Plaque showing a portrait of Joseph Priestley, England, 1860-1868
- Made:
- 1860-1868 in Stoke-on-Trent
- maker:
- Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Limited and John Flaxman
Framed oval jasperware plaque with Flaxman cameo portrait of Dr. Joseph Priestley F.R.S., by Wedgwood, English, this copy 1868. Designed by Guiseppe Cerracchi
Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) is best known as the discoverer of oxygen. He, however, called the gas ‘dephlogisticated air’, a name based on chemical theories of the time. The modern understanding of its role in burning was worked out by Priestley’s contemporary, Antoine Lavoisier (1743-94). This plaque is made from jasperware, a fine grained stoneware developed by Wedgwood in 1775. It shows a cameo style profile of Priestley.
Details
- Category:
- Surgery
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A652233
- Materials:
- plaque, jasperware, frame, wood, gilded and glass
- Measurements:
-
overall: 375 mm x 300 mm x 70 mm, 3.13kg
- type:
- jasperware plaque
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)