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Bentley Black Basalt Urns and Cassolette/Jars 18th Century
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2 Pairs of Wedgwood
Bentley Black Basalt Urns and Cassolette/Jars 18th Century
$12,000per set
£9,094.61per set
€10,430.76per set
CA$16,766.28per set
A$18,291.10per set
CHF 9,701.23per set
MX$220,366.52per set
NOK 123,127.42per set
SEK 112,726.50per set
DKK 77,902.15per set
About the Item
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.
Dimensions:
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,
Price: $12,000 (for the set of four)
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”
- Creator:Wedgwood Bentley (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)Width: 5.25 in (13.34 cm)Depth: 3.25 in (8.26 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 4
- Style:Neoclassical (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:1770-1779
- Date of Manufacture:Circa 1775
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Katonah, NY
- Reference Number:Seller: SKU000013941stDibs: LU866547488302
About the Seller
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