Daisy Makeig-Jones Overview
Born near Rotherham, Makeig-Jones’ family moved to Torquay when she was young and, after having enrolled in the Torquay School of Art, her determination to pursue her creative instincts led to her joining the storied firm Wedgwood as an apprentice painter in 1909. Like Clarice Cliff a decade later, Makeig-Jones was a rare female presence in the pottery industry and rarer still in her rise through the ranks after proving her decorating skills and earning the right to pursue her own designs.
Dragon Designs & Art Nouveau
Makeig-Jones had been drawn to fanciful dragon designs during her training and, in 1915, embarked on translating her own creations onto porcelain, perhaps in some way as an escape from the harrowing war engulfing Europe at the time. There was certainly an aspect of escapism to her work that appealed in the years following the Great War with the series winning many admirers with its fantastical colours, profuse gilding and signature lustres, particularly in the United States with a public keen to invest in decorative wares during the prosperous Roaring Twenties. These years saw the last throes of the Art Nouveau movement on both sides of the Atlantic when Art Deco began to prevail as the leading aesthetic in the decorative arts and architecture. Soon enough, Makeig-Jones’ elegant shapes and impish elves lost their appeal and the Fairyland Lustre line was discontinued by Wedgwood in 1929.
Fairyland Lustre
While Makeig-Jones had a reputation as a somewhat difficult individual to work with her creative flair and technical skill could not be disputed and, in recent decades, there has been a welcome revival of interest in her Fairyland Lustre works. Shape, pattern and condition are key in determining the value of these pieces at auction with collectors looking for strong colours, lively patterns and elegant shapes that are free from damage or restoration.
Makeig-Jones Studio Pottery at Auction
Wilson55 boasts an excellent record in selling Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre with numerous four-figure results including a vase for £2,100 and a bowl for £1,350, featuring works by Daisy Makeig-Jones in our Modern Art & Design auctions held four times a year covering a wide selection of furniture, studio pottery, ceramics, glass, print & multiples, paintings and more. For a free, confidential auction valuation of your collection, to enquire about any of our lots or to enter your own collection into one of our specialist sales, get in touch: james.spiridion@wilson55.com or fill in our online valuation form below.
Meet the Expert
James Spiridion
Auctioneer and valuer specialising in Modern Design. James has recently returned to the North West after spending the last few years as a valuer in Scotland, during that time James also featured on Paul Martin's Auction Showdown for Channel 5 as a 'Rival Auctioneer'.
Email: james.spiridion@wilson55.com