Why did Josiah Wedgwood make Black Basalt?

Josiah Wedgwood made Black Basalt as part of his work on refined ceramic bodies suited to the fashionable classical designs of eighteenth-century Britain. Ancient Greek and Roman art had become highly desirable among wealthy travellers, collectors and buyers interested in the Grand Tour. Black Basalt gave Wedgwood a material capable of producing sharp modelling and strong silhouettes. Vases could recall ancient ceramics, and portrait medallions could imitate carved gems. Busts and figures gained a dark appearance similar to bronze, this allowed ceramic objects to carry visual references associated with costly materials.

The timing was well suited to the neoclassical taste of the 1760s and 1770s. Wedgwood named his Etruria factory after ancient Etruria in Italy, opening the works in 1769, as Greek vases discovered in Italy were often described as Etruscan at the time, which influenced the language and imagery surrounding such designs. Black Basalt was practical from a design viewpoint too. Its fine body could take engine turning, moulding and polished finishes. Wedgwood used it for objects ranging from teapots to large ornamental vases. For collectors today, that link with eighteenth-century classical taste is a major part of Black Basalt's appeal, it places the material within the intellectual and decorative fashions of Georgian Britain.