Black Basalt
Black basalt, first created by Josiah Wedgwood in 1768, is a stoneware that often features Neoclassical designs.
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2 Pairs of Wedgwood & Bentley Black Basalt Urns and Cassolette/Jars 18th Century
$9,800.00This set of four black basalt masterpieces, made by Wedgwood & Bentley at their Etruria works around 1775, represents the height of 18th-century English neoclassical design.
Each piece demonstrates the partnership’s unmatched command of proportion, sculptural relief, and material refinement.
The two larger vases are sculpted in high relief with a lively frieze of bacchanalian boys—a classical theme evoking festivity and freedom from convention.
Their cylindrical bodies rise from square bases, framed by elegant scroll handles and finished with domed lids topped by grooved finials.
The precision of modeling and the depth of the relief are hallmarks of Wedgwood & Bentley’s finest work.
The smaller pair, designed as cassolettes (both jars and candle holders), exemplifies versatility.
The domed covers of the jars can be inverted to serve as candle holders, showcasing a practical and decorative innovation of the period.
Smooth ovoid bodies taper gracefully to square bases, while rope-twist handles and draped garlands add a delicate rhythm to the otherwise restrained forms.
A band of crisp fluting encircles each shoulder, unifying the set through architectural harmony.
All four pieces are executed in Wedgwood’s black basalt—a dense, fine-grained stoneware polished to a subtle sheen.
Its velvety surface captures light with quiet depth, enhancing the relief’s sculptural clarity.
This “black Egyptian ware,” as Josiah Wedgwood described it, was among his proudest inventions. In a letter to Bentley, Wedgwood said, “The Black is sterling and will last forever.”
Marked WEDGWOOD & BENTLEY ETRURIA (used 1769–1780), the group embodies the intellectual elegance and disciplined artistry that defined the early neoclassical movement in English ceramics.Larger vases: 11.5″ tall × 5.25″ across handles × 3.25″ square base
Cassolettes: 8.75″ tall × 3.5″ diameter × 5″ across handles
Condition: Excellent
Decoration: Black basalt with applied reliefs of bacchanalian figures and garland ornament.
Material: Fine-grained black basalt stoneware.
Style: English Neoclassical.
Origin: Etruria, Staffordshire, England.
Date: Circa 1775.
Notable Details:
• Rare complete set of four Wedgwood & Bentley black basalt urns and cassolettes
• Larger pair with bacchanalian boys in deep sculptural relief
• Smaller pair with reversible lids converting to candle holders
• Distinctive rope-twist and fluted architectural detailing
• Marked WEDGWOOD & BENTLEY ETRURIA (1769–1780)
• Exemplary of the partnership’s mastery in neoclassical form and proportion
• Material praised by Josiah Wedgwood himself as “sterling and everlasting” -
Pair of Antique Wedgwood & Bentley Black Basalt Jars England, Circa 1775
$4,300.00This pair of Wedgwood & Bentley black basalt urns was crafted at the renowned Etruria factory around 1775. They show the refined simplicity of Wedgwood’s 18th-century neoclassical design.
The covers reverse to become candle holders (see images). One side of the cover serves as a lid for the jar, while the other, when inverted, serves as a candle holder, also known as a cassolette.
The smooth, tapered ovoid bodies rest on square pedestal bases, providing a sense of elegant proportion and balance.
A band of vertical fluting encircles the shoulders, adding a crisp architectural detail.
The matte black basalt surface is polished to a subtle sheen, resulting in a lustrous, deep black finish.
Gracefully curved rope-twist handles extend from the shoulders, framing the urns.
A delicately draped garland in relief adds a hint of classical ornamentation without disrupting the overall restraint of the design.
The domed lids, topped with simple finials, complete the composition with quiet elegance.
The jars’ symmetry and timeless sophistication exemplify the finest of Wedgwood & Bentley’s basalt ware.
Marks: The rare Wedgwood & Bentley Etruria mark, used from 1769 to 1780, is found on the undersides of each jar.
Dimensions: 8.75″ tall, x 3.5″ diameter, and 5″ across the handles
Condition: Excellent -
Pair Antique Wedgwood Black Basalt Vases England Late 18th Century Circa 1775
$5,800.00This exceptional pair of antique black basalt vases was made by Wedgwood & Bentley in the late 18th century, circa 1775.
The vases are sculpted in deep solid relief with bacchanalian boys in lively motion, a classical motif symbolizing liberation from societal order and the tension between chaos and control.
The vases have a cylindrical form rising from a square-footed base. They echo neoclassical architecture with elegant scroll handles, a grooved finial, and vertical fluting around the shoulder.
The sculptural modeling is a hallmark of Wedgwood & Bentley’s finest black basalt work.
Marks: Each vase is marked “WEDGWOOD & BENTLEY ETRURIA,” used between 1769 and 1780.
Dimensions: 11.5″ tall x 5.25″ across the handles x 3.25″ square base
Condition: Excellent
Price: $6,000
The factory at Etruria in Staffordshire began producing black basalt in 1769, quickly becoming the leading name in neoclassical ornamental ceramics admired by aristocratic patrons.
Key Features:
• Pair of antique black basalt vases by Wedgwood & Bentley
• Made circa 1775 during the peak of neoclassical fashion
• Deep relief frieze of bacchanalian boys
• Scroll handles and fluted architectural elements
• Marked “WEDGWOOD & BENTLEY ETRURIA” (1769–1780)
• Superb example of 18th-century English neoclassical design
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