Produced by the revered Wedgwood potters of England, this Antique Wedgwood Potpourri Bowl is an exquisite addition to any room.

With versions dating to ancient times, potpourri has long been a favored way to perfume a room. The tradition, as we know it, blossomed in 17th-century France where fresh herbs and flowers were gathered from spring through summer and left to soften before being carefully layered with coarse sea salt. The mixture—turned and tended over the warm months—often fermented into something far from lovely, but come autumn, it was redeemed with a generous hand of exotic spices. The result was a rich, aromatic blend, sealed with natural fixatives and set into decorative vessels with pierced lids, allowing the fragrance to gently escape.

This bowl with lid, dating to c. 1840, is drabware decorated with brilliant blue Neoclassical figures and flourishes. Drabware, introduced by Wedgwood in the early 19th century, is a type of earthenware that created a naturally colored ceramic that ranges from a taupe to an olive green or brown. With its warm, earthy tone and gorgeous decoration, this handsome piece is certain to bring both visual and olfactory charms to you for years to come!

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. 3"H X 5.25"D. In very good antique condition. 

Learn More About Josiah Wedgwood

Few names in the history of ceramics shine as brightly as that of Josiah Wedgwood. Born in 1730 in Staffordshire, England, Wedgwood transformed the humble craft of pottery into both high art and high fashion. An inventor at heart, he perfected creamware, jasperware, and black basalt, designs that carried the elegance of antiquity into the parlors of Georgian England and beyond. When Queen Charlotte chose his cream-colored earthenware for her table, Wedgwood cleverly branded it “Queen’s Ware”—and soon the crowned heads of Europe were clamoring for their own services.

Ever the consummate salesman, Wedgwood pioneered marketing tactics still familiar today. He opened glittering showrooms in London, staged lavish product launches, and understood the power of limited editions. He offered money-back guarantees, distributed illustrated catalogues, and sent samples to aristocratic tastemakers who would, in turn, influence demand. He even kept meticulous records of his clientele to track preferences and anticipate desires—an early form of customer relationship management. At the same time, he harnessed the ideals of his age, producing the now-iconic abolitionist medallion “Am I Not a Man and a Brother?” which married artistry with social conscience.