Antique 18thC Wedgwood Blue Jasper Portrait Medallion Thomas Bentley Partner

An 18th-century Wedgwood solid pale blue jasper oval portrait medallion of Thomas Bentley, Josiah Wedgwood's partner in the firm of Wedgwood & Bentley, the white jasper bust in profile with queue and ribbon, titled "Bentley" in cursive script and impressed WEDGWOOD to the reverse. Length approximately 12cm.

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.

Bentley (1730–1780), the Liverpool merchant who became Wedgwood's closest friend and business partner from 1769 until his death, was the man of taste behind the ornamental wares — the vases, plaques and portrait medallions — that made the firm's reputation. A portrait of Bentley by the factory he helped to create is one of the most desirable subjects in the whole series for Wedgwood collectors.

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.