Josiah Wedgwood I (q.v.) established a pottery in Burslem in 1759 after being in partnership with Thomas Whieldon (q.v.), and began to make cream-coloured earthenwares in partnership with his cousin Thomas soon afterwards. He set up a partnership with Thomas Bentley in 1768 and opened a factory the following year which he called Etruria for the production of jasper, basalt, caneware etc. The partnership Wedgwood & Bentley (q.v.) ended on Bentley’s death in 1780. After Josiah’s death in 1795 the factory continued in existence to the present day under various names, but is mostly known as ‘Wedgwood’.
Note: Several other potters used the name, or a close approximation of it, including ‘Wedgwood & Co’. Reference: Wikipedia
Below are some examples of Wedgwood items which have an astrological / zodiac theme.
A Wedgwood jasperware canopic jar and cover, first half 19th century Of ovoid form, the white stoneware domed cover formed from a human head wearing a ‘Nemes’ headdress, the jar in black jasper dip with turned bands applied with a variety of sprigs, the upper band including a ‘winged disk’ and other sprigs in Egyptian style, the lower band including signs of the Zodiac, 26.2cm high, impressed WEDGWOOD (2) FOOTNOTES These jars were originally made in the Egyptian city of Canopus and were used to preserve the viscera of the deceased. The Wedgwood versions are based on Plate CXXXII in Bernard de Montfaucon’s ‘L’Antiquité Expliquée’ published in Paris in 1719, a book in Josiah Wedgwood’s library. Three examples in blue and green jasper dip and caneware are illustrated by Robin Reilly, Wedgwood Jasper (1994), colour plate 63
Sold for £ 4,750 inc. premium at Bonhams in 2015
Medallion, or top of snuff-box, jasper ware with lilac dip in the centre and green dip around the border, polished edge, circular, ornamented with an applied mouldedd relief of ‘L’Amour Comédien’: Cupid masked in front of two women and with the signs fo the Zodiac around the edge. Marked. Circa 1790
Reference: The British Museum
AN ENGLISH THREE COLOR JASPERWARE ‘ZODIAC’ VASE AND COVER, IMPRESSED UPPERCASE MARK FOR WEDGWOOD, EARLY 19TH CENTURY 13½in. (34.3cm.) high overall (2)
Sold for USD 1,000 at Christies in 2012
Zodiac Bull Taurus the Bull English about 1943-1945 Designed by Arnold Machin (British, 1911–1999), Made by Wedgwood Manufactory (Staffordshire, England, active 1759–present)
Cream-colored earthenware (Queen’s ware) decorated with lithographed Signs of the Zodiac in brown, gray, yellow, ann pink, and finished in brown enamel. Markings Marks: illegible impressed marks; WEDGWOOD/BARLASTON/ENGLAND printed in green (partly covered with brown enamel on foot).
Reference: Museum of Fine Arts Boston
A Wedgwood Jasper Canopic Jar. circa 1978. Applied terracotta and jasper bands of hieroglyphs and zodiac symbols above Egyptian motifs. Marked on bottom “Wedgwood 78 N Made in England.” 9 1/4″ x 4 1/2.”
Sold for $1,600 at Quinn’s Auction Galleries in 2019
Wedgwood Makers Mark circa 1970s
Button, cut steel frame, set with a jasper plaque, showing the signs of the Zodiac. The plaque made in the factory of Josiah Wedgwood (1730-95), the setting possibly by Matthew Boulton (1728-1809).
Cut steel was a fashionable material for jewellery, buttons, buckles, sword hilts and watch chains in the decades around 1800. They were made from brightly polished rivets, their ends faceted to imitate diamonds. Such pieces gave a grey but powerful glitter. Originally an English speciality, the production of cut steel had spread to other centres in Europe by the early 19th century. The Birmingham manufacturer Matthew Boulton pioneered the attractive combination of cut steel with the blue and white jasperware plaques made by Wedgwood.
Reference: © Victoria and Albert Museum
Medallion with Apollo and Zodiac Border
In 1774, Josiah Wedgwood (1730-95) introduced the unglazed jasperware with white relief decoration on pastel or black backgrounds for which the firm became famous. The technique was used for ornamental cameos that appealed to the late 18th-century passion for ancient cameos and intaglios. This circular dark blue medallion depicts the god Apollo with his lyre and tripod surrounded by a Zodiac border.
Reference: The Walters Art Museum
