Antique 18thC Wedgwood Blue Jasper Portrait Medallion Dr John Fothergill Marked

An 18th-century Wedgwood solid pale blue jasper oval portrait medallion of the physician Dr John Fothergill, the white jasper bust in profile in a full bag-wig, impressed DR. FOTHERGILL to the reverse. Length approximately 11.5cm.

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.

Fothergill (1712–1780), Quaker, botanist and one of the most successful physicians of Georgian London, was a friend of Benjamin Franklin and of Wedgwood's circle; his medallion belongs to the first decade of the "Illustrious Moderns" series.

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. Good condition; no chips, cracks or restoration noted. Old collection label 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.