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Current Auctions & Results
The Bonhams Skinner sale of July 16, 2026, offered 75 lots of Wedgwood, most from the collection of Bruce and Faith Lewis of New York City. Faith and her late husband Bruce were avid Wedgwood collectors, with Faith once serving as president of the WSNY. She was also curator of the Buten Collection when it was at Sands Point, NY. It was an eclectic array of wares to include many multi-piece medallion lots, and the hammer prices overall were modest. The highlights below reflect the 27.5% buyer’s premium. For complete results, visit: Bonhams Skinner : Fine Silver and Wedgwood. The March 18, 2026, sale of 110 lots of Wedgwood wares – as part of the Fine Wedgwood & Silver auction offer by Bonhams-Skinner online – was previewed in person on the 13th at the Marlborough, Massachusetts, location by a group of WSB members. We thank Stuart Slavid for his invitation and guidance, and we followed the gallery tour with a lively luncheon at a local Italian restaurant. The objects for this sale were consigned by three collectors (and offered were three black & white jasper Apotheosis of Homer Pegasus vases!) and the highlights below include the 27.5% buyer’s premium. Visit: Bonhams-Skinner : Fine Wedgwood & Silver to view all the results.Lewis Collection Highlights
Some Record High and Bargain Prices at Bonhams-Skinner March Auction
Upcoming Exhibitions & Reviews
Marking 200 years since the death of York-born artist John Flaxman, the exhibition celebrates his life, work and lasting influence on art and design. Showcasing Flaxman’s remarkable skill as a draughtsman, sculptor and designer, the exhibition also explores his influence in the artistic community, on fellow artists notably, J.M.W Turner, William Blake and potter Josiah Wedgwood. The longevity of Flaxman’s creativity is celebrated through objects in York Art Gallery’s collection, key loans from the Royal Academy, National Portrait Gallery, V&A and the Barber Institute of Fine Art amongst several other UK institutions. Flaxman was accepted to the Royal Academy in 1770 at just 15 years old and won several awards for his contributions to art and design. Following classic Grecian and Roman styles, Flaxman’s designs were used on the iconic Wedgwood pottery as well as inspiring drawings, paintings, stonework, buildings, sculpture, metalwork, chess pieces, funerary monuments and more. Though not a household name as Turner or Wedgwood have come to be, his contributions had significant influence on art that extends through to modern day from humble beginnings in York. Turner, Wedgwood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman | York Art Gallery The exhibition is accompanied by a publication:Turner, Wedgwood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman
18 September 2026 – 17 January 2027; at the York Art Gallery, England
Turner, Wedgwood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman
by Beatrice Bertram and Richard Johns, Oct 13, 2026
Antiques Shows
None to show at the moment.
Current Publications
The much-anticipated book by Wedgwood collector and historian, Edward L. Knowles, has been published and may be found on Amazon. Fans of Wedgwood, Flaxman, and related 18th century figures will find this work of interest. The Soane Code is an adventure into the world of Sir John Soane and his utopian vision of architecture and interior design and represents Ed’s personal discovery and journey visiting the Soane Museum in London, England, in 1987. He realized that Soane had created a complex code to tell his entire life’s story through the 18th century objects, architecture, and interior design of his museum. The book is a provocative biography revealing the bisexuality of Sir John Soane. At 18, he fell in love with John Flaxman, Jr., who would become Britain’s most famous sculptor and Wedgwood artist. Unlike other biographies of this famous architect, this book exposes many sexual secrets of his friends and family. The book provides a glimpse into LGBTQ life in 18th century Britain. Ed Knowles is former director of interior design and architecture for Lockheed Martin Corp. and was a founding member and a past vice president of the Wedgwood Society of Washington, DC., as well as a board member of other related organizations. He is published and has lectured widely on the Wedgwood topic. Looking back at key moments in Wedgwood’s design history, this book, written by Catrin Jones, curator of the V&A Wedgwood Collection, celebrates the manufacturer’s visual power and great design from its founding in 1759 to the present day. It highlights the internationally renowned V&A Wedgwood Collection containing around 80,000 objects. Published by Thames & Hudson, it will be available May 2023 via most book sources: $19.95The Soane Code
Wedgwood: Craft & Design
Newsworthy Bits & Bytes
The Museum of Fine, Arts, Boston, has recently opened a small corridor gallery for British Art 1560-1830. Among the ceramics now on permanent display are about a dozen examples of Wedgwood to include an original Portland Vase. Shown here is copy #7, gifted in 1958 by Dr. Lloyd E, Hawes (1912-1988) of Wellesley, Mass., and York, Maine. His wife, Vivian (1923-1999) served as a WSB president. The Museum holds approximately 350 pieces of Wedgwood in its reserves. WSB member, M. Colin Jones of Sydney, Australia, passed away on June 18, 2026, at the age of 85. Colin was prominent figure in the world of Wedgwood. He served as a president, as well as other roles, for the Wedgwood Society of New South Wales, authored many articles and lectured internationally mostly on the subject of Wedgwood in and about Australia. He and his wife Judy amassed an extensive collection of Wedgwood over four decades of collecting. One of his favorite topics was the Sydney Cove Medallion, about which he presented in a lecture to the WSB in 2021. Colin was also a connoisseur of fine wines, Penfolds being a favorite, and the couple enjoyed many years of broad international travel covering six continents. Colin leaves behind his wife of 60 years, Judy, and his son Andrew, daughter Natalie, and two grandchildren. There will be a live service recording on June 30th at 1:30 pm (Sydney time). Visit: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTc4MjEyNzM1MTIyNjQ3MDcmb25lcm9vbS1lbWFpbCZpbnZpdGF0aW9uX2NvcHlfbGluaw== The WSB extends its deepest condolences to Judy and her family. RIP, Colin.New British Gallery
Michael Colin Jones (1941-2026)
Members’ Choices
Submitted by Peggy Kerner I love this piece in my collection because it is so unusual. It is called a “Bouquetière” which is a fancy word from the French for flower pot. They are usually oval or round in shape, have a pierced lid to hold flower stems or branches, and were made in the late 18th to early 19th century. Mine is made of white terracotta biscuit covered with matte black slip and glazed inside to prevent staining. It is 8 1/2 inches high and 11 inches wide and dates to 1785. It was originally in the Oxborrow collection, and a similar example is in the Beeson Collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Submitted by Ron Frazier Spotted by my son Forrest many years ago and knowing it was Wedgwood, he scooped the piece up. This Imari (Japanese) style 9” Vase is in a Pearl Ware body and has a production date-code of 1886. Imari style is based largely on two colors, a dark underglaze blue and a dark red, and is a crowded design. Along with other patterns of stylized floral shapes, the Imari range became popular in England during the early 19th Century and appears in various renditions (usually described as Japan Patterns) on Wedgwood’s Queen’s Ware, bone china, and whiteware, as well as pearlware. Japanese designs became popular after the international exhibitions in London in 1862 and Paris in 1889.
