How’s this for impressive: a Fairyland lustre vase that stands nearly 2ft tall. Decorated in the Dragon King pattern, it’s thought to be the largest piece of Fairyland ever made and it was the focus of a bidding war for nearly five minutes when it was offered for sale at Woody Auctions in Kansas, USA on March 22. Its final price was just as impressive as its size: a whopping US$87,500.
The vase is described in Wedgwood factory records as an umbrella stand but considered everywhere else to be the trumpet-mouth vase shape number 2413. Its decoration of the Dragon King is unique in the range: ‘It only appears on that particular vase,’ says Wedgwood Fairyland specialist Colin Sycamore. ‘I know that in 20 years I have seen three or four Dragon King vases but these could be the same vase changing hands when the owner dies and the collection gets sold.’
Designed by Daisy Makieg-Jones, who is renowned for her Fairyland lustre work at Wedgwood, the Dragon King is based on the Chinese dragon Ao Kuang, who ruled the Eastern Sea and lived in an aquatic palace. Fascinated by fairies, folklore, legends and mythology, one contemporary remarked that: ‘Miss Jones and her Fairyland were a law unto their own.’ In 1921 Wedgwood published a small booklet written and illustrated by Daisy called ‘Fairyland Wedgwood Ware’ and subtitled ‘Some Glimpses of Fairyland depicted by M. Makieg-Jones’ (her birth name was Margaretta), partially as a sales catalogue so that retailers could explain the stories behind her unusual and often whimsical designs.
The winning bidder for the Dragon King vase had only just developed an interest in Fairyland lustre in 2024, after the death of his friend Paul Pellet, who was a collector. He said he wanted to support the estate by purchasing some items. We could all do with a friend like that.
