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Portrait Medallion of Thales (c. 620-c.555 BC): C.61-1982

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Portrait Medallion of Thales (c. 620-c.555 BC)

Maker(s)

Factory: Wedgwood

Entities

Categories

Description

Black basalt. Oval with a circular hole in the middle near the top. Bust of Thales facing front, the name 'THALES' impressed below the truncation.

Notes

History note: Wellcome Institute. No number

Legal notes

Given by the Wellcome Trustees in accordance with the order of Mr Justice Foster, 21st March 1977

Measurements and weight

Height: 5.4 cm
Width: 4.5 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1982-07-19) by Wellcome Trustees

Dating

18th Century, Late-19th Century, Early
George III
Circa 1790 - 1820

Note

Thales was born at Miletus and travelled to Egypt and Babylon. He is traditionally regarded as the founder of physical science.

School or Style

Neoclassical

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Relief

Materials used in production

Black basalt

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: THALES
  • Location: Below the truncation
  • Method of creation: Impressed
  • Type: Inscription
  • Text: 111
  • Location: On the back
  • Method of creation: Black ink?
  • Type: Inscription
  • Text: S.11.8
  • Location: On the back
  • Method of creation: Black ink?
  • Type: Inscription

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.61-1982
Primary reference Number: 11246

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 30 April 2024

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2025) "Portrait Medallion of Thales (c. 620-c.555 BC)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/11246 Accessed: 2025-12-06 15:08:38

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/11246 |title=Portrait Medallion of Thales (c. 620-c.555 BC) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-06 15:08:38|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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        <figcaption class="figure-caption text-info">Portrait Medallion of Thales (c. 620-c.555 BC)</figcaption>
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