A simple red stoneware egg cup is transformed into a imaginative bit of archeological fant...
A simple red stoneware egg cup is transformed into a imaginative bit of archeological fantasy by the addition of an applied border of tiny Egyptian style hieroglyphs. A variety of Egyptian symbols and objects appear between repeated winged disc motifs. The foot is adorned with a jagged ring of triangles, another attempt to create an archaic effect.
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. The pattern includes 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 seems intended to feed a more popular and less stringent Egyptomania.