expres-
sion of opinion on them, ii. 417; his
first visit to Cornwall, ii. 422; an ex-
perimental work proposed by, ii. 423;
the birth and christening of three
daughters celebrated by, ii. 426; re-
ception of his father-in-law by, ii.
428; death of his last brother, ii.
429 ; his children's holidays at home,
ii. 431; the study of shells by, ii.
438; his domestic life, ii. 438, 442;
a letter from Bentley to, ii. 439; a
scientific idea suggested by the study
of shells, to, ib., Stubbs' painting of
his family, ii. 441; difficulties expe-
rienced in the education of his chil-
dren by, ii. 443; a mistaken view
entertained by, ii. 444; dishonest
conduct of his farmers, ii. 445; an
educational question discussed with
Darwin by, ii. 446; a French tutor
engaged by, ii. 447; was Johnson
ever seen by ? ii. 448; interesting me-
dallion portraits produced by, ii. 449;
his correspondence with Dr. Percival,
ii. 452; honour shown by the aris-
tocracy to, ii. 458; the effect of Bent-
ley's death on, ii. 460; a secretary
and head of ornamental department
appointed by, ii. 465; papers com-
municated to the Royal Society by,
ii., 467 ; elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society, ii. 468; series of ex-
periments attempted by, ib. ; a pam-
phlet addressed to the inhabitants of
the potteries by, ii. 474; an address
to working potters by, ii. 476; a paper
on Black Wadd read to the Royal
Society by, ii. 478; his interest in the
clay mines of Cornwall, ib.; extensive
foreign trade carried on by, ii. 479,
481; his commercial enterprise, ii.
483; two portraits of, ii. 490; artists
who worked for, ii. 507; paintings by
Wright of Derby for,ii.508; description
of numerous vases manufactured by,
ii. 511, et seq.; letter on the originality
of his cameos by, ii. 524; ladies of
rank who employed their pencils for,
ii. 526; improvements in ornamented
ware effected by, ii. 533, note; his
interest in questions relating to the
pottery trade, ii. 534; a tradition re-
lating to, ii. 535, note; opinions on
the trade with Ireland held by, ii.
INDEX.
WHE
537; his evidence on that subject to
the Committee of the Privy Council,
ii. 538; a proposal regarding the
Chamber of Manufacturers made by,
ii. 539; his unwearied labours for
the Chamber, ii. 541; his relations
with Fox and other chiefs of the
Opposition, ii. 543; his conferences
with Mr. Eden, ii. 544; his exer-
tions to prevent the passing of the
Irish Resolutions, ii. 547; his artistic
occupation in London, ii. 549; his
letter to Nicholson, on foreign
spies, ii. 550; his unwillingness to
show his manufactories to strangers,
ii. 552; perplexities with re-
ference to the General Chamber ex-
perienced by, ii. 556; the continued
imitation by pirates of works by, ii.
557; letter from Darwin to, ii. 560,
note; his increased trade with
France after the passing of the
Treaty of Commerce, ii. 563; con-
siderable losses experienced by, ii.
565; opposition to the slave trade
manifested by, ii. 565; the last paper
contributed to the Philosophical
Transactions by, ii. 567; the decline
of his health, ii. 570; loan of the Bar-
berini Vase to, ii. 577; difficulties in
its reproduction anticipated by, ii.
578; his retirement from the more
active part of his business, ii. 583;
remarks on nude figures by, ii. 589;
transmission of costs and models to,
ii. 591; gratifying letter from Lord
Auckland to, ii. 594; organised piracy
of the finest works by, ii. 597; his
holiday travels in England and
Wales, ii. 598; his taste for garden-
ing, ii. 600; his love of books, ii.
602; his extensive scientific corre-
spondence, and generous support of
benevolent schemes, ii. 603; his per-
sonal friendships and political prin-
ciples, ii. 604; fortune acquired, and
provision for his family and depend-
ents made by, ii. 606; his personal
characteristics, ib. ; the increasing
value of his works, ii. 608; decline of
his health, ii. 610; his death and
burial, ii. 611,
Welsh, the, pottery for the use of, i.
291.
Wesley, John and Charles, their labours
at Burslem, and in South Staffordshire,
i. 264, et seq.
Westminster, early specimens of tile-
work at, i. 43.
Wheildon, Thomas, excellence of the
pottery manufactured by, i. 236 ;
Wedgwood's partnership with, i. 238;
INDEX.
WHI
improvements by Wedgwood while in
partnership with, i. 240.
Whitehurst, of Derby, Wedgwood sup-
plied with spar from the lead mines
of, ii, 11 ; his doubts as to the ulti-
mate benefit of Wedgwood's experi-
ments on spars, ii. 13.
Wilcox, Mr. and Mrs., figure-makers
employed by Wedgwood, ii. 170;
their journey to London in 1769, ii.
179.
Wilkinson, Isaac and John, their con-
nection with the great industrial
movements of their day, i. 318.
Willett, the Rev. Wm. (Wedgwood's
brother-in-law), his influence with
Priestley, i. 309; his intellectual ac-
tivity, and the services rendered to
Wedgwood by, ii. 47; the last days
and death of, ii. 429 ; his residence
and chapel at Bankhouse, ii. 430.
Willett, Mrs. Katherine, Wedgwood's
favourite sister, a visit to London by,
&c., ii. 46.
William Henry, Prince (afterwards
William IV.), anecdote of, ii. 450.
Wills and Inventories, ancient, mention
of pottery in, i. 70
Witt, De, John or Cornelius, and other
distinguished Dutchmen, Wedgwood's
busts of, and their great sale in Hol-
land, ii. 388.
Wolseley Bridge, meeting for the pro-
motion of the Trent and Mersey
Canal at, i. 429.
643
YOU
Wood, its various uses among the
Saxons, and derivation of English
names from, i. 32; general use of ves-
sels of, i. 79, 80.
Wood, John, jun., his engagement as
Wedgwood's warehouseman, ii. 109.
Woodstock, a visit of Wedgwood's to, i.
388,
Wright, of Derby, a neglected English
painter, ii. 242; paintings executed
for Wedgwood by, ii. 508.
Wycliffites, the, a curious fact relating
to, i. 75.
Wyke, John, a well-known watchmaker,
i. 308; tools for Wedgwood manufac-
tured by the workmen of, ii. 17.
Wynne, Sir Watkins Wm., benefit de-
rived by Wedgwood from artistic in-
tercourse with, ii. 133; his contribu-
tions to Wedgwood's first list of
cameos and intaglios, ii, 357 ; blank
bas-relief tablets for chimney-pieces
tried by, ii. 372.
ARMOUTH, reminiscences of the
Dutch fair at, i. 110.
York, a peculiar ware manufactured at
the kilns near, i. 13.
Young, Arthur, his description of the
roads in Cheshire and Staffordshire, i.
268.
Young Slaughter's Coffee-house, St.
Martin's-lane, the members of a club
that met in, ii. 418.
THE END.
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