Exceptional Wedgwood Black Basalt Urn, with impressed mark, the neck of the Urn is with a relief of grapes and leaves, the body with classical scenes, H:10.5" Diameter:6" Wedgwood Pottery Historically speaking Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was the 12th child of potter Thomas Wedgwood, and his grandfather and great-grandfather had been potters, too. In his early 20's Joseph formed a partnership with the preeminent English potter of the day, Thomas Whieldon. Under Whieldon's eye, Wedgwood practiced with glazing, bodies, shapes, and colours. 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. One of the greatest boosts to the business in those early years was an advantageous marriage to a distant cousin, Sarah Wedgwood, who brought a large dowry into the marriage. The course of Josiah life changed and in 1766 he bought Etruria, in Staffordshire, as a base for his factory and a magnificent new house. Wedgwood was a constant innovator, a thinker, and a scientist. 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. Prior to that his innovation of Wedgwood introduced into the pottery field was the development of Queen's Ware, a cream-coloured, lead-glazed earthenware. This was durable china formed with a mixture of flint and white clay. In 1765 Wedgwood provided a tea service in this new material for Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. She was so pleased with it that she gave Wedgwood permission to call it Queen's Ware, and to style himself, "Potter to Her Majesty". Queen's Ware became an enormous success spread the name of Wedgwood across all of Europe. This was the precursor to the now Black Basalt Urn as we show here in pristine condition. 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

Antique Porcelain & Pottery
Antique Urns