Ernest W. Light

Better known for his later (and very different) work for Royal Doulton, Ernest William Light was one the many freelance modelers engaged by Wedgwood in the 1910’s, 20's and 30’s.

He worked for Wedgwood in 1914, and produced a series of naturalistically modelled birds, animals and insects, which were produced by Wedgwood in black basalt. They were popular, and a second run was produced around 1935.

The first edition included glass eyes for many of the animals; these were replaced by moulded sights in the 1935 run for many models.

The series remains popular with collectors, although opinions differ as to whether the version with or without the glass eyes is superior. As with any such series, some models are rarer than others.