Staffordshire pottery busts of the Rev. John Wesley.... do I hear you yawn? Surely there are more Staffordshire pottery busts of this Evangelical preacher than there are of any other individual, and most hardly set the collector's heart a-flutter. But the story behind the Wesley busts is rather interesting, so bear with me for a little while.
In 1781, Enoch Wood, just 22 years old, modeled a bust of the Rev. John Wesley, then 78. Wesley sat for Wood five times, and he was well pleased with the likeness the young modeler rendered. From the start, Enoch Wood's model was widely acclaimed as the most realistic resemblance of Wesley ever produced. Wood placed a plaque behind each pottery version of the bust. The plaque on the example below reads "ThE REVD. JOHN WESLEY M.A. AGED 81."
In 1781, Enoch Wood, just 22 years old, modeled a bust of the Rev. John Wesley, then 78. Wesley sat for Wood five times, and he was well pleased with the likeness the young modeler rendered. From the start, Enoch Wood's model was widely acclaimed as the most realistic resemblance of Wesley ever produced. Wood placed a plaque behind each pottery version of the bust. The plaque on the example below reads "ThE REVD. JOHN WESLEY M.A. AGED 81."
Courtesy Etruria Antiques Gallery
Courtesy Etruria Antiques Gallery
As Wesley was 81 years old in 1784-85, we know the bust was made in that narrow period. But what was Enoch Wood to do as Wesley aged? The answer seemed simple: adjust the age on the medallion. On the fabulous bust below, Wesley's age is given as 88.
 Courtesy Wisbech and Fenland Museum |  Courtesy Wisbech and Fenland Museum |
Of course, mistakes happened along the way. Although Wesley died at the age of 87, more than one example of this bust notes his age as 88. Worse still, at least one instance of age 90 is documented!
Wesley died in 1791, and sometime in the next few years Enoch Wood took another look at his bust. He was rightly pleased with the likeness, but two things bothered him:
As you see the result is larger (approximately 12.5" rather than 11") and suitably impressive--but to my eye it lacks the humility and humanity that the original model oozed.
Wesley died in 1791, and sometime in the next few years Enoch Wood took another look at his bust. He was rightly pleased with the likeness, but two things bothered him:
- The gown looked flat because it had been modeled from the rather rumpled everyday gown that Wesley wore on his travels, and the gown's lack of artistry did not reflect the wearer's status.
- When Wesley sat for the bust, he had suggested that Enoch Wood place a plaque on the reverse showing a very young John Wesley being saved from his father's burning house, along with the text "Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?"
As you see the result is larger (approximately 12.5" rather than 11") and suitably impressive--but to my eye it lacks the humility and humanity that the original model oozed.
Image courtesy the William Herbert and Nancy Hunt Collection.
Image courtesy Skinner Inc.
The back of the remodeled bust is enclosed and the inset medallion reads "THE REV.D JOHN WESLEY M.A., DIED MAR 2, 1791, AGED 88. ENOCH WOOD SCULP., BURSLEM."
One bothersome thing: Wesley was born in June 1703 and died in March 1791, so by my reckoning he was 87, not 88, at the time of his death.
Enoch Wood continued producing this model for many more decades. And as the years marched on and the figure potting industry expanded, other potters emulated the Wood bust because it had set the "look." To my eye, the standard seemed to go down hill, and you really, really have to be a Wesley enthusiast to find much merit in some of the later busts.
This is the "Sherratt" pot bank's Wesley bust---nice enough but hardly "Sherratt's" finest piece of work.
One bothersome thing: Wesley was born in June 1703 and died in March 1791, so by my reckoning he was 87, not 88, at the time of his death.
Enoch Wood continued producing this model for many more decades. And as the years marched on and the figure potting industry expanded, other potters emulated the Wood bust because it had set the "look." To my eye, the standard seemed to go down hill, and you really, really have to be a Wesley enthusiast to find much merit in some of the later busts.
This is the "Sherratt" pot bank's Wesley bust---nice enough but hardly "Sherratt's" finest piece of work.
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John Dale made the bust below in the 1820s, and it is far cry from the splendor of the early Wood busts. It is impressed behind "THE REV JOHN WESLEY M.A. BORN AT EPWORTH JUNE 17TH 1703 DIED MAR 1791 AGED 88" and "I. DALE BURSLEM " (Again, the age is incorrect!) Don't get me wrong: I am a great fan of Dale figures...but here he was out of his depth.
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I don't mean to hit on any one bust as being particularly bad, because each has its merits.....and is not beauty in the eye of the beholder? My point is only to show how the model evolved and deteriorated over time. Below, I show a selection of Wesley bust and leave you to draw your own conclusions.
 Courtesy Martyn Edgell.  Courtesy John Howard.  Courtesy Bonhams. |  Courtesy John Howard.  Height only 4.6". Courtesy Brighton and Hove Museums.  "Wefley, died 1791" painted on the front. Courtesy Bonhams. |
