Antique 18thC Wedgwood Blue Jasper Portrait Medallion Josiah Wedgwood Himself

An 18th-century Wedgwood solid pale blue jasper oval portrait medallion of Josiah Wedgwood himself, the white jasper bust in profile with his own hair tied in a queue, impressed WEDGWOOD to the reverse. Length approximately 11cm.

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 of the founder was modelled by his principal modeller William Hackwood in about 1782 and issued in jasper and basalt; examples are in the Metropolitan Museum and the British Museum. A portrait of the master potter by his own factory is the natural centrepiece of any collection of Wedgwood medallions.

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. The three holes to the reverse are original to the manufacture, as made; some old adhesive residue to the reverse from a former mount, clearly photographed. The front is unaffected. No chips, cracks or restoration noted.

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.