Portrait medallion of Elizabeth Montagu
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca. 1775
This object is an oval portrait medallion depicting Elizabeth Montagu. It features a moulded white stoneware relief applied against a light blue, greyish jasper background. Montagu is shown in profile facing to the right, wearing a draped head covering.
The piece was manufactured by Josiah Wedgwood and Sons in Etruria around 1775. Formed from jasper stoneware using moulding techniques, the medallion measures 44 mm in height, 37 mm in width, and 6 mm in depth. The back carries the inscribed 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 an extensive series of black basalt and jasper medallions representing famous historic and contemporary figures, reflecting the eighteenth-century popular demand for portraiture. Likenesses were sourced from prints, ivories, and waxes or made on commission. The initial designs were sculpted in wax on slate, moulded in plaster, cast in clay, and fired to create a standard from which working production moulds were taken.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- jasper
- Dimensions
- Height: 44 mm; Width: 37 mm; Depth: 6 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: 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.7979-2014
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.