COVE

"Vase", c. 1780-1790
Josiah Wedgwood (est. 1759)
Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
On Display at the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario
Taken on iPhone, Object Number: 928.22.10

This vase was manufactured in England, by Wedgwood company founder Josiah Wedgwood. There is not much information about the vase, nor the collection it has come from itself, this piece was just the beginning of the Wedgwood Company. This black basalt vase looks as though it belongs in a time period prior to its creation, but the vase was actually made as an imitation of a vase before him. Incorporating techniques such as burning in wax pigment, Wedgwood would create multiple imitation pieces over the course of his career, and was a leading experimentalist in the sector of pottery. As an entrepreneur, Wedgwood would sell his pottery all over Europe, even going as far to serve the Royal Family following Princess Charlotte’s purchase of cream-coloured earthenware. Princess Charlotte had admired his work so much that Wedgwood was granted permission to call himself “Potter to Her Majesty”. As of today, 260 years since the start of Josiah’s pottery business,  the Wedgwood company is still producing ceramic, decorative pieces, and Wedgwood himself can now be recognized as the “Father of English Potters”, so though this piece is from the 1700s, it’s expected that should you purchase a Wedgwood piece today, the amazing quality would have stayed the same. 

Key Terms: England, English pottery, basalt, imitation