Dwight, John (1635?-1703), was an important early English potter. He developed and manufactured high-quality stoneware at his factory in Fulham, now a London suburb. His stoneware led to the establishment of England as a world center for ceramics production.
Dwight was probably born in Oxfordshire. He settled in Fulham between 1671 and 1673. Dwight took out his first patent for stoneware in 1671. The patent was renewed in 1684 for a hard red stoneware that was a great improvement over earlier English ceramics. Dwight improved his stoneware to the point that he was able to use it to make sculptures. These sculptures included small figures of mythological characters and full-sized portrait heads. The heads marked the peak of English ceramic art in the late 1600’s. Dwight died on Oct. 13, 1703.
