Analysis of an Object from the Weldon Ceramic Collection, King’s College Library

© by Sveta

This porcelain inkstand, manufactured by Wedgwood circa 1785-1795 in England, is one of the objects from the Weldon collection on display at the King’s College Library. It is made from fine-grained black stoneware known as Black Basalt, moulded and unglazed.
The inkstand has four parts: a tray with a vase-shaped quill penholder, inkwell, sandbox and its lid. The oval-shaped rimmed tray is sixteen centimeters in length and seven centimeters in width and has a nine-centimeter high penholder in the middle. The vase-shaped penholder is the same width as the tray, but is flattened on two sides. It divides the tray in two halves into which, behind the rim, the inkwell and sandbox fit perfectly. The inkwell and sandbox are cylindrical, and are approximately six centimeters in diameter and four centimeters in height. The proportions of all objects are wonderfully balanced against each other and make the parts come together like matching puzzle pieces. Since the inkstand has only one purpose, to accommodate the instruments of writing, its scale is appropriate. The size of a human palm, it could be easily, and thanks to the rim, securely carried and would not take much space on a table or a small writing desk, common in the eighteenth century. Probably moulded after precise drawing plans, each object is basic and simple, yet, together the objects make a sophisticated composition. Symmetry and balance, clean graceful lines, well-thought-out design and compact size -- all these components make the Wedgwood inkstand a proportionally harmonious ensemble.
In accordance with the dignified harmony of the Neoclassical taste and fashion of the time, the decoration of the inkstand is minimal. The two cylindrical parts, the inkstand and the sandbox, have on their sides engine-turned decoration, a relief pattern of vertical stripes; the sandbox lid has a scallop shell in relief; the tray has curved cuts on both ends of its length; and the penholder, shaped like a Greek or Roman vase, has two curved handles. There is no other color than the black of the black basalt, and this single color becomes itself an element of the decoration and would have provided a pleasing contrast to the white or gray colour of the quill feathers, which would have rested in the penholder. The inkstand shows two of Josiah Wedgwood’s own inventions: the clay body called Black Basalt, perfected in 1768, and engine turning, a mechanical etching on dry clay, introduced about 1760. The relief decoration, though not Wedgwood’s invention became closely associated with his name, especially after his discovery of Jasper ware in 1774.
As an object of everyday use, the inkstand was designed for the utmost practicality. The Wedgwood & Bentley Catalogue described it from solely this point and advertised the cone-shaped inkwell “on account of gradual opening” as “not liable, like the common ones, to soil the Pen and Fingers”. Another claim about its practicality was its ability to prevent ink from growing thick and spoiling. The use of Black Basalt as a medium prevented ink from corroding or being absorbed by the vessel and made any drops of dark color less noticeable. Yet accurate design and high quality work made the inkstand a fine craft object, which could be displayed and, as ambitiously proclaimed in the Catalogue was “fit to accompany the finest Work of Art in any part of Europe”.

Dated between 1785 and 1795, the inkstand, with its clean outlines, symmetry, imitation of Classical objects and rejection of whimsical Rococo decorations, is a fine example of the Neoclassical style, established in Europe in 1770. The style reflected the renewed interest in older European civilizations and the virtues ascribed to them, which provided a calming influence in the face of a rapid industrialization. Wedgwood, struggling in the first years of his career to find the right balance between the Neoclassical form of the objects and their decoration, brilliantly executed it in this small inkstand, letting material, shape and color speak for themselves. The minimal decoration gives the impression of the steadfastness and moral uprightness praised by Neoclassical intellectuals. Following the industrial revolution, the educated middle class, including women, opened a whole new market. Bookkeeping, business correspondence, and letter writing, a favorite pastime which in itself was considered an art form, created the demand for writing supplies. Wedgwood, the potter, inventor, and businessman, developed his new materials, technologies, and products following and creating this market demand. As an alternative to traditional inkstands, made from silver and other expensive metals or white porcelain, he responded with the production of this less expensive, practical, yet very beautiful Black Basalt product. It could indeed be proudly displayed on a gentleman’s table or family’s writing desk, as well as in the same room as David’s “The Oath of the Horatii”, or between Greek and Roman artifacts, as Wedgwood once declared in his Catalogue.

Works Cited
Kelly, Alison in Association with Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. The Story of
Wedgwood. London: Faber & Faber, 1975.
Elwood, Marie. The Weldon Collection.