Wedgwood's Fairyland Lustreware from the Collection of Maurice Kawashima
July 16-September 11, 2005

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In conjunction with Maxfield Parrish, Master of Make-Believe, the San Diego Museum of Art is presenting a fanciful selection of Wedgwood's Fairyland Lustreware from the Collection of Maurice Kawashima. The twenty-seven pieces on view were all produced at the Wedgwood manufactory in Etruria, England, in the decade after World War I and feature imaginative patterns inhabited with fairies and sprites, goblins and dragons.

The tremendously popular Fairyland designs helped to jumpstart profits for the ailing Wedgwood company in the 1920s, and offered solace in the form of fantasy to a public only recently recovering from the upheavals of war. The pieces also reveal the genius of Fairyland designer Daisy Makeig-Jones, whose fierce imagination created both stories and patterns with such names as Fairy Gondola, Butterfly Woman, and Tree Serpent. Makeig-Jones did not present her work as depictions of make-believe, but rather as parallel histories and hidden worlds to both amuse and torment mortals.

The dazzling jewel-like colors are enriched with the addition of metals—such as copper—to the glazes, yielding the fantastical sheen that is characteristic of lusterware. One of the most impressive objects in the exhibition is a vase with the Bubbles pattern, which tells the story of the creation of the earth, of a horrid fairy-eating dragon, and the intervention of the goddess Benten.

The presentation will feature examples of Daisy Makeig-Jones's original black-and-white etched designs for the vases, which will enable visitors to more fully experience the magical world she creates.

Maurice Kawashima is a passionate collector of fine and decorative arts. His interest in ceramics reaches beyond Wedgwood's Fairyland, both into the 20th century with masterworks from his native Japan and as far back as the 18th century with distinguished examples of Meissen. His Fairyland collection is lent to the Museum in memory of Dr. Richard P. Wunder.

The historic San Diego Museum of Art provides a rich and diverse cultural experience for more than 400,000 annual visitors. Located in the heart of beautiful Balboa Park, the Museum's nationally renowned collections include Spanish and Italian old masters, South Asian paintings, and 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculptures. In addition, the Museum regularly features major exhibitions of art from around the world, as well as an extensive year-round schedule of supporting cultural and educational programs.

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