Basalt-Black Stoneware
The English Potter Josiah Wedgwood developed Basalt, a black stoneware body, in 1768 using sifted ball clay to which manganese (and other minerals) was added and firing it at an extremely high temperature. Its use for production in the Wedgwood factory is rivaled only by that of Jasper. Wedgwood originally intended Basalt to be for the manufacture of cabinet vases for the 18th Century gentry. His design sources included illustrations from the classical artifact collection of Sir William Hamilton, noted 18th century collector and connoisseur, and from illustrations to the works of the Comte de Caylus and Bernard de Montfaucon.
Since its introduction, almost every shape made in any other body by the company has been made in Basalt. It is interesting to note that, as with Jasper, Wedgwood’s Basalt (or Basaltes) has become the generic name for black-bodied ware, regardless of manufacturer.