This pair of Wedgwood and Bentley black basalt cassoulette urns was made at the Etruria factory circa 1775. Their ingenious design allows each urn to serve two purposes.
When the reversible top is positioned with its domed cover and finial facing upward, the piece is a classical covered urn. When the top is removed, flipped, and replaced, the reverse side provides a socket for a candle, turning the urn into a candlestick.
The pair can be displayed as covered urns, candlesticks, or one of each.
The urns have elegant ovoid bodies raised on square pedestal bases.
Their deep black basalt surfaces have a soft sheen that emphasizes the finely modeled decoration.
Rope-twist handles curve from the shoulders, framing beautifully detailed garlands that hang in swags across the bodies.
A band of vertical fluting adds texture and definition, while the domed covers, with their simple finials, complete the classical form.

In 1774, Josiah Wedgwood wrote this praise of black basalt: “The Black is sterling & will last for ever.”
Wedgwood and Bentley’s partnership, established in 1769, produced some of the finest ornamental ceramics of the 18th century. Their black basalt wares reflected the growing fascination with ancient Greek and Roman art and the Neoclassical taste fashionable in Georgian England.
These cassoulettes’ classical proportions, restrained ornament, and rich black surfaces reflect the artistic ambitions of the early Etruria factory.
Both urns bear the Wedgwood and Bentley Etruria mark, used during the partnership from 1769 to 1780. Their early manufacture, excellent condition, and ingenious reversible design make this a particularly desirable pair for collectors of early Wedgwood and Neoclassical decorative arts.
Maker: Wedgwood and Bentley, Etruria Factory, England
Date: Circa 1775
Material: Black basalt stoneware
Marks: Wedgwood and Bentley Etruria mark
Dimensions: Each urn measures 8.75″ tall × 3.5″ diameter; 5″ across the handles.
Condition: Excellent
Price: $3,600