Description
Book SynopsisWINNER OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC CIRCLE AWARD 2021 A fascinating exploration of the inspiration behind, and development of, classically inspired sculpture and other ornamental wares in black basalt, the famous stoneware perfected by Josiah Wedgwood in 1768. Wedgwood, with prescience, said of his new creation: ‘Black is Sterling and will last forever.’ This volume presents approximately 120 examples of ornamental black basalt, including portrait busts, statues, and vases, ewers, and other fully three-dimensional, ornamental forms. Works in low relief include tablets, plaques, medallions, and cameos. The volume also features essays by renowned subject specialists and individual, fully illustrated catalogue entries which will be grouped into three chapters and organized according to the era—Classical Antiquity, 16th- and 17th-Centuries, 18th Century—of the design sources used by Wedgwood and his contemporaries to create their basalt wares.
Trade Review"One of the most important works on 18th-century ceramics to be published in the last decade"—Anne Forschler-Tarrasch, The Art Newspaper; "A handsomely illustrated catalog written by Mr. Gallagher, with contributions by several eminent colleagues in the field"—Barrymore Laurence Scherer, The Wall Street Journal; "A scholarly study of classically inspired sculpture and utilitarian and ornamental stoneware in black basalt"—Andrew Lambirth, The London Magazine
Table of ContentsForeword by Todd A. Herman, PhD, President & CEO, The Mint Museum; Acknowledgments by Brian D. Gallagher, Curator of Decorative Arts, The Mint Museum; Preface by Brian D. Gallagher; Classicism and the Design Business by Robin Emmerson; Josiah Wedgwood’s Production of Basalt Ornamental Wares by Gaye Blake-Roberts; Wedgwood’s Basalts within the Context of the 18th-Century English Sculpture Market by Dr. M.G. Sullivan; Catalogue of the Exhibition by Brian D. Gallagher; I. Works Based on Sources from Classical Antiquity: Wedgwood’s Sources from Classical Antiquity by Dr. Nancy H. Ramage; II. Works Based on 16th- and 17th-Century Sources; III. Works Based on 18th-Century Sources; Concordance (by Object Type); Selected Bibliography; Mint Museum Board of Trustees; Index
