Vase

Object Type
Vases of this type are described as 'Ruined Column Vases' in the Wedgwood documents. They were made with one, two or three columns, and matching urn-shaped vases were also made. All might have been used for holding wooden spills (splints of wood for lighting candles) or flowers. Alternatively, they may have been purely decorative, for display on chimney-pieces or furniture in domestic interiors.

Materials & Making
Jasper is a very fine-grained white stoneware that could be stained in a range of colours. Josiah Wedgwood developed this material in the early 1770s in response to the rise in popularity of Neo-classical styles of interior decoration. Antique reliefs set against coloured backgrounds played an important part in Neo-classical interiors.

In the development of Jaspar Wedgwood made thousands of meticulously documented experiments. The ware became his greatest invention and is what he is most widely remembered for today. This vase is made of white Jasper and stained with cobalt blue, which was painted on with a brush. The best cobalt blue was imported from Saxony, Germany.

Trading
'Single columns' were sold for 21 shillings from Wedgwood's Staffordshire factory site in 1787, double columns for 42 shillings and triple columns for 63 shillings.