Intaglio with Figure of Justice c. late 18th century

Curator: This is an intaglio depicting the figure of Justice, made by the Wedgwood Manufactory around the late 18th century. It’s crafted from ceramic in a relief style. What strikes you about it? Editor: Well, immediately I'm caught by the stark contrast – the inky black figure against that delicate periwinkle blue background. It gives it this sort of… cameo-like vibe, almost melancholic despite the subject being Justice. And such crispness! Curator: The Wedgwood Manufactory became famous for pieces precisely like this, embracing Neoclassicism to revive interest in classical themes. Intaglios like these would have circulated as luxury items, popular among collectors and those keen to align themselves with classical virtue. Editor: Luxury items about virtue, haha. Is that always the real virtue behind owning luxury items? Seriously, though, the composition is clever – this almost zen balance achieved just by the scales. Curator: Absolutely. Justice as an allegorical figure dates back millennia. Depicting her with scales became common in the 15th century, the image an allusion to impartiality, rationality, and due process. The piece likely served to broadcast the owner's supposed ethical grounding. Editor: She's got that laurel wreath, too. Looks comfy where she sits with it… Like justice earned or perhaps even purchased. Is this less about true justice and more about the performative kind? And this ceramic – its relative affordability and production speed must have surely factored in here. Curator: Undoubtedly. By using the ceramic technique, Wedgwood was able to bring this style and ideal to a larger audience, popularizing the classical ideal on a broad scale, while retaining some measure of exclusivity, as you noted. It's fascinating how they leveraged both exclusivity and popular appeal to create this niche. Editor: So it’s an artistic mass production in disguise… interesting indeed. This object encapsulates a tension between aspiration and reality that I still see in our contemporary world. Maybe that’s why it’s still intriguing centuries later. Curator: A tension still so very relevant in how we talk about institutions. So very good to think with! Editor: Here's to Justice still sitting on the shelf... and to thinking well, or just thinking out loud at all.