Bust of Bacchus

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons

ca. 1774 · Black basaltware · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

This monumental bust of Bacchus demonstrates Wedgwood’s exceptional skills in copying antique forms and modernizing them by using novel ceramic bodies such as black basalt. Probably intended to decorate a library, the bust is a copy of an ancient marble sculpture purchased by the earl of Shelburne in 1772. Once considered Emperor Hadrian’s lover Antinous, the bust is now thought to represent the ancient Roman god of wine and intoxication.

Artist

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons

Date

ca. 1774

Medium

Black basaltware

Culture

British, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Purchase, Larry and Ann Burns Gift, in honor of Austin B. Chinn, 2019