The Wall Street Journal-20080214-The Revolutionary Potter

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The Revolutionary Potter

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"Josiah Wedgwood and His Circle"; at the UBS Art Gallery in New York through April 18; 212-713-2885 or www.ubs.com/1/e/about/sponsor/culture/ubs_art_gallery.html

Mention Wedgwood and exquisite pieces of pottery and tableware immediately come to mind. The man behind this illustrious name, however, began his life quite far from the elegant tables his creations eventually adorned. Born in England to a poor family of Staffordshire potters, but possessed of ambition and business savvy, Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) went on to revolutionize the ceramics industry with scientific innovations in manufacturing, including the development of cream ware (cream-colored earthenware) and jasper ware (stoneware stained with metallic-oxide coloring).

Some 100 items dating from the 1750s to the mid-20th century are on display, among them a 1774 cream ware dish designed as part of a 952- piece dinner service for Russia's Catherine the Great. Prints and historical documents tracing Wedgwood's achievements and the evolution of his company complement the show.