136 
House & Garden 
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A modern coffee service of traditional Etruscan inspira¬ 
tion. Where all black cups would be heavy, the white 
cups with their Flaxman wreath are more in keeping 
BLACK WEDGWOOD 
(Continued from page 132) 
to combine his heart's desire with his 
day’s work. His dose friendship with 
the cultured Bentley, and their partner¬ 
ship in 1768, gave him opportunities 
to deepen his knowledge and brought 
him into touch with men like Sir 
William Hamilton, whose books and 
collections were at his disposal for study. 
The potteries at Etruria were opened 
in 1768, and at once Wedgwood began 
on the ornamental ware in black ba- 
saltes, while at the old Burslem works 
the Useful or “Table-Ware” was car¬ 
ried on. Always he drew this sharp 
line between the two. “O.W.” and “U. 
W.” signified Ornamental Works and 
Useful Works, and this distinction once 
led to the nearest approach to “words” 
that ever occurred between Bentley 
and Wedgwood in their eighteen years’ 
partnership. “You know,” wrote Bent¬ 
ley, “I have never any idea that Or¬ 
namental Ware should not be of ‘some 
use.’ ” The point was argued at great 
length, but evidently Wedgwood had 
his way in the end. The black 
“Etruscan Vases,” which were the most 
important productions at Etruria, 
served no purpose save that of orna¬ 
ment, and the black “coffee-cans” and 
tea equipages that have survived were 
far “too fine and good for human 
nature’s daily food.” 
For some inexplicable 
reason, black Wedgwood 
has not greatly appealed to 
collectors in the past, and 
it speaks well for the 20th 
Century that we are seek¬ 
ing it to-day. Unfor¬ 
tunately, it is rare now, 
like all old Wedgwood; 
the museums and private 
collectors have got the 
best of it, but, still, it is 
more easy of access than the jasper. 
In form and contour, the Etruscan 
vases are perfect; the earlier pieces 
are usually in the plain black basaltes, 
simply decorated with restraint and 
purity that are sometimes lacking in 
the jasper. It has been remarked (in 
this connection) that Wedgwood in his 
elaborate figure groups interpreted the 
strength and beauty, the rhythm and 
movement of antique bas-reliefs by 
mere “elegance,” and that he some¬ 
times chose the decadent period for 
his models. This point cannot be 
argued here; if Wedgwood was un¬ 
aware of his artistic limitations, he 
knew well the limit of his material, and 
if, artistically, his bas-reliefs fell short, 
yet he achieved in pottery a technical 
perfection which has not yet been 
equalled. Certainly these plain black 
vases are highly satisfying to modern 
taste, with their simple ornament of 
plinth moldings, beading, festoons, 
strap work, and fluting, done by a 
lathe, and adapted to the shapes with 
exquisite judgment and skill. Josiah 
Wedgwood took a just pride and delight 
in these vases. “Poor Burslem, poor 
Cream color”—he wrote in 1769 of his 
“Useful Works”—“They tell me I sac¬ 
rifice all to Etruscan Vases.” At his 
London showrooms, the 
ware was called “Etrus¬ 
can,” and his manager was 
instructed to keep the fine 
pieces back and produce 
them only for people of 
fashion and influence; this 
at a time when a visit to 
his shop ranked high as an 
art-show in London Sea¬ 
son. Of his “suites of Five 
Vases for the Chimney- 
(Continued on page 138) 
V as e s were fre¬ 
quently made in 
sets of five, and in¬ 
tended as “Orna¬ 
mental Works’’ only 
A large lamp of black ba¬ 
salt Wedgwood, rather 
elaborately ornamented 
Water ewer, one of a 
pair originally made for 
wine and water 
