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Portrait Medallion of William Pitt, First Earl of Chatham (1708-78): C.1-1840

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Current Location: In storage

Titles

Portrait Medallion of William Pitt, First Earl of Chatham (1708-78)

Maker(s)

Factory: Wedgwood & Bentley (Probably)
Factory: Wedgwood & Byerley (Possibly)
Modeler: Flaxman, John (Attributed to)

Entities

Categories

Description

Jasper, (solid?) pale blue with white relief; in silver (?) frame with closed back and loop for suspension. Oval, the bust in profile to left, with below, 'CHATHAM' impressed into the blue ground.

Notes

History note: Unknown before donor, who was Sub Library Keeper

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1840-11-26) by Page, John

Dating

George III
18th Century, Late
Circa 1778 - 1780

Note

This medallion was first produced during the Wedgwood & Bentley period, but may be later than Bentley's death in November 1780.

School or Style

Neoclassical

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Frame composed of silver ( ?) Diameter 7.1 cm Height 8.8 cm
Relief

Materials used in production

blue and white Jasper ware

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: CHATHAM
  • Location: Below bust
  • Method of creation: Impressed

Inscription present: rectangular paper stick-on label

  • Text: Presented/by/Jno Page/Sub.Lib Keeper/Nov.26.1840 [date underlined]
  • Location: Reverse of the frame
  • Method of creation: Faded black ink
  • Type: Label

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.1-1840
Primary reference Number: 11319

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Tuesday 27 August 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 William Pitt, First Earl of Chatham (1708-78)" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/11319 Accessed: 2025-12-05 19:06:16

Citation for Wikipedia

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{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/11319 |title=Portrait Medallion of William Pitt, First Earl of Chatham (1708-78) |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2025-12-05 19:06:16|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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