Cameo with Mythological Figure 1800

This small cameo with a mythological figure was produced in England by the Wedgwood Manufactory. Though undated, works like these point to the late 18th-century obsession with classical antiquity, an enthusiasm that had a major impact on both art and politics. Motivated by archaeological discoveries, the elite throughout Europe and North America looked to ancient Greece and Rome for models of civic virtue. The image of the classical, draped female figure was seen as embodying the political ideals of the Enlightenment. Wedgwood, as a brand, became entwined with a specifically British sense of national and imperial identity. It also suggests the way art and industry worked together in England. The cameo is a small object but it is a window onto a larger world. Historians can use archaeological records, trade statistics, and studies of taste to learn more about its place in society.