Keith Murray Wedgwood Spherical Vase

A Keith Murray for Wedgwood spherical vase, with a matte white…
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A Keith Murray for Wedgwood spherical vase, with a matte white glaze and lathed banding to body. Keith Murray signature and Wedgwood marks to base, height 15.5 cm, diameter 14 cm. Keith Murray (1892-1981) started working with Wedgwood in the early 1930s. Originally in creamware, his designs were simple, modern, and targeted to middle class consumers; partly a recovery strategy in a time of economic turmoil. While his period with Wedgwood was brief, his modernist design attributes have a long-lasting legacy.

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  • Modernism / Modernist - Modernist furniture and design emerged in the early to mid-20th century as a response to traditional styles of the 19th century and prior times, and a reflection of the technological and social changes of the time. Characteristics of Modernist furniture and design include simplicity and minimalism and clean lines and a lack of unnecessary ornamentation are key features. That form follows function is a fundamental principle of Modernist design, and furniture and objects are designed with a focus on their practical use.

    Modernist furniture often incorporates geometric shapes, such as cubes, rectangles, and circles. This reflects a departure from the more ornate and curvilinear forms of previous design styles. The furniture often prioritizes ergonomic design, ensuring that objects are comfortable and user-friendly. Modernist designers aimed to create designs that could be mass-produced, making good design accessible to a broader population.

    Prominent figures associated with Modernist furniture and object design include designers such as Hans Wegner, Verner Panton, Florence Knoll, Harry Bertoia and Ettore Sottsass
  • Creamware - Creamware, also known as "Queens Ware" is the

    cream-coloured English earthenware developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1760s.

    The invention of creamware was the result of experimentation in order to find a

    British substitute for imported Chinese porcelain, and the cream colour was

    considered a fault at the time. The lightweight fine white earthenware with a

    clean rich yellowish proved ideal for  tableware

    and decorative items during the 18th and 19th centuries and is still produced

    today.



    Creamware is made from a

    mixture of kaolin, feldspar, and ball clay, and is typically glazed before

    firing to give it its glossy finish. It was developed by British potters as a

    cheaper alternative to porcelain.



    At Wedgwood, Royal patronage

    boosted sales. In 1765 Queen Charlotte, the consort of King George III placed

    an order for a 12 place tea set and allowed Wedgwood to use the name

    "Queens Ware" for the line. In 1770 Wedgwood produced a creamware

    dinner service of 952 pieces supplied to Catherine II the Great of Russia.



    Other potteries such as

    Doulton, Neale & Co. and Spode produced smaller quantities of creamware.



    Creamware continued to be

    made throughout the 19th century and later.

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