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Wedgwood. Pair of Ovoid Vases with Satyr Handles, 1770–80, stoneware (black basalt). Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; The Buten Wedgwood Collection, gift through the Wedgwood Society of New York, AFI.3178.2008.1-.2 |
Example of how ornamental objects such as Wedgwood's may have been displayed in an 18th century home. Padworth House, Berkshire. Tipping, h. Avery. Englsih Homes, period I [VI]...London, Office of Country Life, 1920-37. |
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| Wedgwood. Triton Candle Holders, 1770–80, stoneware (black basalt). Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; The Buten Wedgwood Collection, gift through the Wedgwood Society of New York, AFI.414.2008 and AFI.415.2008 |
Example of how ornamental objects such as Wedgwood's may have been displayed in an 18th century home. Broadlands, Hampshire. Englsih Homes, period I [VI]... |
The word "Basaltes" originally appeared in the Wedgwood & Bentley Ornamental Catalogue of 1773 and is also referred to as "Egyptian Black" or "Etruscan". Owning a piece of Wedgwood signified elegance and good taste and black basalt was no exception. This "antique taste" enabled homeowners to show their appreciation for the classics by displaying these types of objects in their libraries and the rest of the house. Wedgwood created and supplied the market with reduced-scale versions of famous ancient statues and other subjects in black basalt at affordable prices. The color of this ware comes from the introduction of iron but Wedgwood improved it by adding manganese and carr (a slurry with iron oxide from nearby coal mines) to the clay body making it richer in color, finer in grain, and its surface smoother. The final product without decoration has a matte finish but Wedgwood often added bas-reliefs, enamel paintings, and inlaid decorations, among other things. Many other Staffordshire potters produced basalt wares as well. The unglazed black color resembled the basalt stone used to make vases and sculpture in the ancient world and for which Wedgwood's distinctive ceramic was named. Black basalt resembled aged bronze but was much less costly. Wedgwood developed the bronze-like finish by working with a recipe for varnish from his friend, Dr. Matthew Turner of Liverpool.
- More about basalt and basalt pottery courtesy of the Wedgwood Museum.
- See black basalt's properties in Wedgwood by Meredith J. Graham and H. Cecil Wedgwood (1948).
- Etymology of the word basalt.
- Definition of black basalt from Encyclopedia Britannica.
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Definition of black basalt from the Glossary in Wedgwood by John Meredith Graham II & Hensleigh Cecil Wedgwood.
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What is black basalt geologically?
- A quick history and previous uses of black basalt.
- Read about "Basaltes" in Wedgwood and His Imitators by N. Hudson Moore (1909)
- More about basalt busts and figures in A Catalogue of a Collection of Plaques, Medallions, Vases... by Arthur Sanderson (1901)
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Created by Mattie Hough, Intern for the Mint Museum of Art