Wedgwood Jasperware Cup

Curatorial Story & Cultural Heritage

A Wedgwood black basalt jasperware cup with classical white reliefs. The pottery firm of Wedgwood was established in Stoke-on-Trent, England, by the master potter Josiah Wedgwood in 1759. These decorative vessels were created during the 19th and 20th centuries to bring classical antiquity into middle-class homes as ornamental display pieces. They were made using a fine unglazed stoneware body that required no surface glaze, relying instead on precise chemical coloring and applied molded reliefs. Well-to-do households used these small vases on mantelpieces, sideboards, and parlor tables to hold dried flowers or simply to decorate the room. They were produced by pressing white clay reliefs by hand onto a dark clay body before firing the piece at very high temperatures. Over generations, this distinctive combination of matte stoneware and neoclassical scenes became a hallmark of English decorative arts. Period: Mid 20th Century Origin: Stoke-on-Trent, England