The cylindrical shape of this petite inkwell provides the perfect base for Wedgwood's frieze-like classical decoration. 

Wedgwood reshuffled figures from various earlier processional tableaus for their late nineteenth century jasper and basalt.  Here they have plucked an array of goddesses complete with accompanying trees and shrubbery to create the impression of some sacred grove -- appropriate for such an intimately scaled piece. 

White stoneware bands trim the top and base of the frieze while florets on the top enhance the holes for one's quill.

What an elegant combination this makes with the dark blue jasper dip sander shown in the last photo.  While the marks indicate a time lapse of eighty years or so between the pieces, the complimentary scale and the way the sprig groups work together underscore Wedgwood's good fortune with the revival of clasical design at the end of the century. Wedgwood could reach back into their archives for an endless supply of designs and decoration to satisfy the late nineteenth, early twentieth century consumer. 

A tablet titled "A Sacrifice" in the Buten Colllection, Birmingham Museum of Art, (Catalog No. 263, p. 236) illustrates an earlier employment of most of these figures.