Wedgwood pays tribute to the fine arts with a frieze of four muses circling this jasper ware amphora. White sprig decoration on this footed amphora shape is complemented by an unusually rich tone of Wedgwood's lilac jasper dip.     

Two classical figures decorate each side of the vase while trees located at the handles separate front from back. On one side, Erato, muse of amorous poetry is shown with Thalia, muse of comedy.  On the reverse, Urania, muse of astronomy is shown with Calliope, muse of epic poetry.  

Trophy groups  are suspended from ribbon on each side of the neck.   A band of laurel and berries trims the shoulder, while acanthus detail decorates the base of each handle and the foot.  A simple circle of vertical laurel leaves sets off the base of the amphora where it attaches to the foot.

Various combinations of the nine muses--with or without Apollo--appear as Wedgwood relief subjects from the eighteenth into the twentieth centuries. While they may seem anonymous to the modern viewer, classically educated collectors would have identified the figures by the symbolic objects or attributes they carry.

The attributes appearing in this depiction are:  the lyre (for Erato, muse of amorous poetry); mask and shepherd's crook (for Thalia, muse of comedy); celestial globe and compasses (for Urania, muse of astronomy) and a roll of paper (for Calliope, muse of epic poetry).