Antique 18thC Wedgwood Jasper Portrait Medallion William Herschel Flaxman 1783

An 18th-century Wedgwood solid pale blue jasper oval portrait medallion of the astronomer Sir William Herschel, the white jasper bust in high relief, titled DR. W. HERSCHEL 1783 on the front below the truncation and signed FLAXMAN on the figure. Impressed WEDGWOOD to the reverse. Length approximately 13.5cm.

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.

This is one of the important pieces of the series: the portrait was modelled by John Flaxman in 1783, two years after Herschel's discovery of Uranus had made him the most celebrated scientist in Europe, and Flaxman-signed medallions are considerably scarcer than the run of unsigned subjects. The relief is exceptionally crisp, with the hair, cravat and coat buttons all sharply defined.

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 fine example with no chips, cracks or restoration noted; the jasper ground with light surface wear to the reverse commensurate with age.

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.