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2004, Number 20 Published September 2008 ©2008 by The Wedgwood Society of New York, ISSN 1043-3317 President's Letter Staffordshire Figures and Aspects of the English Landscape, Part 2: Woodlands, Forests, Wildlife, and Gardens by Robert Harrison Custard Cups: Their Place at the English Georgian Table by David M. Pendergast Champion of Liberty A Special Commission by Taxile Doat by Melissa Bennie and Robin Henry Ten Year Cumulative Index of Ars Ceramica, Numbers 11 - 20 by Robert Harrison

On the cover: A Wedgwood blue and white jasperware portrait medallion of Charles James Fox. White jasper, blue dip to front and back, marked WEDGWOOD, c. 1790, 3 3/4" (9.5 cm) h. Fox (1749-1806) was a prominent Whig statesman and supporter of the American cause during the Revolutionary War. See page 40 for an article about an important pâte-sur-pâte vase by Taxile Doat celebrating Fox's life and accomplishments. This particular medallion is from the collection of Bernard and Lydia Starr. Bernie Starr, with Leonard Rakow, was instrumental in bringing Ars Ceramica to life; Leonard handled the editorial aspects, while Bernie took on the fundraising, with great success. A sticker on the back of the medallion notes its exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1958-9, at which time it was in the collection of Harry Manaster, having earlier come from the Sidney Hand collection, sold at Sotheby's, London, in 1955. The curator of the 1958-9 exhibition and author of the accompanying catalog was Vivian Scheidemantel, later Vivian Hawes, who served as the editor of Ars Ceramica for issues no. 6 to no. 12. Wedgwood collectors are frequently as eager to see the back of a medallion as its front – Is it marked? Upper case or upper-and-lower case mark? Firing holes? Solid jasper or dip? What is its provenance? Any clues to damage or repairs?