Jasperware, or
jasper ware, is a type of
pottery first developed by
Josiah Wedgwood in the 1770s. Usually described as
stoneware, some authorities have described it as a type of
porcelain. It is noted for its matte finish and is produced in a number of different colours, of which the best known is a
pale blue that has become known as Wedgwood Blue. While named after the
mineral jasper, modern analyses indicate that
barium sulphate is a key ingredient. Wedgwood had introduced a different type of stoneware called black basalt a decade earlier.