Pieces of art like those found in the Musuem's collection of Wedgwood have not, in the past, been my cup of tea (pun intended). My range of artistic interest is usually relegated to those pieces you will find at your typical modern art museum – you know, screen prints by Andy Warhol; paint-splattered canvases by Jackson Pollock. Thankfully, the handmade ceramic tea sets and dishes are there to show me how limited that range is.
The Wedgwood collection is part of the Museums collection of Decorative Arts. Each piece of Wedgwood is extraordinary in its detail. Many new additions have recently been added to Gallery P12 in conjunction with this week’s Wedgwood International Seminar being held here in Kansas City. Observe a charming tea set (see example above). The cups, teapot and saucers are all saturated with the colors pink and a smattering of orange. Placed around the tea set are several other matching pieces one might use at an afternoon tea party, like a tureen and a potpourri jar. All the pieces are shell-like. Some are actually in the shape of a shell and all of them are glazed to a brilliant shine as if the ocean itself had weathered away the dull outer parts and left a few shiny pieces in the shape of a tea set sitting amiably on the beach. While looking at this collection, a thought came into my head that has never entered it before: Wouldn’t it be fun to have a tea party?
Another of my favorites was a Pair of Plaques. The plaques are made of plaster with glaze and their shine factor could rival the tea set’s. They have a three-dimensional quality to them with raised patterns of grapes that look good enough to eat and a lemon and lime that look good enough to use as a garnish on an evening cocktail. Yes, I have been converted into someone who adores pottery and hand-crafted tea sets as works of art. Undeniably, these pieces are lovely to look at and any artwork that makes me think of food and cocktails is the artwork for me.