Bust of Bacchus
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bust of Bacchus
- Maker: Josiah Wedgwood and Sons (British, Etruria, Staffordshire, 1759–present)
- Date: ca. 1774
- Culture: British, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
- Medium: Black basaltware
- Dimensions: confirmed: 19 9/16 × 13 5/8 × 14 1/4 in., 37.7 lb. (49.7 × 34.6 × 36.2 cm, 17.1 kg)
- Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
- Credit Line: Purchase, Larry and Ann Burns Gift, in honor of Austin B. Chinn, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.247
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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