Wedgwood Black Basalt Intaglio Seal
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- Intaglio - A term used to define a method of decoration most common in glassmaking and jewellery which involves engraving, carving or moulding an image into the background, leaving an impression, and leaving the top surface of the item flat, the opposite to relief carving, and also know as counter-relief.
- Basalt - Basalt is a hard, dense volcanic rock formed from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava, and makes up most of the earth's oceanic crust.
However it is also the name given by Josiah Wedgwood in 1768 to a fine black unglazed porcelain which he called Wedgwood Black Basalt.
Using this fine-grained stoneware he was able to produce copies of the newly excavated Etruscan pottery from Italy, with a lustrous and smooth, surface, and this new innovation proved to be a huge commercial success.
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