Fixed on Vases…
The next lecture of the WSB takes place on Sunday, January 12, 2025, at 2:00 pm EST, via ZOOM, when Harwood (Woody) Johnson will present his talk on, “All Eyes Were Fixed on the Vases: A Gift of Wedgwood Jasper for the Emperor of China in 1793″. In 1793, King George III sent Lord Macartney, ambassador to China, on an embassy to the Qianlong emperor to negotiate more favorable trade relations between the two countries. The embassy’s ships included a 64-gun warship and Macartney took extravagant gifts for the emperor, including the most technologically advanced weaponry, scientific and mechanical instruments, and the latest and most fashionable British manufactures, all intended to impress the Chinese and foster desire for British goods. Among the gifts was an array of Wedgwood’s jasper. Surviving records in the Chinese and British archives allow us to picture the Wedgwood jasper presented to the emperor, and to imagine the entire scene. In the end, the Chinese do not seem to have been impressed with the latest and most dazzling examples of British ingenuity – with a single exception, the Wedgwood vases – upon which all eyes were fixed.
A collector and scholar, Woody Johnson became interested in Wedgwood more than 50 years ago. He operates circa1775, which offers fine eighteenth-century Wedgwood pottery. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Members will receive the ZOOM link a week prior to the meeting. If you are not a WSB member and would like to join, click onto the Become a Member tab above.
