Extremely Rare Highly Collectible Antique Victorian (1872) Heavy Wedgwood Black Basalt Jasperware Wall plate (9”/23cm, 550g).

Fantastic rare Wedgwood black item. Museum quality! At the time of listing it is the only one of its kind listed on the whole of eBay worldwide!

Please browse all 12 sets of photographs attached for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory. Lovely antique plate in perfect condition. There are no chips nor cracks. If you are extremely particular, I’d advise there are signs of ageing and slight discolouration on the reverse commensurate with age. The item is Antique, over 150 years old! Exact date of manufacture has been established by the markings at the back and the impressed date letter “A” which equates to 1872 exactly.

Superb Victorian item. In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901.

The historic British black basalt ware is a dry-bodied stoneware fired in an oxidizing atmosphere to produce a black fabric. The Black Basalt was manufactured from reddish-brown clay that was burnt in red hot fire until black. Compared to the local Egyptian Black wares that were being produced in the early years, Black Basalt was more superior in general appearance.

This classy Jasperware adds an element of sophistication to porcelain. It was originally used by Josiah Wedgwood for his famous Etruscan vases. Basalt is made up of silica minerals and essentially carbonated minerals. It is considerably richer in silica and iron than limestone.

Wedgwood Black Basalt is a hard, dense, fine-grained stoneware, which Josiah used for portrait medallions, seals, vases and urns, busts, tea ware, and other items. The busts and figures were made to emulate old bronze statues.

Basalt has been produced continuously since its introduction in 1768. Its rich black color has been enhanced by a variety of decorative techniques including the application of bas-reliefs, engine-turning, gilding, enamel painting, inlaid decoration and others. It was one of Josiah’s favorite ceramic bodies, and he said of it: ‘The Black is sterling, and will last forever.’ History has so far proved him right.

Wash the jasper body by carefully using a soft cloth and a mild detergent diluted with warm water. Rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry with a soft cloth. For more difficult marks, gently rubbing with an old tooth brush or soft nail brush with a mild detergent should remove any ingrained old dirt.

Wedgwood is known as the “Father of English Potters”, the pottery innovations of royal acclaim by Josiah Wedgwood still hold to past success in the present.

Jasperware, or jasper ware, is a type of pottery first developed by Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s. Usually described as stoneware, some authorities have described it as a type of porcelain. It is noted for its matte and unglazed biscuit finish and is produced in a number of different colours, of which the best known is a pale blue that has become known as Wedgwood Blue. Relief decorations (typically in white but also in other colours) are characteristic of Wedgwood jasperware. They are produced in moulds and applied to the ware as sprigs.

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, commonly known as Wedgwood, is amongst the world’s most famous fine china, porcelain, and luxury accessories company founded on 1 May 1759 by English potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood. .

Josiah, the youngest of 13 children, founded his company in 1759. He was a perfectionist who took 3,000 attempts to get just the right shades of chalky blue and sage green for his most popular Jasperware.

He made his name when he manufactured a tea and coffee service for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. Her Majesty was so impressed she allowed Wedgwood to use the title Potter to the Queen. Soon other royal households, including Russia's, were clamouring for Wedgwood pottery.

Josiah was a benevolent employer who built good homes for his workers but he could also be a demanding taskmaster. If a vessel did not meet his exacting standards he would smash it and shout: "This will not do for Wedgwood!"

His company became the first to innovate the perfect mixture of fine bone china which was both durable and beautiful to the touch.

Before he succumbed to cancer in 1795 Wedgwood passed his company on to his sons. Many descendants were directly involved in the business over the years and it thrived throughout the 19th and most of the 20th century.

Were it not for a bout of smallpox the name of Josiah Wedgwood would have been lost in the mists of time. The disease severely weakened his leg and he was unable to work the pedal of his potter's wheel. Faced with the loss of his livelihood the enterprising apprentice turned instead to designing ceramics.

Josiah had a keen eye and an interest in the latest advances, such as new glazes. His designs were unlike the typical clunky wares on the market in the early 18th century and were soon gracing the homes of the aristocracy and royal palaces. Production at Etruria Works in Stokeon-Trent, Staffordshire, could barely keep pace with demand.

Quite simply Wedgwood is considered the finest potter to have lived and his name is famous far beyond these English shores.

The vast Wedgwood collection of pottery, art and manuscripts is regarded as one of the most important industrial archives in the world.

In 1986 Wedgwood was acquired by Waterford Glass Company for £250million. The names were merged to become Waterford Wedgwood with a workforce of almost 8,000 at its peak but its fortunes began to decline. Later the main assets of Waterford Wedgwood were purchased by the New York City-based private equity firm KPS Capital Partners in 2009, and the group became known as WWRD Holdings Limited, an acronym for "Waterford Wedgwood Royal Doulton". On 2 July 2015, Fiskars Corporation acquired WWRD.

Original UK made Wedgewood products are now real collector’s items as production of English porcelain has mostly moved abroad to the Far East.

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The listing is strictly for the plate only. However This plate was originally in a superb antique hardwood wall mount / frame which I still should have somewhere in my possession and can also send to you free of charge of course. So please ask if you would like to receive that too. The plate had to be taken out of the mount for examination to ensure it was damage free and also for the purpose of photography for this advert. If you require photographs of the frame please ask and I might be able to dig it out and forward you a few.

The frame is distinctly labled:

Sadlers Ltd

Picture Frame Makers

25 Pall Mall

Hanley