Josiah Wedgwood & Sons
Pair of Lusters

Public Domain

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Maker Josiah Wedgwood & SonsEnglish, founded 1759

CultureEnglish

Titles

Pair of Lusters

Datec. 1800–1815

Made inEtruria, England

MediumStoneware (jasperware), gilded brass, and lead glass

DimensionsEach: 9 1/2 × 3 7/8 × 3 7/8 in. (24.1 × 9.8 × 9.8 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Mary Catherine Miller

Object numberB.2012.206.1,.2

Current Location

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

Federal Parlor

On view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

CERAMICS

DescriptionThe pioneering English designer Josiah Wedgwood first advertised Egyptian designs by his ceramics company in 1773. A Sphinx and an “Egyptian Lion” were among his earliest offerings. While Wedgwood based many of his designs on published ancient models and motifs, his work, like that of many others in the 18th century, conflated the cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Seen here, the Egyptian sphinxes rest on neoclassical bases with scenes, likely from Greek or Roman history, rendered in Wedgwood’s signature blue jasperware.
Provenance Research Ongoing Exhibition History"Egyptomania," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, March 18–August 5, 2012.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Stamped on bottom of jasperware: WEDGWOOD / 3

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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