Jean, wife of John Adam
1791
Medium
Glass paste
Dimensions
4 × 5 in. (10.2 × 12.7 cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Mary Clark Thompson, 1923
Accession Number
24.80.54
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 18th century,-born artist James Tassie, working in London, captured the refined elegance of British society through his masterful glass paste portraits. This intimate profile medallion, titled *Jean, wife of John* and dated 1791, the sitter in a classicizing profile view, evoking the poised femininity admired in neoclassical art. Measuring just 4 × 5 inches (10.2 × 12.7 cm), it exemplifies Tassie's skill in rendering delicate features with lifelike precision. Glass paste, Tassie's signature medium, was a groundbreaking vitreous material that mimicked the translucency and durabilit...
About the Artist
James Tassie · 1735–1799
James Tassie (1735–1799) was a Scottish modeler and gem engraver who became one of the most celebrated producers of portrait medallions and reproductions of antique gems in eighteenth-century Europe. Born near Glasgow, Tassie initially trained as a mason's apprentice before his artistic talents drew him toward finer work. Moving to Dublin, he collaborated with the physician and amateur chemist Hen...