Plaque with Portrait of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent c. late 18th century

This plaque with a portrait of Prince Edward was made at the Wedgwood Manufactory, using a specific type of stoneware called Jasperware. Wedgwood perfected this material in the late 1700s, and it became extremely popular. Jasperware is unglazed, but it can be stained different colors by adding metallic oxides to the clay. Typically, the designs were made in contrasting colors. Here, a white relief portrait is applied to a blue ground. This painstaking process was done by teams of modelers, mold-makers, and ceramicists, whose labor was carefully coordinated. It was this division of labor, in fact, that allowed Wedgwood to become an international phenomenon. While the firm produced high-end ornamental objects, its bread and butter was actually tableware, made in enormous quantities. So, in looking at this small, refined object, remember that it emerged from a very modern system of production, one that changed the decorative arts forever.