Antique 18thC Wedgwood Blue Jasper Portrait Medallion Adam Smith 1787 Tassie

An 18th-century Wedgwood solid pale blue jasper oval portrait medallion of the economist and philosopher Adam Smith, the white jasper bust in profile, inscribed on the figure ADAM SMITH IN HIS 64TH YEAR 1787. Impressed WEDGWOOD to the reverse. Length approximately 10cm.

Josiah Wedgwood began his series of jasper portrait medallions of "Illustrious Moderns" in the 1770s — statesmen, scientists, philosophers, soldiers and royalty, modelled in white jasper relief and applied to a coloured jasper ground. They were sold to be hung in frames or kept in cabinets and are among the most collected of all Wedgwood productions. This is a genuine eighteenth-century example, not one of the later reissues: the character of the solid jasper, the crispness of the relief and the form of the impressed marks are all of the first period, and it comes from a collection formed by a specialist in the field.

The portrait is after the celebrated profile modelled from life by James Tassie in Edinburgh in 1787 — the only authentic likeness of the author of The Wealth of Nations made in his lifetime, and the source of every later portrait of him. Wedgwood reproduced Tassie's model in jasper for the "Illustrious Moderns" series; examples are in the Harvard Art Museums and other major collections.

Condition: Please see images for condition — the photographs form part of the description and show the front, the relief in raking light, the reverse and any faults. A beautiful medallion and ready for display with no obvious damage. Old collection label and residue to the reverse.

From the same private collection: each medallion carries a numbered "Lewis Collection" label to the reverse, and the group has clearly been assembled by a knowledgeable collector over many years. I am listing the medallions individually.

Please note: there are other Wedgwood portrait medallions of the same style and period from this collection for sale in my shop — see my other listings.

Carefully packed and dispatched from the UK. International buyers welcome — postage is calculated by the rate table at checkout. Please ask if you would like further photographs.