Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) 1777

Curator: Isn't it captivating? This is a Wedgwood piece depicting Sir Isaac Newton, a portrait made in a material that feels almost like night itself. Editor: Yes, there's something so somber about the black basalt. It lends an air of serious contemplation, doesn't it? As if we're peeking into the mind of a genius at work. Curator: Exactly! Wedgwood was quite clever in tapping into the Neoclassical fascination with science and philosophy, turning figures like Newton into almost mythological characters for the Enlightenment. Editor: I wonder, though, how accessible these objects were. The black basalt ware, while beautiful, feels like a luxury item, a statement of intellectual aspiration for the upper classes. Curator: I think you're right. It's art that embodies the era’s complex relationship with knowledge, power, and representation. Newton, here, becomes an emblem, a collectible idea. Editor: Ultimately, this portrait reminds us that even the most groundbreaking thinkers are seen through the lens of their own time. Curator: Agreed, a time indeed that gave us not only scientific revolutions, but also very fetching frames.