Author: Ruth Conway

Wedgwood – a lecture by Jane Gardiner                                           January 9th 2023

Jane’s very informative lecture focussed entirely on the life of Josiah Wedgwood 1st.

Josiah was a lifelong and fervent supporter of worthy causes. He was born in 1730 into a family of potters and he left school early in order to work in the family business. He learnt every aspect of potting. However, he contracted smallpox and this was to change his life forever, as it left him crippled and unable to kick the wheel. As a result he focussed on experimental work and management. He turned a tragedy into a remarkable career.

He went in to partnership with Whieldon and created Whieldon ware such as this  lady in a crinoline

They began experimenting with metallic oxides. The work became known as Tortoise shell ware because of the mottling appearance.

In the early 1750s Wedgwood was very much influenced by  the Rococo movement.

In 1759 he was wealthy enough to set up on his own and he opened the Ivy Works. He developed a green glaze which he used on items such as this teapot based on the cauliflower

and the pineapple.

Wedgwood then developed a creamware which enabled him to copy all the shapes. Wedgwood was very proud of this development and it was recognised that this was not a cheap substitute for porcelain but was beautiful in its own way.

He opened a showroom in London and Queen Charlotte bought some of the creamware. He asked her if he could call it Queensware and she agreed. This of course gave him and the business a major advantage over others who were also  creating creamware.

Josiah then came up with a new way of decorating it – by using a transfer printed onto it and thus began the step towards pottery being an industry and not a craft.

The transfers were inevitably one colour but Wedgwood realised that you could colour in the printed transfer. A design, coloured in pink, was commissioned by Catherine the Great of Russia  which became known as Huskware.

Catherine then commissioned a 952 piece service with every piece depicting a different English landscape and painted by hand

It became known as the Frog service as each piece had a frog on it.

Wedgwood made no money from this commission but it raised his reputation.. Much of this  service is still in the Hermitage.

In 1738 Wedgwood started to stamp his name on his work. This was a new idea as up until then makers had stamped an image.

In 1780 Wedgwood’s style changed and it became much more regulated and regimented.

At this time there was an enormous interest in decorated vases – like this cream coloured earthenware vase in neo-classical style

Wedgwood went on to develop glazing – creating pebble vases which were a very clever and reasonable substitute for very expensive similar items.

He developed black ware using black basalt onto which he painted the image.

As the demand for decorative work became greater he set up two factories – one for tableware and one for decorative ware – the latter he called Etruria. In this factory he created what he called Etruscan work based on vases which the diplomat Hamilton had collected but many of which later turned out to be Ancient Greek.

His partnership with Bentley was a true partnership with Wedgwood throwing the pot and Bentley kicking the wheel.

He made a flat copy of Hamilton’s big vase but had not yet worked out how to do this on a rounded vase.

Josiah realised that there was an interest in small scale statues, with griffins being the most popular .He produced pairs in black basalt which were very fashionable. The griffins had been designed by a leading artist of the time.

At this time there was also an enormous interest in Roman coins and cameos.The coin below is clearly stamped with the names of Wedgwood  and  Bentley, which was on all the items they produced from1769-1780

Wedgwood became fascinated with dry stone cameos and embarked upon his biggest experimentation. In 1775 he announced he could successfully produce a white body which he then stained blue – and thus began Jasper ware. The display below shows Wedgwood’s experiments with the colour.

The cobalt that produced the blue became very expensive so he developed Jasper slip and took the country by storm – creating plaques, medallions and jewellery such as this Burr maple writing slope decorated with Wedgwood medallions.

A famous artist of the time – Lady Templeton had this belt clasp made for her by Wedgwood – and of particular note is the decorative frame around it – cut to have the appearance of precious stones.

It took Josiah 10 years to be able to apply this to vases but in 1785 he finally did it  and produced the Pegasus vase

The Portland vase (27BC) was loaned to Wedgwood for a year to see if he could make a copy. He made a black background as blue was too pale. He saw it as his greatest achievement.

Jane concluded her very interesting lecture with Gladstone’s quote about Josiah Wedgwood.

‘He was the greatest man whoever , in any age or country, applied himself to the important work of uniting art with industry’

The Queen of Instruments -The Lute Within Old Master Paintings

A lecture by Adam Busiakiewicz

Adam began his enthralling lecture by telling us that the lute was the second most important instrument and then  inviting us to suggest what the most important instrument was – none of us gave the correct answer – it is the voice.

Not only were we then taken into the world of the lute in art, but Adam also entertained us  by playing several pieces on his lute and thereby demonstrating the beauty of the music of this instrument.

So now, realising the importance of the lute, we were taken on an historical journey  through Old Master paintings where the lute is featured. The background and relevance he gave us to these paintings was  fascinating.

He began with ‘The Party in the Open Air ‘ (1590-1593 )where the group is being entertained by a lute player.

Adam pointed out that rarely do we see art and music together and yet they are very interwoven.

