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A Wedgwood Black Basalt Library Bust of Cicero (106–43 BC) Roman Orator and Statesman.
Impressed ‘Wedgwood’ and ‘Cicero’ to the reverse.
England.
Circa 1780 – 1795.
The production of basalt busts by Wedgwood was first undertaken in 1770–71 and the demand for them became considerable. One order from Dublin requested over one hundred. A basalt bust of Cicero was produced from a cast supplied by Hoskins and Grant in 1775.
The works of the famous Roman politician, statesman and orator, Cicero were almost forgotten during the Middle Ages, but were rediscovered during the Renaissance. Cicero’s influence on European thought and literature then became considerable and ensured that what he found interesting and important in Greek philosophy became the philosophical curriculum of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. His greatest achievement was as the creator of a philosophical vocabulary in Latin and therefore as the transmitter of Greek ideas. He was a philosophical stylist unifying philosophy and rhetoric. He believed that rhetoric enables the statesman educated to wisdom by philosophy to prevail by gaining the consent of a free citizenry.
The BADA Standard
- Since 1918, BADA has been the leading association for the antiques and fine art trade
- Members are elected for their knowledge, integrity and quality of stock
- Our clients are protected by BADA’s code of conduct
- Our dealers’ membership is reviewed and renewed annually
- Bada.org is a non-profit site: clients deal directly with members and they pay no hidden fees