Lunchtime Lectures: Wedgwood in Iran

In 1810, the British East India Company (EIC) gave two large Wedgwood dining services to Fath ‘Ali Shah, then ruler of Iran. 

 

The services, one in the ‘Japan’ pattern and the other in the ‘Peony’ pattern with delicate gilding, amounted to more than 600 pieces and reportedly cost the vast sum of £1300. These pieces, created through dialogue between the EIC envoy in Tehran and Fath ‘Ali Shah’s ambassador in London, were uniquely hybrid objects, incorporating both British design and ceramic forms more common in Iran. 

 

This talk will tell the story behind this lavish gift, exploring how the order was commissioned, using documents still held in the Wedgwood archives. 

 

Fuchsia Hart is the Sarikhani Curator for the Iranian Collection at the V&A. She specialises in the arts of Iran during the early-nineteenth century and her PhD thesis explored the artistic patronage of Fath 'Ali Shah.