Danish Black Basalt Figure of 'Mercury Killing Argus'
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A Danish (Ipsen) black basalt figure of 'Mercury to Kill Argus', 19th century, after the original by Bertel Thorvaldsen, impressed 'P. Ipsen, Kjøbenhavn/Eneret376'. Height 35 cm. Provenance: The Estate of the Hon. Dr John Kennedy McLaughlin Am, Sydney
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- 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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