{"product_id":"antique-18thc-wedgwood-blue-jasper-portrait-medallion-adam-smith-1787-tassie","title":"Antique 18thC Wedgwood Blue Jasper Portrait Medallion Adam Smith 1787 Tassie","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn 18th-century Wedgwood solid pale blue jasper oval portrait medallion of the economist and philosopher \u003cstrong\u003eAdam Smith\u003c\/strong\u003e, the white jasper bust in profile, inscribed on the figure \u003cstrong\u003eADAM SMITH IN HIS 64TH YEAR 1787\u003c\/strong\u003e. Impressed WEDGWOOD to the reverse. Length approximately \u003cstrong\u003e10cm\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJosiah 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe portrait is after the celebrated profile modelled from life by \u003cstrong\u003eJames Tassie\u003c\/strong\u003e in Edinburgh in 1787 — the only authentic likeness of the author of \u003cem\u003eThe Wealth of Nations\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease note:\u003c\/strong\u003e there are other Wedgwood portrait medallions of the same style and period from this collection for sale in my shop — see my other listings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarefully 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wedgwood","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54578075762972,"sku":"0915-05","price":700.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0677\/4630\/0188\/files\/57_57ef77b1-ccbd-4b49-bff2-e43be15e8c78.jpg?v=1789715120","url":"https:\/\/moffitts.co.uk\/products\/antique-18thc-wedgwood-blue-jasper-portrait-medallion-adam-smith-1787-tassie","provider":"Moffitts Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}