Often mistaken for a pepper pot, this slightly dome-topped shaker was in fact intended to...
Often mistaken for a pepper pot, this slightly dome-topped shaker was in fact intended to sprinkle fine sand on documents when writing with a quill pen. To modern eyes, the white band placed at the shoulder would indicate a removable lid; however, the sander was designed to be filled from a hole in the base. Additional white bands at the base of the tableau, where the vessel attaches to the foot, and at the edge of the foot demonstrate Wedgwood's sense of balance in the overall design.
The simple footed dark blue jasper dip shape is decorated with two figural sprig reliefs separated by single trees and tiny clumps of vegetation. Both reliefs depict Trojan War scenes. The first sprig, "Ulysses staying the Chariot of Victory" commemorates Ulysses leadership in hastening the defeat and capture of Troy (attributed to William Hackwood, 1773). The uncommon sprig on the reverse can only be identified generally as a Trojan War subject.