Antiques M.S. Rau | Wedgwood & Bentley Blue Jasper Medallion

An Exquisite Wedgwood And Bentley Blue Jasper Cameo Medallion Depicting A Bearded Man In Profile. This Medallion Is Part Of What Is Considered To Be The Largest And Most Uniquely Interesting Series Of Historical Portraits Ever Undertaken In Any Medium. Wedgwood Was So Highly Regarded By His Contemporaries That Kings, Princes, And Collectors From All Over Europe Allowed Him To Study And Take Molds From Their Collections, Which Included Medals, Coins, Wall Paintings, Fresco Bas-Reliefs, Sarcophagi, And Engravings In Books. Subjects Ranged From The Classical Greek And Roman To Portraits Of Philosophers, Poets, And Heroes. Mounted To Use As Ornament, The Wedgwood Medallion Cameos Are Called “Applied Wedgwood.” The Medallions Were Used As Decoration For Furniture And Were Framed For Wall Ornament Or Architectural Treatment Over Doorways, Fireplaces, And Windows. The Famous Amethyst Room, Designed For Empress Catherine The Great, And Thomas Jefferson’S Dining Room At Monticello Both Had Wedgwood Cameos Set In Walls. Embodying Classical Beauty And Simplicity, These Jasper Medallions Are Among Wedgwood’S Most Sought-After Wares.

Stamped “Wedgwood And Bentley” On Back

Circa 1780

3 1/4″ Wide X 3 3/4″ High

Reference:
Cameos Old And New, 1991, Anna Miller