360 MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS, 1886-1897 



Wedgwood Institute, at Burslem ; which was opened by 

 Mundella, 1 with an oration, in which he missed what I think 

 the great merit of Wedgwood ware the ' Adaptation to 

 purpose.' I added a few words on this point as that 

 Wedgwood plates always had a sunk border for salt and 

 mustard ; whereas in ordinary plates, these condiments 

 shoot into the gravy. And a better example may be drawn 

 from the modern earthenware teapot ; in lifting this, the 

 first thing is that you scald your knuckles against the body 

 of the pot ; secondly, the lid shoots off example, you scald 

 the finger of your other hand, by pressing on it ; thirdly, 

 the tea shoots out and spurts out and splashes over the 

 teacup ; fourthly, the spout dribbles when you set the pot 

 down. Now in a Wedgwood teapot, first there is room in 

 the handle so as not to scald the knuckles ; secondly, the lid 

 won't fall off till the pot is held actually vertically ; thirdly, 

 the handle is so placed, that by a turn of the wrist, the tea 

 leaves the spout gently, and without your having to lift 

 your elbow at all ; fourthly, there is no after dribble from the 

 spout. I have tested these points in scores of the Wedgwood 

 pots, and the same care in adapting to purpose is displayed 

 in every pot, jug, plate, or other article that he made. You 

 may pile plate upon plate of old Wedgwood from floor to 

 ceiling, and the whole forms a rigid column ; and you never 

 can spin one of his plates in another. 



Then too, Mundella made no allusion to the Medallions 

 of eminent contemporaries, of which Wedgwood executed 

 hundreds from the best medals, and sold them cheap. Nor 

 to his pyrometer and crucibles, the fountain inkstand, his 

 glazes, colors, and use of barytes, and lots of other ingre- 

 dients which he introduced into the art of pottery. In fact 

 Mundella confined his laudation to the ornamental feature 

 of Wedgwood wares, which are admirable adaptations of 

 classical ornamentation to his wares ; these are perfect in 

 their way, but at best only clever adaptations especially 

 of Greek models, and rather proofs of the skill and genius 

 of the Italian workmen whom he employed, than of his own 

 taste ; still this utilisation of his workmen amounted to 



1 Anthony John Mundella (1825-97), the social and educational reformer, 

 was Vice- President of the Council 1880-5, and President of the Board of Trade 

 1886-7 and 1892-5. 



