A line of relief hieroglyphs and other Egyptian motifs, arranged in groups of three between winged devices, forms the border and sole decoration of this plate in Wedgwood's rosso antico (antique red) body. The simple curves coordinate with the form of the tea wares that Wedgwood called its "Egyptian" shape.

While the hieroglyphs--copied from engravings or spurious artifacts-- have lost all of their original meaning, they are amazingly detailed. Therein lies the fascination and fun. We have tiny crocodiles, owls, sphinxes, falcons, hounds, as well as mysterious ancient objects. While the Wedgwood family had ties to the intellectual element of society, the fantasy element of these wares seem intended to feed a more popular and less stringent egyptomania.

After Josiah II took over the reins of the Wedgwood works, he revived interest in the rosso antico body which had been developed, but  then neglected, by his father. This renewed production--lucky for us all--coincided with the taste for Egyptian antiquities stimulated by Napoleon's exploits and the documentary works of Baron Vivant-Denon and others. As the name rosso antico suggests, the combination of the red body and the brownish-black clay of the relief was evocative of artifacts from the ancient Mediterranean region. Add relief copies of  Egyptian objects and some nonsensical hieroglyphs and the result was one of the pottery's most enchanting productions.

The slight separation in the clay body occurs directly over  the impressed mark on the back of the plate. A bit of deduction indicates that it was caused by the pressure of applying the mark. Even on the undecorated expanse of the plate, its effect is slight.

Other examples of Wedgwood's Egyptian revival tablewares are available elsewhere on this site. (See final photo.)