2009/71/3

Early Morning Milk,

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons (Manufacturer)

This is the explanatory leaflet which accompanies a ceramic decorated plate, manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons of Barlaston, Staffordshire, in 1991. The explanatory leaflet explains the story behind the art, and is written by Nick Findell, listed as 'Artists/Designer'. The plate is entitled 'Early Morning Milk' and is part of the series 'Country Days' designed by the artist Chris Howells (1947– ), and depicts a horse drawn wagon containing two milk churns through a village scene with thatched cottages.

MERL 'Handwritten accession' form (Museum of English Rural Life) – 'Wedgwood Decorative Plate 'Early Morning Milk' in the series 'Country Days' by the artist Chris Howells (1947 - ) // Dated 1991 // 2009/71/1 - Plate // 2009/71/2 - Box // 2009/71/3 - Explanatory Leaflet // 2009/71/4 - Certificate of registry (no. 3894 Q) // Made by Josiah Wedgwood + Sons Ltd, Barlaston, Stoke on Trent. // Plate depicts a horse drawn wagon containing two milk churns through a village scene with thatched cottage. // Dimensions // 20.5 cm diameter // Collected as part of the Collecting 20thc Rural Culture project.', Leaflet – 'Early Morning Milk // Premier issue in Chris Howell's Country Days, a collector's plate series depicting the life of a rural community in a bygone age. // Presented on Wedgwood Fine Bone China and produced in an edition limited to 55 firing days. // Dawn has only just broken... // ... in this quiet English village, and the skyline glimmers with flashes of red from the rising sun. Although it is early, the inhabitants have been up for some time, and the men have already left for the fields and farms to begin the day's work. // The local dairy farmer, with his young farmhand leading the trusty shire, is making his daily rounds of the surrounding villages. Travelling slowly between each hamlet, he stops at each house to deliver milk, which only hours before came fresh from his cows. // This is 'Early Morning Milk', Plate One in Chris Howell's debut series for the collector's plate medium, Country Days, in which he transports us back in time, to an age when man lived and worked in harmony with nature and the land. // Everyone in this village knows the dairy farmer well, and they enjoy his daily visits - catching up on the latest news and gossip from the nearby town. And although all have much to do, they are never too busy to stop for a moment and pass the time of day with one another. // In his original artwork for 'Early Morning Milk', Chris Howells skilfully evokes a deep-rooted harmony between man and nature, which characterizes life in this quiet corner of bygone England. // The villagers have all they need to survive immediately around them - thatch for their cottages comes from an adjoining field, eggs and cheese from a nearby farmyard. Their grain and flour are supplied by the local miller, and of course, fresh milk arrives each morning with the dairy farmer. In this age, man takes only what he needs from nature, and she responds by continuing her bountiful cycle of life. // This sense of perfect interaction between man and his environment is heightened by the artist's use of nature's own colour scheme throughout the picture. Deep brown and lush greens are the predominant colours, complemented by the bright blue and yellow of the morning sky - themselves nature's celebratory colours. // At the same time, Chris Howells gives a glimpse of his remarkable talent for bringing a scene to life. The friendly, intimate atmosphere of this small village is conveyed through his close attention to detail. Observe the small chickens pecking near the shallow pool, and the inquisitive spaniel who almost seems to have noticed our presence. // The waterpump, standing in the middle of the village, with the old barrel beside it, is a subtle reminder of the era to which we have been transported - a time when water did not run freely in every home, and Nature's gifts were not taken for granted. // These small touches add great realism to the picture, and breath life into the whole scene. We can almost here the clucking of the chickens, and the slow trot of the shire horse, as it makes its way along the beaten track. // Now this sensitive portrait, which perfectly captures the tranquility and harmony of a bygone age, has been preserved on Wedgwood Bone China, as 'Early Morning Milk', Plate One in Chris Howells Country Days collection. // Nick Findell // Artist/Designer

Barlaston

1991 - 1991