"Sacred to Neptune" Water Ewer with a Triton Handle after 1780

Curator: Here we have a water ewer from Wedgwood, crafted around 1759, entitled "Sacred to Neptune," now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. It immediately feels somber, almost volcanic. Editor: The basaltware lends itself to that mood, doesn't it? It's interesting how Wedgwood mimicked classical forms, but also tapped into an emerging industrial aesthetic with these matte, solid-colored wares. Curator: Exactly. It's like a dream of antiquity, reimagined in a world of factories and burgeoning commerce. The triton handle, a sea god fused with the vessel, feels so burdened, carrying the weight of two worlds, myth and industry. Editor: And think of the labor involved! The molds, the firing, the meticulous detail of the applied ornament. This wasn't just art; it was a carefully orchestrated dance of material and skill, speaking to the ambitions and anxieties of its time. Curator: It really invites us to contemplate not only the beauty but also the broader societal forces at play, the material conditions that shaped this unique moment in art history. Editor: Definitely, a piece that bridges mythology with manufacture, making us rethink the sacred in an age of production.