As we all shelter at home inventing new types of masks, we are looking back at the plague doctor’s mask which was used in Europe in the 17th century. The bird-like beak mask was filled with aromatic herbs and spices or dried flowers to disguise the evil smells of the

by Louise Irvine In 1988, I was presenting The Doulton Story at the art gallery in Victoria, BC and I met David Lindsay from Catalina Productions. He introduced himself by explaining that he had been dragged along reluctantly to my talk by his wife and he was missing an important

WMODA was honored to receive gifts from the Starr collection of English ceramics, which was auctioned at Sotheby’s last year. The sale entitled Wedgwood and Beyond featured 33 superb lots of Minton’s pâte-sur-pâte designs and Solon’s Tug of War is now on display in our Fantastique exhibit. Minton Pâte-sur-Pâte The

International Unicorn Day on April 9th inspired Louise to look at unicorns and other heavenly horses at WMODA. It may seem strange to celebrate a creature that doesn’t exist but the mythical unicorn has become a symbol of enchantment and purity in our lives and has led to many metaphors,

Spring is in the air and so we are highlighting the striking Art Deco statuette of Persephone, which was designed by Richard Garbe for Royal Doulton. In the words of Doulton’s 1933 brochure: “The grace of Persephone as Richard Garbe originally called this ethereal “Spring” whose feet have just kissed

by Louise Irvine World Penguin Day is April 25, which coincides with the annual northern migration of Adelie penguins. The cute, flightless birds have been in the news recently making people smile as they waddle through empty zoos. Like many, I have a soft spot for penguins. My interest started

The Hot Glass gallery at WMODA features the Flights of Fancy exhibit where we explore René Lalique’s passion for nature through his stunning designs of flora and fauna. Nature’s Miracles As urban migration increased in the late 19th century, designers turned to nature as their main source of inspiration. Stylized

One of the most iconic figures made for Royal Doulton’s rouge flambé glazes is the Smiling Buddha. Art Director, Charles J. Noke, modeled the Buddha during the First World War when he was experimenting with Chinese transmutation glazes. An advertisement for the figure from the December 1918 issue of Colour

We are being advised to use copious amounts of soap during the current crisis, so we thought it was a good time to highlight one of the most amusing statues in the WMODA collection. You Dirty Boy by Giovanni Focardi was purchased by Pears’ soap manufacturers and used extensively to

Majolica Mania is due to open at the Bard Graduate Center in New York on September 24 and travels to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore in January of 2022. This magnificent exhibition and publication will create a new awareness and appreciation for 19th century majolica, which was wildly popular