In the ‘Fete Champetre‘ by Titian or Giorgione the  lute is shown  again as an entertainment for the rich.

The ‘Pastoral Concert ‘attributed to Titian shows the lute as the source of music and entertainment.

According to Vasari, Leonardo went to the Italian Courts initially as a musician and not as a painter.

The lute is a very ancient musical instrument which came into western Europe in the 13th century. It may have been brought in by the Crusaders.

At that time it was an instrument of the wealthy which became so popular it appears in Renaissance paintings, as in Masaccio’s ‘Virgin and Child‘ (1426) showing how very contemporary they were with the two cherubs in the foreground playing the lute.

Early lutes were much smaller and played with a plectrum, but by the 16th century lutes had become much larger in order to accommodate more strings.

Hans Frei was one of the early masters of lute making based in Bologna in the 16th century. He helped to define the form of the lute.

The pitch of an archlute varied according to its size The  Archlute 1637 had an extended range to accompany a singer.It was played throughout the 17th century

In Holbein’s ‘Ambassadors‘ the lute is placed right at the centre of the painting. Adam drew our attention to the other objects in the picture, considered to be demonstrating the discord between the religious and the secular ( note the contrasting dress off the two men) which is also shown with the broken string of the lute.

Henry viii was a fantastic lutist and his skill was much admired in his day. The lute was particularly popular because it was so easy to carry around.

The painting by Durer ‘Underweysung der Messung’ (1471) demonstrates how artists liked to draw the lute as it demonstrated their skills. Here a student is being instructed to draw using a lute as the object.

In Titian’s ‘Two Boys’ said to be of the Pesaro Family ‘ the symmetry and duality is further shown by the lute which is used to demonstrate the harmony between the boys.

Whilst ‘Three Women Making Music” shows that it was not just men who played the lute. In fact Elizabeth 1st was an excellent flute player.

Jan Brueghel the elder painted ‘Orpheus‘ (1594) showing Orpheus playing  music on the lute which was so beautiful that it calmed all the evil creatures.

When we look at ‘Portrait of an Unknown Man ‘ painted in the 16th century we are led to ask if it is a farewell to arms with the sword behind the man and the lute in the front

‘Venus and the Lute Player‘ by Titian raises the great debate about which is most valuable – music or art. Adam commented on how disinterested Venus  looked.

The English wrote some of the best music.

As Adam showed us this painting he asked if we thought the musician was male or female and the majority of us were wrong as ‘The Lute Player’ by Caravaggio (1595) features a boy, a castrato singer, who were at that, time the most popular singers.Note also the broken lute and the bruised fruit.

Caravaggio paints a boy tuning his instrument in ‘The Musicians‘ with Venus on his left indicating that the boys are learning the art of love.

Brugghen demonstrates what it is like to be young in ‘Man Playing a Lute‘ With a flamboyantly dressed musician

This concept is  repeated in ‘The Four Ages of Man ‘ by Valentin de Bourgogne where he paints the youth playing the lute.

Lutes can also be used to remind us, not of the joys of life,  but quite the reverse – as in ‘Vanitas‘ by Claesz   is a symbolic work of art showing the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death

Also Bruegel the Elder’s painting  “Triumph of Death‘  where the lover is playing but there is a skeleton behind them ( in the bottom right hand corner)

In contrast Vermeer in ‘Musical Trio ‘shows how these instruments should be enjoyed, requiring people to be close and intimate as the lute is very quiet.

In his ‘Woman with a Lute‘ there is evidence of more intimacy with a lute as the lady is looking out of the window possibly waiting for a visitor to join with her  as there is a viola on the floor and several song books

The question we ask is – ‘why don’t we see the lute any more ? ‘and one of the reasons is that Opera began and it needed a louder sound from the accompanying instruments. An instrument called a Thorbio -which was a much longer lute, was made in an attempt to provide greater volume – but it was too difficult to use. The lute had out-engineered itself. In Allegory of Music a musician is playing the Thorbia and we can clearly see the difficulties.

In ‘Les Charmes de la Vie ‘ by Watteau, the group is busy and not listening to the musician. The lute was no longer the centre of attention.

The last time we see it in English paintings it is an object of fun as in Zoffany’s ‘The Sharp Family‘ where we note the lute is played by the most mature lady of the group.

Adam concluded this fascinating talk by asking us to not only look at a painting but also to ask ourselves – what  does this painting sound like?

and perhaps we will, as we were all so inspired by the lecture.

John Singer Sargent – The Power of the Portrait – a lecture by Alexandra Epps

Alexandra began her fascinating lecture by giving us a brief introduction to Sargent – that he was the leading portrait painter of his generation – painting in total 900 portraits. Everyone wanted to be painted by him. As a painter he wanted to create beauty. Alexandra said she was using his portraits to take us on a journey from 1856-1925.

He was born in Florence of American parents and his wish to keep his American citizenship meant that he turned down a knighthood. He was publicity shy and found social gatherings quite a challenge.

