Wedgwood Lustreware Porcelain Bowl. Late 19th/first half 20th Century. The underside marked. Octagonal, decorated with a gilt dragon in the center recess and exterior. 

Size: 7 1/4 x 7 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. 

#14 #4214 . 

Wedgwood is an English fine china, porcelain and luxury accessories manufacturer that was founded on May 1st, 1759 by the potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and was first incorporated in 1895 as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. It rapidly became one of the largest manufacturers of Staffordshire pottery, exporting as far as Russia and the Americas. It was especially successful at producing fine earthenware and stoneware that were accepted as equivalent in quality to porcelain (which Wedgwood only made later) but were considerably cheaper. Wedgwood is mostly associated with the “dry-bodied” (unglazed) stoneware called Jasperware in contrasting colors, and in particular the “Wedgwood blue” and white color palette. Jasperware has been made continuously by Wedgwood since 1775, although in the 18th Century their table china called Creamware represented most of their sales. The company flourished in the 19th Century, but despite remaining a family business much work began to be contracted to other countries as the pottery business took successive hits from World Wars and economic collapses. After acquiring most of the other Staffordshire ceramics companies in the 1960s and 70s, they merged with Waterford Crystal in 1987 to form Waterford Wedgwood plc, an Ireland-based luxury brands group. In 1995 Wedgwood was granted a Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth II. After a 2009 purchase by KPS Capital Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, the group became known as WWRD Holdings Limited (an acronym for Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton). This was acquired in July 2015 by Fiskars, a Finnish consumer goods company, under which they continue to produce many lines of highly-sought products.