^Lot 240 Wedgwood Black Basalt The Infant Academy Limited Edition Charger from the Rubin Collection

A commemorative Wedgwood black basalt stoneware charger from the Rubin Collection featuring a matte, unglazed finish. The center of the plate is decorated with a sprigged bas-relief scene titled The Infant Academy, which depicts a group of cherubs or putti engaged in artistic activities, including one painting at an easel. This scene is based on an 18th-century painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Below the central relief, the title The Infant Academy after Joshua Reynolds is printed in gilded script. The face of the charger is further decorated with radial engine-turned fluting that extends to a molded foliate border along the rim. The reverse of the charger bears the impressed mark WEDGWOOD MADE IN ENGLAND. Additional gilded text on the reverse reads SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS 1723-1792 PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY 1768, followed by historical text noting the relief was modeled by William Hackwood in 1789. This item is identified as number 556 in a limited edition of 2,500. An adhesive paper label reading RUBIN COLLECTION is attached to the reverse.

Dimensions: 10" dia.
Condition: Good