This 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”