Lot 54

A rare Wedgwood & Bentley 'encaustic' plaque
circa 1770

Amended

Fine British Pottery and Porcelain

14 April 2010, 10:30 BST

London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,040 inc. premium

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A rare Wedgwood & Bentley 'encaustic' plaque

circa 1770
In black basalt and of upright rectangular form, painted in iron red and white with a scantily draped classical lady, possibly at the Wedgwood and Bentley decorating studio in Chelsea, with wooden frame, 28.6cm x 21.6cm, unmarked (some small flakes to the enamel)

Footnotes

The so-called 'encaustic' painting style was developed by Wedgwood and patented in 1769. The aim was to imitate the matt surface of Greek and Italian vases. According to the 1779 Wedgwood and Bentley catalogue, the 'encaustic' colours had 'all the Advantages of Enamel, without its essential defects'. As this lot is unmarked, it is likely to have been made prior to 1772 and thus will have been painted at Chelsea. Another Wedgwood and Bentley 'encaustic' plaque, from the Lord Hirst of Witton Collection, was sold in these rooms on 6 June 2007, lot 167. For related decoration on a vase, see Diana Edwards, Black Basalt (1994), colour plate 7, p 14

Saleroom notices

The figure on the plaque is copied after wall paintings in III Pompeian style that decorated the triclinium of the so-called "Villa di Cicerone" in Pompeii (now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale" in Naples).

Additional information

This sale is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future sales, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this sale, please contact customer services.
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Buyer's Premium Rates
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- British Ceramics

A rare Wedgwood & Bentley 'encaustic' plaque circa 1770