Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and His Contemporaries

February 9, 2020 - January 3, 2021

Mint Museum Randolph

Featuring more than 100 ceramic objects, with loans from notable public and private collections in the United States and England.

This exhibition is the first to focus exclusively on the black basalt sculpture made by Josiah Wedgwood and other Staffordshire potters in late eighteenth-century England. The works of art on view include life-size portrait busts, statues, vases, and other fully three-dimensional, ornamental forms, as well as works in low relief, such as large plaques, portrait medallions, and medals.

Among the ceramic bodies produced in great numbers in Staffordshire, England in the late eighteenth century was black basalt. Josiah Wedgwood perfected this fine-grained stoneware in 1768, creating its dark color by adding manganese and carr, a slurry rich-with-iron oxide obtained from coal mines, to the clay body. Basalt was soon produced by many other Staffordshire potters as well. Although Wedgwood and the other potters used black basalt to create so-called “useful wares,” such as teapots and bowls, this exhibition showcases basalt sculpture, especially works with classically inspired themes or ornament.

Many of the basalt objects on view in the galleries were copied directly from works of art made in ancient Greece and Rome, such as busts of Homer and Socrates, gems and statues depicting gods and other mythological creatures, and coins with portraits of Julius Caesar and his successors. Other basalt pieces derived from works made much later. Among the many artists represented in the exhibition by basalt versions of their creations are Michelangelo from the sixteenth century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini from the seventeenth century, and sculptor Louis François Roubiliac from the eighteenth. The Staffordshire potteries also hired modelers and other craftsmen to create new designs for their basalt wares.

Whatever the design source, the basalt sculpture made by Wedgwood and his contemporaries was well-crafted, refined, and perfectly suited for the neoclassical interiors so popular among style-conscious consumers, both in England and beyond, in the last few decades of the eighteenth century. Classic Black proudly highlights this fascinating chapter in the history of ceramics.

This exhibition was organized by The Mint Museum, and was made possible with generous support from presenting sponsor Wells Fargo Private Bank, with additional support provided by Moore & Van Allen and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The exhibition catalogue was fully funded by the Delhom Service League and an anonymous patron.

Wedgwood Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

The in-gallery video that showcased the making of Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and His Contemporaries won an Emmy for excellence in non-broadcast production from the Nashville/Southeast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The three-minute film, produced by Kelso Communications, tells the story of the inspiration and collaboration behind the remarkable exhibition.

The Curator

Brian Gallagher is the Curator of Decorative Arts at The Mint Museum. In 2015, he reinstalled the museum’s historical British ceramics collection and published British Ceramics 1675 – 1825: The Mint Museum.
The Designer

HannaH Crowell creates unique intersections of art and space that engage visitors in a story and an immersive experience.
The Artist

Owl is a local mural artist that is responsible for the distinct line-work on the walls of the exhibition. She was a part of the first installation of Constellation CLT.

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Exhibition organized by The Mint Museum and made possible with generous support from presenting sponsor Wells Fargo Private Bank. Additional support provided by Moore & Van Allen and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The exhibition catalogue was fully funded by the Delhorn Service League and an anonymous person.

Learn more on our Classic Black Resources page or Mintwiki: Classic Black. Mintwiki provided by The Mint Museum Library.

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries, on view at Mint Museum Randolph. Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–presentSocrates circa 1775–1780Stoneware (black basalt)The Mint Museum. Gift of the Starr and Wolfe Families in memory of Lydia and Bernard Starr. 2018.68.2Photo courtesy of Casey Hendrickson

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries,on view at Mint Museum Randolph.Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Wedgwood. Infant Hercules, with the Serpent (detail), circa 1770–75, stoneware (black basalt). Private New York Collection. Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson.

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–present Tripod Vase circa 1790–1800 Stoneware (black basalt)Collection of Jeffrey S. Milkins and Steven R. Parker

Wedgwood. Bust of Junius Brutus, circa 1775–80, stoneware (black basalt). Museum Purchase: Delhom Collection. 1965.48.106. Collection of The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC. Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–present Somnus circa 1774Stoneware (black basalt)Birmingham Museum of Art. Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; The Buten Wedgwood Collection, gift through the Wedgwood Society of New York. AFI.1239.2008

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries,on view at Mint Museum Randolph.Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries, on view at Mint Museum Randolph. Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries, on view at Mint Museum Randolph.

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–present Centaur (with Youth) circa 1770–1775Stoneware (black basalt)Birmingham Museum of Art. Collection of the Art Fund, Inc. at the Birmingham Museum of Art; The Buten Wedgwood Collection, gift through the Wedgwood Society of New York. AFI.1754.2008

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries, on view at Mint Museum Randolph. Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–present Infant Hercules, with the Serpent circa 1770–1775Stoneware (black basalt)Private New York Collection

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries,on view at Mint Museum Randolph.Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Neale & Company. Staffordshire, England, 1778–1792Cleopatra circa 1780–1790Stoneware (black basalt)Collection of Lucie and Bob Reichner

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–present Mercury 19th centuryStoneware (black basalt)Collection of Lindsay Grigsby

Wedgwood. Staffordshire, England, 1759–presentSocrates circa 1775–1780Stoneware (black basalt)The Mint Museum. Gift of the Starr and Wolfe Families in memory of Lydia and Bernard Starr. 2018.68.2

Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and his Contemporaries,on view at Mint Museum Randolph.Photo credit: Casey Hendrickson

Humphrey Palmer’s Church Works factory. Staffordshire, England, circa 1755–1778Vase 1769Stoneware (black basalt)The Mint Museum. Museum Purchase: Delhom Collection. 1965.48.921

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Classic Black: The Basalt Sculpture of Wedgwood and His Contemporaries

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Wedgwood Like You’ve Never Seen It Before

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