Josiah Wedgwood's Pottery Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Josiah Wedgwood's Pottery - Case Study Example This essay declares that  Wedgwood understood that in order for his wares to become more desirable they would need to be more than perfectly produced. They needed a boost in status. Wedgwood felt they needed to transcend the universal opinion that all earthenware was inferior to porcelain. This was key if his creamware was to gain popularity, and most importantly, fetch the high porcelain prices he hoped for.   To achieve this, Wedgwood took a unique approach: he actively sought out royal patronage.   Before Wedgwood, Staffordshire potters had used their social status and money to promote their wares, but Wedgwood used his skill and the high quality of his wares to promote its social status, and his. Wedgwood’s set of â€Å"tea things† for Queen Charlotte was a success and just the boost in status his wares needed.   For England, unlike on the Continent, this was the first royal commission of local ceramics, and it was a major endorsement.  This paper stresses that  Wedgwood had the foresight to predict that the commission would bring him the powerful selling tool of prestige.   Although Wedgwood was confident that he should take the commission, he was concerned about whether he could successfully execute it. Of particular concern for Wedgwood was the gilding. Wedgwood consulted other potters, and eventually perfected a gilding method using powdered gold. Wedgwood’s end product was a success and the Queen was so pleased that she agreed to rename Wedgwood’s creamware â€Å"Queensware.†... ctives, Wedgwood formed a group of committee trustees to assist with investing not only with road improvements but also with canal constructions as well, because the latter was more efficient form of transport. Eventually, Wedgwood triumphed and the canal was built in the path of his new estate. The Trent and Mersey Canal was to become the main artery of the Grand Trunk Canal, which would have an extension leading to London. Wedgwood's transportation improvement goals became a reality. Wedgwood understood that in order for his wares to become more desirable they would need to be more than perfectly produced. They needed a boost in status. Wedgwood felt they needed to transcend the universal opinion that all earthenware was inferior to porcelain. This was key if his creamware was to gain popularity, and most importantly, fetch the high porcelain prices he hoped for. To achieve this, Wedgwood took a unique approach: he actively sought out royal patronage. Before Wedgwood, Staffordshire potters had used their social status and money to promote their wares, but Wedgwood used his skill and the high quality of his wares to promote its social status, and his. Wedgwood's set of "tea things" for Queen Charlotte was a success and just the boost in status his wares needed. For England, unlike on the Continent, this was the first royal commission of local ceramics, and it was a major endorsement. Wedgwood was offered the commission either, as he expressed in a letter to his br other "... because nobody else would undertake it..." or perhaps because the first potter had failed (Reilly, I, 200). Whichever was the case, Wedgwood had the foresight to predict that the commission would bring him the powerful selling tool of prestige. Although Wedgwood was confident that he should