Wedgwood | Blue Jasperware | Faceted Squat Vase | Made in England | Dated 1956

Wedgwood blue has outlasted every decorating fashion since the eighteenth century — which suggests it may not be a fashion at all.

Josiah Wedgwood developed Jasperware in the 1770s as a material that could carry the language of antiquity into modern production — a fine, unglazed stoneware body coloured throughout and finished with applied white relief ornament. The pale blue variant, now inseparable from the factory’s identity, remains the most recognisable expression of that idea.

By the mid-20th century, Wedgwood had introduced a date-coding system, allowing individual pieces to be placed precisely within its long production history. This example bears the impressed year mark 1956, situating it within the early post-war period — a time when Jasperware production remained disciplined, consistent, and closely aligned with earlier standards.

The form is notably less conventional than the standard Jasperware repertoire. The body is low and compact, rising to a narrow circular neck, but articulated through a series of flat faceted panels that create an almost architectural presence in miniature. Four principal faces are divided by chamfered edges, giving the vase a subtly octagonal character.

Two opposing panels are finished with vertical ribbed fluting worked directly into the Jasper body, while the remaining faces carry applied white sprigged reliefs. These depict classical figural scenes drawn from the established Wedgwood decorative vocabulary — one featuring a male figure with a horse attended by a winged figure, rendered with clarity and restraint. The contrast between the structured ground and the applied relief gives the piece a stronger visual rhythm than more typical continuous frieze designs.

The interior and base remain plain blue. The underside carries the impressed oval mark: “1956 / WEDGWOOD / MADE IN ENGLAND.”

There are no chips, cracks, or restoration. The relief work is crisp, and the surface remains clean and even throughout. The piece is in excellent condition.

Key Details

• Maker: Wedgwood, England
• Type: Blue Jasperware faceted squat vase
• Date: 1956 (impressed year mark)
• Ground Colour: Pale blue (“Wedgwood blue”)
• Decoration: White sprigged classical reliefs to two faces; ribbed fluting to opposing faces
• Backstamp: Impressed “1956 / WEDGWOOD / MADE IN ENGLAND”
• Dimensions: Height 4 cm | Width 5.6 cm | Length 7 cm
• Weight: 66 g
• Condition: Excellent; no chips, cracks, or restoration

Collector Appeal

Dated Jasperware occupies a more defined position than later undated production, offering a fixed point within Wedgwood’s otherwise continuous output. Pieces from the 1950s sit at an intersection of accessibility and historical clarity — early enough to retain collector interest, but still within reach.

The faceted form further distinguishes this example from the more common cylindrical or rounded shapes, giving it a stronger sculptural identity in a category often driven purely by surface decoration.

That a date pressed into the base in 1956 still carries weight today says something not only about the object, but about the continuity of the idea behind it.