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John Flaxman

3 of 14 portraits by John Flaxman

John Flaxman, by John Flaxman, circa 1790-1795 -NPG 2487 - © National Portrait Gallery, London

© National Portrait Gallery, London

Regency Portraits Catalogue

John Flaxman

by John Flaxman
circa 1790-1795
5 7/8 in. (149 mm) diameter
NPG 2487

This portraitback to top

Flaxman was employed by Wedgwood designing cameos, friezes and portrait medallions from 1775 and a version of this cast, with the profile set against a green dip background, is in the Wedgwood Museum, Barlaston. This was exhibited in 'Wedgwood Portrait Medallions' NPG 1973-74 (31) and dated to between 1787 and 1794, that is to say when Flaxman and his wife were in Rome, largely financed by Wedgwood himself. The portrait however shows Flaxman aged about 40, his hair receding as in the Guy Head portrait of 1792 (NPG 877) and in the George Dance profile of 1796, and wearing the high neckcloth fashionable from 1790 onwards. Anne Flaxman looks about the same age and wears a knotted turban and ringlets that could be of any date after her marriage in 1782. None of the casts in the British Museum, V&A Museum, Scottish NPG, Wedgwood Museum, Soane Museum and University College Library is dated though the Soane Museum casts are accompanied by letters from Flaxman to Soane which do not give much information about the origins of the portraits (Summerson, Soane Museum Catalogue). A wax version in the British Museum, formerly Isaac Falcke collection, is slightly larger (17.5 cm) though the raised surface is identical but against a dark background.

Physical descriptionback to top

Head in profile to left, receding hair curling at back of neck, shirt-frill and high neckcloth.

Provenanceback to top

Possibly in the Flaxman sale Christie's 9 April 1862 (109) where medallion heads of Mr and Mrs Flaxman were bought by Jeffrey; Francis Moore and bought from him 1931 together with the companion medallion of Anne Flaxman, NPG 2488.


This extended catalogue entry is from the out-of-print National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: Richard Walker, Regency Portraits, National Portrait Gallery, 1985, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.

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