E. 20th Century Wedgwood, Black Basalt figure of Josiah Wedgwood, H:8.5". Historically speaking Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795), his grandfather and great-grandfather had been potters, and in his early 20's Joseph formed a partnership with the preeminent English potter of the day, Thomas Whieldon. Josiah Wedgwood had practiced with glazing, bodies, shapes, and colours, and in 1759 his dreams came true when two relatives leased him the Ivy House in Burslem to allow him to start his own pottery business. He had marred well and in1766 he bought Etruria, in Staffordshire, as a base for his factory. In 1782 he perfected a tool for measuring heat in kilns. On the basis of his work Wedgwood was elected to the Royal Society in 1783. He had developed durable china called the Queen's Ware, a cream-coloured, lead-glazed earthenware, "Potter to Her Majesty". Queen's Ware became an enormous success spread the name of Wedgwood across all of Europe. In 1768 Wedgwood developed a fine black porcelain called Black Basalt. With this fine-grained stoneware he was able to produce copies of the newly excavated Etruscan pottery from Italy. The new innovation proved another huge commercial success. The surface was lustrous and smooth, with a purple-black sheen. Wedgwood's factory could scarcely keep up with the demand for candlesticks, medallions, tableware, and vases in the material. This in fact is quite collectible since it is of Josiah Wedgwood himself detailed in the Black Basalt figure. LifestyleAntiques.com is the web site where one can shop on line or if you are in the area we are an antique dealer in Summerland, California just 3 minutes south of Santa Barbara. Specializing in European Antique Furniture and our accent is antique lighting for your home, or office with handmade parchment shades adorning the selection of unique lamps. We specialize in Decorative Arts and French furniture as well as antique furniture from Spain and Italy, you will find the shop warm and inviting.

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