Shell-Shock: Centuries of Wedgwood’s Shell Fancying
Some wonder why shell-shaped objects have had a strong presence in the Wedgwood company’s product range for over the last two and a half centuries. It all began with Josiah Wedgwood I himself. His inspiration for creating such specimens in the clay form was his fondness at an early age for natural shells and fossils, amassing a large collection which he displayed in his father’s pottery.
Please join the Wedgwood Society of Boston’s video-conference on Sunday, January 14, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. EST, for Adele Ierubino Barnett’s talk on this fascinating topic chronicling the evolution of products since the founding of the Wedgwood company in 1759. Abundant in images, the lecture illustrates the vast array of the brand’s shell shapes and their body types, glazes, decorations, and uses, while providing a brief history of seashell collecting among the aristocracy in the UK.
Adele has been collecting Wedgwood since 1969 with a focus on blue jasper. It was her husband Alan’s collecting of seashells while in Japan – which led to his collecting Wedgwood’s ceramic versions – that inspired her to research the subject. Adele is a past president of WSB, the founder of the Wedgwood Society of Washington, D.C., and has served on the boards of many related organizations. She was the creator and editor of the “Capital Wedgwoodian” newsletter, has been published in many journals, and has lectured widely on various Wedgwood topics to audiences within and outside the Wedgwood arena. She curated a number of exhibitions to include “Wedgwood: 250 Years of Innovation and Artistry” at the D.A.R. Museum and published an accompanying catalog.
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