Medallion with Portrait of Josiah Wedgwood
c. 1775
Medium
Stoneware (jasperware)
Dimensions
18.1 × 14.8 × 2.7 cm (7 1/8 × 5 7/8 × 1 1/16 in.)
Classification
sculpture
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
73211
Art Historical Context
This medallion, created around 1775 by the Wedgwood Manufactory, presents a portrait of the company's founder, Josiah Wedgwood, rendered in the distinctive jasperware technique he pioneered. Measuring just over seven inches tall, the stoneware piece features the refined matte surface and crisp relief typical of this medium, which allowed for delicate white figures against a colored ground. As a work of applied art from Europe, it bridges sculpture and decorative ceramics, celebrating the industrial and artistic achievements of its subject. Jasperware represented a significant innovation in 18...
About the Artist
Wedgwood Manufactory
Wedgwood Manufactory, founded on 1 May 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood in Burslem, Staffordshire, England, revolutionized ceramics during the Industrial Revolution. Born into a family of potters, Josiah apprenticed under his elder brother Thomas at the Churchyard Works from age 14, mastering traditional techniques before partnering with Thomas Whieldon from 1754 to 1759, where he honed innovative glazes. ...