PAIR OF WEDGWOOD BLACK BASALT 'ENCAUSTIC-DECORATED' BULB POTS

PAIR OF WEDGWOOD BLACK BASALT 'ENCAUSTIC-DECORATED' BULB POTS circa 1790, impressed uppercase mark and K, of rectangular form with shaped rim and paneled sides, molded in relief with putti holding a floral garland, reserved on an iron-red ground, bordered with flowers and foliage in puce and white, l: 6 1/4 in. (2)

Provenance: Brown Collection, no. 78b (label).
Lindsay Grigsby Collection.
Clars Auctions, Oakland, CA, 2016.
Jeffrey Milkins Collection, no. 774.

Catalogue Note:
For a wider example with three putti on the front panel, see the Victoria & Albert Museum, acc. no. 1487&A-1855. The Wedgwood documents variously called these forms, 'bulbous root pots' and 'root flower pots'. They were designed for growing spring bulbs indoors. The form can be found with a specialized collared cover, which was intended for growing hyacinths.

Wedgwood adapted the design of the cherubs carrying a garland from a print of vases etched by the Italian artist Stefano della Bella (1610-1664). The relief is adapted from a classical Roman design: a version can be referenced on the tomb of the Ilaria del Carretto by the early 15th Century Siennese sculptor Jacopo della Quercia.

Exhibitions: Paine Art Center, Oshkosh, Wis., Wedgwood Exhibit 1965, no. E-16b (label).

Literature: Diana Edwards, 'Black Basalt', p. 17, color pl. 13.