Wedgwood creates a thin-walled rectangular Rosso Antico box, molded in the form of panels of upright bamboo to form the body of this double bulb pot. The realistic row of bamboo rods constitute both the form and entire decoration of the piece; no base or lip detracts from the clean economy of the design.

The box is topped by a functional lid featuring two cups to hold bulbs and two holes for the insertion of sticks from which to support the sprouting plants.

Bulb pots rank among the most intriguing survivors of Wedgwood's early production. We have owned examples of this bamboo motif form in basalt with both Wedgwood and Bentley marks and the eighteenth century Wedgwood upper and lower case mark.  With that in mind, we have dated this piece among the early examples of the Rosso Antico body.  

This bamboo motif form testifies to two interests originating in the eighteenth century -- the fad for specimen plants and the attraction of Asian design. Other bulb pots typically betray the period's love for rococo curves.  In contrast, this extraordinary design presents a fully realized natural motif within a shape so pure and simple that it truly transcends the tastes of any specific period.