In 1874 aged 18 he arrived in Paris for a more academic artistic training. He became a star pupil. HIs painting of Carolus Duran – his teacher – gives us a really good sense of the man.. Note the position of the hand.

His portraits are life size and so will take up considerable space.

In 1879 he painted Madame Edouard Pailleron and it is clear he paints as he saw and did not set out to flatter. Note the whiteness of the face and the expression which contrasts so sharply with her coquettish position.

In 1881 he painted Madame Ramon Subercaseaux the wife of the Chilean Ambassador to Chile  – depicting beauty and gaining him high regard in Parisian society.

IN 1882 he painted Lady with a Rose in which the neutral background projects the lady forward. Again the gesture of the hand on the hip is also something to note.

His first double portrait of the Pailleron children , whilst reinforcing his standing as a portrait artist caused him endless grief attempting to work with the rather belligerent daughter – who became a writer in later life and wrote about her catastrophic battle with Sargent . Again Sargent shows emotions of the sitter by the position of the hands.

In 1882 he painted the daughters Edward Darley Boit in which there appears to be no relationship between the girls  and the older girls seem to be retreating into the shadows . There positioning is very geometric compared to the vases and there is an air of Alice in Wonderland.

Sargent then paints a portrait of Virginie Gautreau This was not a commission but a request by Sargent to paint her – he is very proud of this painting but society is shocked by the revealing dress and the jewelled straps ( one of which in the original  painting was hanging below her shoulder ). The pose was carefully chosen with the body facing forward but the head turned in profile. Sargent defended the painting by saying he painted as he saw her. Note the tension in the arms and neck The scandal caused him to try to conceal the name of the subject by calling it a portrait of Madame X  but the scandal rocked his popularity and unnerved him  and sargent left Paris for  Broadway in the Cotswolds and joins  an  artists’  colony.

In 1886 he paints Carnation Lily lily Rose.

He captures the moment – making us feel as if we are actually in the canvas. The girls appear so serene ( whereas in fact as the evening was drawing on they were getting colder and colder ) Note how the light from the lantern is playing on the face of the girl .

In 1888 he was asked to go to America to Boston to paint Isabella Stewart Gardner and she becomes a friend of Sargent

the background gives her a halo. This painting was never put on public display display until her and her husband had died.

In 1897 he painted Mr. and mrs Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes. It is interesting to note how the husband appears to be in the background – it was originally intended to have their dog in the portrait but instead. the husband was included – almost as a pet

In 1888 he painted Alice Vanderbilt Shepard- using white to highlight her innocence

In 1889 he painted Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth to dramatic effect.

Back in London he paints Lady Agnew of Lochnaw Madame X contrasts sharply with this painting (1892) which shows how well Sargent can paint flowing fabrics such as tulle and satin. I was how everyone wanted to look – pale, iridescent  and a relaxed posture . When it was exhibited in 1893 it was a smash hit  and it helped to secure Sargent’s standing in Britain.

In 1892 he painted Mrs. Hugh Hammersley which displays a lot of nervous energy compared to the American portraits . note the position of the hands.

In 1899 his painting of the Wyndham Sisters displayed their affluence and entitlement – note the hands – with the flowers fabric etc.

All the great ladies were lining up to be ‘Sargented’

In 1909 he had grown tired of this and painted a simple portrait of Nancy Astor.

He died aged 69

At the end of this most interesting lecture I think we all felt that we would have  we would liked it to carry on longer and we most certainly felt that we knew so much more about the portraits of John Singer Sargent .

The Antiques Roadshow – Behind the Scenes and 40 Years of Great Discoveries

a lecture by Marc Allum

For our AGM and 50th Anniversary celebration we were treated to a fascinating lecture by Marc Allum

Marc began by introducing himself and telling us that he had been on the show for 24 years. Even as a young boy he had be fascinated by ‘collecting’ – fossils, postcards etc.

He showed is a box of mixed artefacts saying this is what his head is like . In his travels around the world he was always gathering bits and pieces. As a teenager he began an interest in car boot sales and auctions. He also has a strong interest in archeology.

On the show he is known as a ‘miscellaneous specialist ‘ and he learns something every day. Antiques Roadshow epitomises what is good about British TV .It has been going for 44 years.  During the pandemic people were invited to send in items on line and Marc would receive thousands and have to whittle them down to 55 ! Now the show has 7 venues and 2 or 3 shows are filmed in each venue. 1500 guests are allowed in – all with tickets.

Famous finds include Ozzy the owl  (1990) the Norah Ambrose Punch pot in Liverpool in 1989 and in 1986 the painting Desert Halt by Richard Dadd. Their biggest find was a Leica Luxus 11 camera in Bridgend in 1991. There were only 4 made and this was the only one remaining and it sold in 2013 for £316,000!

They often receive items which cannot be given a monetary value .

He concluded his very entertaining and informative lecture by saying that the Antiques Roadshow is about culture and aspects of culture so it is OK to have a helmet from Star Wars,