Furniture and Works of Art - 8th January 2015
Lot 444
John Flaxman (1755-1826). A plaster cast medallion self portrait of the artist
Estimate £300 - £500 | Hammer £550
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Description
John Flaxman (1755-1826). A plaster cast medallion self portrait of the artist, the verso with an old paper backing with inscriptions 'JOHN FLAXMAN, BOUGHT AT MR FORKES SALE', 15cm diameter, together with a painted plaster model of a classical female figure standing on a ledge cast after John Flaxman. (2)
The original wax portrait bust was almost certainly carried out while Flaxman was living in Rome under Josiah Wedgwood's sponsorship c.1790. Examples can be found in jasperware and there is an identical plaster portrait bust in the National Portrait Gallery, London.