Plaque: Bacchanalian Triumph in Black Basalt, Wedgwood C1800

Perhaps the most complex work in black basalt undertaken on any scale by Wedgwood, the Bacchantes, are adapted from sculptures by Clodion. A large and impressive pair, ful of vigour ...

Exceptionally rare early figure of Bacchus in black basalt. The mixed-case mark places this figure between 1780 and 1785. He is portrayed in typical style, his head garlanded with grapes and with a wine cup to his lips. Bacchus, also known as Dionysus in Greek mythology, is the enigmatic god of wine, fertility, and ritual madness. He symbolizes freedom, ecstasy, and the blurring of societal norms through his rituals and festivities. Bacchus is often depicted in myths as a deity who challenges the status quo, promoting an atmosphere where conventional rules do not apply, and his followers are liberated from their everyday constraints. Born from Zeus and the mortal Semele, Bacchus is unique among gods, bridging the divide between the divine and the human. His followers included the wild and ecstatic maenads, female devotees who often reached states of divine frenzy, and the satyrs, mischievous half-man, half-goat beings. The worship of Bacchus was marked by theatrical processions, dances, and plays, reflecting his patronage of the theater and the dramatic arts. Bacchus’s mythology...

An exceptionally fine pair of roundels in black jasperware, decorated with two images of Cupid: The first sharpening his arrows; the second, of him st...

Trophy plates were a particularly Victorian development at Wedgwood, taking the use of classical ornament to its absolute limit. Over 2,000 individual sprigs were made, applied, and ...

Rare Wedgwood Black Basalt Plaque — Mythological Scene, Circa 1800 An exceptional and rare large-format Wedgwood black basalt plaque from around 1800. This finely executed relief de...

A late 18th / early 19th century framed Wedgwood black basalt plaque depicting ‘The Death of Meleager’ also known as ‘The Death of a Roman Warrior’. Impressed with maker’s mark to plaque reverse. Wedgwood first began creating black basalt wares in 1768. This dense and fine-grained stoneware was designed to imitate old bronze statues and remains to this day synonymous with fine quality. This plaque appears in the company’s 1773 catalogue. While the design continued to be made into the 19th century, this Wedgwood plaque was infrequently attempted due to firing challenges made difficult by the plaque’s elaborate detail and scale. This antique black basalt...

This is an antique framed Bacchanalian Frieze. An Italian, mahogany and bronze Grand Tour relief mount after François Duquesnoy (1594-1646), dating ...

An exceptional and most decorative Austrian 19th century patinated bronze, giltwood and Ebony wall plaque signed K. Sterrer. The striking wall decor is centered by the wonderfully executed patinated bronze plaque depicting a handsome sculptor in his atelier draped in a flowing garment working on a bust of a woman resting on a stool while holding his hammer and chisel. He is standing on a wall bracket like element with an impressive open winged eagle above an acorn finial, a tied carpenter's square and a tied bell hammer with a caliper and fine foliate branches at his feet. In the background is a beautiful maiden also draped in a wonderful flowing garment siting with her legs crossed on the plinth of a capital where another maiden, possibly a statue, is standing with a globe and sextant in her hand with plaques, busts, wings and curtains above. The plaque is set within an elegant mottled giltwood frame with beautiful richly carved wrap around berried laurel bands with a fine angled ebonized Fruitwood border. All original gilt and patina throughout. Karl Sterrer...