Portrait medallion of William Pitt the Elder
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1775-1785
This oval portrait medallion depicts William Pitt the Elder, First Earl of Chatham. The medallion is made of jasper stoneware and features a moulded, light grey profile relief bust facing left set against a contrasting background field framed by a border. Below the portrait bust, an inscription identifies the sitter.
Manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons in Etruria, the medallion dates to circa 1775–1785. The piece measures 103 mm in height, 89 mm in width, and 16 mm in depth. According to the record, the front is inscribed 'CHATHAM' (also recorded as 'CHATTHAM'), while the reverse carries the maker's mark 'WEDGWOOD & BENTLEY'.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Wedgwood produced extensive series of black basalt and jasper portrait medallions representing prominent historical and contemporary figures, catering to the strong eighteenth-century taste for portraiture. Likenesses were sourced from prints, ivories, and waxes or specially commissioned. These were first modelled in wax on slate, cast in plaster, moulded in clay, and fired to create standard reference pieces from which production moulds were derived.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- jasper
- Dimensions
- Height: 103 mm; Width: 89 mm; Depth: 16 mm
Technical characteristics
- Inscriptions
- Date: Text: Research required; Latest: Research required; Earliest: Research required; Note: Research required; Type: Research required; Medium: Research required; Method: Research required; Script: Research required; Content: Front: 'CHATTHAM', Back: 'WEDGWOOD & BENTLEY; Language: Research required; Position: Research required; Inscriber: Name: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Association: Id: Research required; Text: Research required; Description: Research required; Translation: Research required; Interpretation: Research required; Transliteration: Research required
- Maker recorded
- Josiah Wedgwood and Sons
- Place recorded
- Etruria
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Victoria and Albert Museum collection record for this single object; how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Museum object name
- Portrait medallion
- Museum object number
- WE.7978-2014
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.