What is Wedgwood Jasperware, and when did it first appear?

Jasperware (often shortened to “jasper”) is Wedgwood’s unglazed, coloured fine stoneware with applied relief decoration. Wedgwood describes Jasper as an unglazed vitreous fine stoneware and says it first appeared in 1774 after thousands of experiments. The V&A points to the iconic blue-and-white look as a signature Wedgwood style, though jasper comes in many colours. Jasper is coloured through the body, not just painted on the surface, which is why chips show colour rather than a white core. Classic pieces often feature white classical reliefs—figures, garlands, medallions—set on blue, green, lilac, black, or other grounds. Jasperware is not porcelain, yet it is one of the best-known Wedgwood products and a major collector focus.