KEITH MURRAY'S CONTEMPORARIES
NORMAN WILSON
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Norman
Wilson's work for Wedgwood has been greatly misrepresented and under appreciated by
collectors over the years. Although many only associate his work with his many glazes used
for Keith Murrays' designs, Mr Wilson was instrumental in bringing many great changes to
Wedgwood over his long period of service. Norman Wilson's influence on the companies fortunes were to be as significant as they were technologically innovative.
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| Wilson first
joined Wedgwood in 1927 as Works Manager, going on to be Production Director in 1946 and
joint Managing Director in 1961. As Works Manager, Wilsons primary tasks included reorganising the workforce and and introducing technical improvements, more specifically in the firing department. As part of a new, enthusiastic team, which included Josiah V, Tom and Hensleigh Wedgwood and John Hamilton, new ideas and redevelopement were the foremost priorities. Some of Wilsons improvements included the first gas fired china glost tunnel kiln and an oil fired earthenware glost tunnel kiln. These replaced the old and inefficient coal fired kilns which were also responsible for heavy pollution. He designed a new quick drying kiln, introduced slip casting to replace hollowware pieces, overhauled the milling process and made improvements to many other parts of the production processes. |
| Of the vast array of glazes developed by Wilson, some of the first introduced in 1932 included a series of matt glazes. These were 'April Green', 'Matt Green' & 'Matt Straw', 'Black Ravenstone' and 'White Moonstone' and were applied to Keith Murray shapes and John Skeaping figures. |
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| Also in 1932
Wilson brought out a series of glazes called 'Veronese'. These were used to decorate
various decorative bowls, vases and lamp bases and included handpainted motifs in silver
lustre. As well as these matt glazes Wilson had also dedicated over 35 years analysing and reproducing those used by the Sung Dynasty potters, who's glazes he is said to have believed were the peak of perfection. Being a trained chemist, he was able to carefully control, to some extent, the effects achieved during firing. These pieces, which include a 'celadon', blue glaze and red glaze are known as 'Norman Wilson Unique Ware'. |
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Other glazes of interest were 'Aventurine'- a reddish crystaline glaze and a variation of an 18thC lustrous glaze called 'Jet' - reproduced by glazing black basalt. Other commercial wares included items with a Moonstone glaze covered with a black slip and then lathe turned to reveal the Moonstone (photographed left), and a terracotta body covered with a 'Celadon' glaze. |
| Norman Wilson
also developed a new self coloured bone china called 'Alpine Pink'. This was used on both
tea ware and traditional wares. Two coloured slip wares in a Lavender, Celadon and Cane
were also introduced around this time. The rims of flatware, knobs, spouts and handles
were applied in cream to these coloured bodies, a technique which had first been used by
Wedgwood in the mid 19th century. Later additions to the two colour earthenwares were
'Wintergreen', Harvest Moon' - a delightful, glossy straw shade, and 'Summer Sky'. These
coloured glazes can mostly be found on tea, coffee and dinnerwares in the 'Barlaston'
shape, also designed by Wilson. The Barlaston shape was followed in 1962 by another Wilson
shape known as 'Leigh', which was made in plain white bone china. A large number of shapes designed by Wilson also included hand painted designs, often painted by Millicent Taplin. The designs were applied in gold and silver lustre, either straight onto the piece or as a resist. |
| Norman Wilson pieces vary greatly in style with only a small number of shapes being produced in any commercial quantity. His pieces can be found with either an impressed mark or a printed mark bearing his initials - WEDGWOOD N.W. |
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JOHN SKEAPING
John Rattenbury Skeaping was born the son of a painter, Kenneth Skeeping, in 1901. His artistic career took him through several art colleges ending with scholarships at the Royal Academy schools. In 1924 Skeaping won the Prix de Rome where he went to study marble carving. It was also around this time that he was to marry his fiancé, Barbara Hepworth, |
