Vase

Stamped "Wedgwood & Bentley o Etruria," this vase was made during  Josiah Wedgwood's partnership with Thomas Bentley, which began in 1769, the same year as the first firing at his new factory, Etruria. An example of Wedgwood's marbled ware, the blue, grey and brown swirls, meant to imitate marble, are made by painting different colored slips (liquid clay) onto the surface. The vase can be converted into a candle holder by turning the lid upside down.

Hailed as the father of English potters, Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) augmented his third-generation potter's experience with artistic creativity, innovative marketing, progressive manufacturing techniques and astute business acumen to become the leading potter of the late 18th century. Wedgwood began a partnership with Thomas Whieldon (Case 8) and then in 1759 established his own business, which has survived as an international company to the present day. Although Wedgwood is chiefly known for his 1775 development of jasperware-refined stoneware of solid color with molded, applied decoration-the objects in this case attest to the wide variety of Wedgwood ceramics, whose popularity has endured for more than two centuries.