Medallion 18th century

Curator: Take a look at this 18th-century medallion by Josiah Wedgwood, currently residing at The Met. Editor: Somber, almost grave. The severe profile set against that matte, charcoal-colored ceramic gives it a remarkably weighty presence. Curator: Wedgwood, as you know, was masterful at evoking classical forms, deeply entrenched in the Neoclassical movement. Consider the stylistic choice of depicting the figure in profile. Think about its roots in ancient Roman coinage. Editor: Yes, and the ovoid shape contributes. There is such restrained power to the composition; a sort of perfect formal economy achieved using tonal modeling of matte monochromatic forms, an interplay of convexity and concavity in subtle, controlled variations. What’s it made of, exactly? Curator: This particular example employs a ceramic known as Black Basalt, a stoneware body perfected by Wedgwood. Its color alludes to funerary urns from the Etruscan era, imbuing the object with a sense of antiquity and a reverence for the past. The person featured is unidentified, though. Editor: Which adds to its symbolic ambiguity, doesn't it? Stripped of context, this austere representation becomes a figure of dignified silence. Like a face plucked from a forgotten age. Curator: The anonymity does grant it a certain universality. Think of the democratization of portraiture during the Enlightenment; suddenly, representation became more accessible, affordable. These medallions became powerful cultural markers. Editor: You know, it strikes me that we’ve moved so far from this kind of static idealization. I wonder what future archeologists might interpret from our Instagram selfies? Curator: A stark contrast, indeed. This small object holds an entire era within its oval frame—values, aesthetics, social aspirations. Editor: Looking closer I think you’re correct. The form's austerity seems almost to channel echoes from bygone social spaces.