The scientific study of the natural world was never far removed from Wedgwood's ceramic de...
The scientific study of the natural world was never far removed from Wedgwood's ceramic decoration, and nowhere is the connection clearer than in the "Botanical Flowers" series. Flowers are presented not as nosegays or rococo garlands, but as individual specimens, doubtless derived from botanical treatises or horticultural manuals. The artistry comes from the straightforward presentation of plant material, not through the manipulation or arrangement of any designer. Appropriate to the goal of accuracy was the employment of underglaze printing--a fairly recent practice at Wedgwood around 1808/9 when the pattern was introduced.
Avoiding any distraction, the plant specimens are presented on a blank ground with an extremely simple border of interlocking oval loops.
Our six soups differ from the original underglaze blue and instead adopt brown printing on a creamy ivory ground, a combination consistent with Wedgwood's 1870's production.