Sacred to Neptune
Water Ewer
ca. 1840 (made), 1776 (modelled)
ca. 1840 (made), 1776 (modelled)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Water ewer of black basalt, moulded in relief, one of a pair representing Wine and Water of which this is emblematical of Water. Ovoid body with incurved shoulder on which is seated a Triton whose arms encircle the neck. The neck, projecting mouth and loop handle are moulded with wavy lines in imitation of ripples, and on the front of the shoulder is a dolphin's mask from which a festoon of rushes hangs down on either side of the body. The lower part of the body is moulded with vertical pointed leaves below a wreath of oak-leaves. The high fluted circular foot rises from a square plinth moulded with a border of anthemion ornament.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Sacred to Neptune (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Black basalt, moulded in relief |
| Brief description | Water ewer 'Sacred to Neptune', black basalt, made at the factory of Josiah Wedgwood, Etruria, ca. 1840, after model first made in 1776. |
| Physical description | Water ewer of black basalt, moulded in relief, one of a pair representing Wine and Water of which this is emblematical of Water. Ovoid body with incurved shoulder on which is seated a Triton whose arms encircle the neck. The neck, projecting mouth and loop handle are moulded with wavy lines in imitation of ripples, and on the front of the shoulder is a dolphin's mask from which a festoon of rushes hangs down on either side of the body. The lower part of the body is moulded with vertical pointed leaves below a wreath of oak-leaves. The high fluted circular foot rises from a square plinth moulded with a border of anthemion ornament. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'WEDGWOOD' Note Impressed |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Transferred from the Museum of Practical Geology, Jermyn Street |
| Object history | This vase and its pair were made after plaster models supplied to Wedgwood by John Flaxman senior in 1775. Flaxman's plasters were, in turn, derived from bronzes by the French sculptor Sigisbert Michel. |
| Production | Probably made ca. 1840 after a model first made in 1776. This vase and its pair were made after plaster models supplied to Wedgwood by John Flaxman senior in 1775. Flaxman's plasters were, in turn, derived from bronzes by the French sculptor Sigisbert Michel. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Bibliographic reference | Clifford, T. 'Some English Vases and their Sources', Part I, Transactions of the English Ceramic Circle, Vol. 10, part 3, p. 164 and passim, 1978 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2397-1901 |
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| Record created | March 31, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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