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Article: Underrated: The case for Josiah Wedgwood
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- June 13, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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In 1863, nearly 70 years after Josiah Wedgwood's death, William
Ewart Gladstone described him as "the greatest man who ever, in any
age or country, applied himself to the important work of uniting
art with industry". If all that the name Wedgwood conjures up for
you is visions of those rather dull white-on-blue bas-relief
commemorative plates, this probably seems an extravagant claim; and
perhaps even seeing the scale and beauty of his work, in the V&A's
new exhibition "The Genius of Wedgwood", wouldn't convince you
otherwise.
The truth is, though, that Wedgwood was one of the most
remarkable men of the 18th century. In the field of ceramics alone
his achievements were vast. Before him, ...