A Georgian Style Pumpkin Tureen and Cauliflower Dish
In the mid to late Eighteenth Century, there was a craze in England for dinnerware in the shapes of fruits and vegetables, which meant that the great British porcelain and pottery manufacturers like Wedgwood began producing pieces like confiture dishes in the shapes of melons, side dishes in the shapes of corn, and in some cases, whole dinner services featuring vegetable designs, such as their “Cauliflower Ware”. One of the more popular items were soup tureens in the shape of pumpkins!
The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 18th of October is "pumpkins", which interestingly enough for an easy topic, I found to be a great challenge. The reason being is that it is spring, rather than autumn, where I live, and pumpkins are traditionally an autumn vegetable. I didn’t fancy going to buying a pumpkin from the grocers, so I sat and I pondered what I could do. At first, I thought I might apply my artistic skills and draw a beautiful stylised Art Nouveau pumpkin. And then, the idea hit me! Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. After many decades of miniatures collecting, I have found there are many wonderful miniature artisans around the world, and in this shot, I feature the work of two such artists. The central focus of my photograph is a bright orange pumpkin tureen which has been made by French ceramicist and miniature artisan Valerie Casson. It has been decorated authentically and matches in perfect detail its life-size Wedgwood counterpart. The top part of the rind where the stalk is, is a lid which can be removed, just like the real thing, revealing a hollow and glazed inside – a remarkable feat when you consider that this miniature tureen is barely one and a half centimetres in diameter including the vine and floral handle! Valerie Casson is renown for her meticulously crafted and painted miniature ceramics. The pumpkin tureen sits upon a miniature Wedgwood style Cauliflower Ware dish by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. I hope you like my choice of this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!
A Georgian Style Pumpkin Tureen and Cauliflower Dish
In the mid to late Eighteenth Century, there was a craze in England for dinnerware in the shapes of fruits and vegetables, which meant that the great British porcelain and pottery manufacturers like Wedgwood began producing pieces like confiture dishes in the shapes of melons, side dishes in the shapes of corn, and in some cases, whole dinner services featuring vegetable designs, such as their “Cauliflower Ware”. One of the more popular items were soup tureens in the shape of pumpkins!
The theme for "Looking Close on Friday" for the 18th of October is "pumpkins", which interestingly enough for an easy topic, I found to be a great challenge. The reason being is that it is spring, rather than autumn, where I live, and pumpkins are traditionally an autumn vegetable. I didn’t fancy going to buying a pumpkin from the grocers, so I sat and I pondered what I could do. At first, I thought I might apply my artistic skills and draw a beautiful stylised Art Nouveau pumpkin. And then, the idea hit me! Anyone who follows my photostream knows that I love and collect 1:12 size miniatures which I photograph in realistic scenes. The artifice of recreating in minute detail items in 1:12 scale always amazes me, and it’s amazing how the eye can be fooled. After many decades of miniatures collecting, I have found there are many wonderful miniature artisans around the world, and in this shot, I feature the work of two such artists. The central focus of my photograph is a bright orange pumpkin tureen which has been made by French ceramicist and miniature artisan Valerie Casson. It has been decorated authentically and matches in perfect detail its life-size Wedgwood counterpart. The top part of the rind where the stalk is, is a lid which can be removed, just like the real thing, revealing a hollow and glazed inside – a remarkable feat when you consider that this miniature tureen is barely one and a half centimetres in diameter including the vine and floral handle! Valerie Casson is renown for her meticulously crafted and painted miniature ceramics. The pumpkin tureen sits upon a miniature Wedgwood style Cauliflower Ware dish by Welsh miniature ceramist Rachel Williams who has her own studio, V&R Miniatures, in Powys. I hope you like my choice of this week’s theme, and that it makes you smile!