Portrait of William Herschel
Date
1783
Sitter
William Herschel (1738 - 1822, German-British) , Astronomer
Creator
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Technique
Dimensions
height (mount): 140mm
width (mount): 100mm
width (mount): 100mm
Subject
Content object
Description
An oval cameo portrait of William Herschel, wearing a high-collared shirt, necktie and wig, his face in right profile.
Truncation inscription: 'FLAXMAN'
Forward facing inscription: 'Dr. W. HERSCHEL 1783'
Verso inscription: 'Wedgwood'
William Herschel (1738-1822) musician and astronomer was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1781.
Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) master potter was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1783. As well as a skilled potter, Wedgwood was a practical chemist, and conducted many experiments to produce bodies such as jasper and black basalt as cermaic compounds.
'FLAXMAN' refers to John Flaxman (1755- 18826) sculptor, decorative designer and illustrator. Flaxman made many casting models for Wedgwood to use in creating his stoneware cameos, and his work is widely considered some of the finest examples of Wedgwood's output. His name on the reverse here would suggest Flaxman is responsible for designing this portrait of Herschel.
Truncation inscription: 'FLAXMAN'
Forward facing inscription: 'Dr. W. HERSCHEL 1783'
Verso inscription: 'Wedgwood'
William Herschel (1738-1822) musician and astronomer was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1781.
Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) master potter was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1783. As well as a skilled potter, Wedgwood was a practical chemist, and conducted many experiments to produce bodies such as jasper and black basalt as cermaic compounds.
'FLAXMAN' refers to John Flaxman (1755- 18826) sculptor, decorative designer and illustrator. Flaxman made many casting models for Wedgwood to use in creating his stoneware cameos, and his work is widely considered some of the finest examples of Wedgwood's output. His name on the reverse here would suggest Flaxman is responsible for designing this portrait of Herschel.
Object history
Presented to the Royal Society by Joseph Dalton Hooker FRS (1817–1911) in 1901 [NLB/23/2/66].
Associated place