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| the famous sculptress. Barbara is best known for her minimalist, organic forms in wood, stone and other media and her home and studio in St.Ives, Cornwall, England has been preserved as a site of public interest. Barbara was to have a profound influence on Skeaping who's work gradually became more stylised and simple. The natural curves of animal forms became softly facetted with features becoming suggestions rather than detailed copies. |
| Skeaping returned to England in 1926 and was introduced to Frank Wedgwood by Felton Wreford (manager of the Wedgwood showrooms in London who also introduced Keith Murray to Wedgwood a few years later). With the revival of figure making and the need for fresh ideas, Wedgwood commissioned Skeaping to produce a series of animal figures. |
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| A total of fourteen figures were designed, the first of these being a Deer, Two Deer, Deer with head turned and Group of Deer. | ||
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The Group of Deer and Two deer were trial groups and probably not put into production. The Deer with head turned, known commonly as Fallow Deer, plus Duiker Standing (left) and Duiker lying (above) went into production late in 1927 along with seven other figures designed by John Skeaping. These are as follows :- 1.'Monkeys', depicting a baby monkey wrapped in it's mothers arms. 2. 'Polar Bear', showing the great white bear in a seated position. | |
| 3. 'Bison', Standing with straight back and lowered head. 4. 'Sea Lion', modelled on a rock with it's head lifted upwards in a dominant posture. 5. 'Tiger and Buck' (below right), a large sculpture depicting a tiger with prey in it's mouth and being dragged beneath the tiger. This was also the most expensive of the series, priced at £1 and 5 shillings compared to just under 9 shillings for a Duiker Lying but was nontheless very popular with the public. 6. 'Kangaroo', Standing with it's tail outstretched behind it and ears erect. 7. 'Buffalo' modelled on a new born, East African calf at London Zoo in 1927. |
| All of the models were produced in Black basalt, and also slipcast with a variety of matt and shiny, coloured glazes, (many developed by Norman Wilson). They remained in production throughout the 1930's with some |
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| of the simpler models still
being made in the 1950's. In 1959 some models were re-issued with a Grey and Tan glaze
developed by Norman Wilson. In 1930, John Skeaping entered an international competition to design a vase celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Josiah Wedgwood. Both Skeaping and his wife Barbara Hepworth submitted several designs with two of the prizes being awarded to Skeaping. The winner of the competition was Emmanuel Tjerne, a designer for a Danish glass manufacturer. |
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Skeaping continued working in
a variety of media, including pencil, crayon, watercolour, stone and bronze, whilst also
travelling widely. His subjects remained animal figures with horses being a particular
favourite of his. Several books by Skeaping were produced with illustrations and directions on how to draw and these can often be bought for very little money. Sadly, as happens with so many illustrated books, many picture plates are removed and sold separately as individual pictures. |
| A series entitled 'How to do it', produced by The Studio Publications in London and New York in 1936, consisted of a range of books demonstrating a variety of arts and crafts ranging from toy making to weaving for amateurs. The tenth in the series is entitled Animal Drawing by John Skeaping and is an illustrated guide to the drawing of various animals from around the world. |
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| A large number of prints were
also produced in 1959 by The Medici Society depicting horses in various poses created in
pencil and watercolour, originally drawn by Skeaping in 1958. In the 1950's John Skeaping was a Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy Schools, becoming a Royal Academician later in 1959. Skeaping continued to draw and undertook a number of commissions, usually in connection with horse racing, including a life sized bronze of a horse named Brigadier Gerard. He died in France in 1980 aged 79 years. |
Impressed & Incised marks found on black basalt wares on the end of integral ceramic plinth. Sometimes without 'Made in England'
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Impressed marks found on all other colourways. Located at the ends of the integral, ceramic plinth. Can also include 'Wedgwood Made in England' printed on underside of pieces.
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Coming next : The work of Eric Olsen.
WEDGWOOD DESIGNERS |