Elizabeth I, Queen of England

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons

ca. 1779 · Black basalt ware · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Portrait medallions made of black basalt and colored jasperware formed an important part of Wedgwood’s ceramics business and featured important individuals from history as well as celebrities from Wedgwood’s own time. The firm produced almost 1700 different kinds of medallions, described in catalogs from 1773 and 1788. This medallion portrait of Queen Elizabeth was probably based upon a sixteenth-century medal and was mentioned in the 1779 sales catalog.

Artist

Josiah Wedgwood and Sons

Date

ca. 1779

Medium

Black basalt ware

Culture

British, Etruria, Staffordshire

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of the Starr and Wolfe Family, 2018