October Highlights

Read the October Highlights archive...

Continue reading

It was Fantastique

We had a Fantastique event at WMODA on Saturday, October 27! A Bacchanalian god, goddess and beautiful nymphs mingled with spooky witches and a big cat! Many of the visiting artists, volunteers and staff were in costume for the occasion which added a lot of fun to our fantasy theme.

Continue reading

A Spooky Story

For Halloween we are highlighting the spookiest pieces in the new Fantastique exhibition. The Spook figure was modeled by Harry Tittensor for Royal Doulton in 1916. Spook, derived from Dutch, is a synonym for a ghost or an apparition. The Wiener collection must be haunted as the Spook appears in

Continue reading

Salt of the Earth

Elaine Cooper, who passed away this year, made many firm friends around the world as a passionate collector of Royal Doulton, particularly salts. She shared her enthusiasm for collecting on several Collectors Cruises and published a reference book on Doulton Open Salts in 2009. Elaine’s book on the subject features

Continue reading

Daisy’s Dark Side

Most visions of Fairyland conjure up images of ethereal sprites with diaphanous dresses and gossamer wings dancing around toadstools in an enchanted wood. However, Wedgwood’s Fairyland Lustre by Daisy Makeig-Jones features imps, goblins, demon trees, and spiders that eat babies. Daisy’s denizens of Fairyland tend to be grotesque and freakish

Continue reading

As Good as Gold

Two glistening golden luster plaques depicting fabulous creatures greet visitors at the entrance to our new exhibit Fantastique. They are the work of William de Morgan, a Victorian Arts & Crafts designer who revived the ancient art of metallic luster painting on pottery. De Morgan often escaped into an imaginary

Continue reading

Myths & Meissen

Porcelain was so desirable that it was once known as ‘white gold’ and was traded around the world by the Chinese, who perfected the art 2,000 years ago. The method of making it was unknown to Europeans until the Meissen factory near Dresden began making ‘true’ porcelain in 1710. Meissen

Continue reading

Art Deco Glass

Art Deco Glass René Lalique is the most celebrated Art Deco designer in glass. He began to experiment with decorative glass in the early 1900s and opened a store in the famed Place Vendome in 1905. There he sold jewelry and decorative glass objets d’art inspired by his lifetime love

Continue reading

September Highlights

Read the September Highlights archive...

Continue reading