The Christopher Marley ǀ Biophilia exhibition which opens on December 5th at WMODA is presented like a Cabinet of Curiosities, a precursor of the modern museum. Also known as a Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Wonder, these were encyclopedic collections of natural and man-made objects reflecting our universal curiosity and fascination

The buzz surrounding the beautiful butterfly art in the Christopher Marley ǀ Biophilia exhibition, which opens on December 5th has inspired us to look at the vogue for butterfly dancing in the early 20th century. While Christopher has preserved the fragile and floating beauty of actual butterflies in his art,

The Ardmore artists make zebra riding look easy but in fact, they are usually too aggressive to train. They kick and bite and their backs are not really strong enough to support the weight of a man. Nevertheless, there were numerous attempts to tame them in the late 19th century.

Supermodel Miranda Kerr is the face of Royal Albert china. “Friendship is the basis of the collection,” she says, when asked about the inspiration behind her Royal Albert tea wares. It’s about “having tea with friends and taking time to sit down and connect, especially in the busy world of

Chinese translucent porcelain, which became known in Europe in medieval times, was referred to as white gold, valued as equal to the most noble metal. The composition and method of manufacture remained a mystery in Europe until 1708 when the German alchemist, Johann Bottger, discovered the secret of hard-paste porcelain.

Sensational scandals have long inspired lively conversation around the tea table. Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford, a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, is credited with starting the traditional English afternoon tea party in the 1840s. Apparently she was no stranger to gossip. The Duchess experienced a sinking feeling in the

As Halloween approaches, we are highlighting some of the spookier pieces in the WMODA collections. One of the most sinister is Ghostly Wood designed by Daisy Makeig-Jones for Wedgwood’s Fairyland Lustre collection. Daisy derived images from the Legend of Croquemitaine illustrated by Gustave Doré in 1866, as well as fairy

During the roaring twenties, party-goers loved to dress up in devilish costumes. A favorite was Mephistopheles, a demon who corrupts men and collects the souls of the damned for Lucifer. The demon appears in the German legend of Faust, who wagers his soul to the devil and seduces the innocent

Tea parties at WMODA are elegant affairs with dainty sandwiches, scones and desserts served on Royal Albert tableware. Royal Albert was founded in Stoke-on-Trent in 1896 and is renowned internationally for producing fine bone china tea-wares with floral decoration inspired by English country gardens. The Albert china factory was named

The Great Dragon by Lladró is one of the showstoppers at WMODA. The museum piece is a unique colorway of the High Porcelain sculpture modeled by Francisco Polope in 2008. In Chinese culture, dragons are powerful and benevolent symbols unlike the aggressive fire-breathing dragons of Western mythology. They control water,