xviii Wedgwood at Work again 235 



bas-relief of the Apotheosis of Homer, a veritable 

 masterpiece, said it was far superior to his most 

 sanguine expectations. " I am really surprised and 

 delighted," he said, "in the highest degree with this 

 proof of the hasty strides you have made towards 

 perfection in your art. . . . Your Bas-relief astonishes 

 all the artists here ; it is more pure and in a truer 

 antique taste than any of their performances, though 

 they have so many fine models before them." 



Wedgwood was also devoting himself to portraits 

 of distinguished men, living and dead. One of his best 

 was his cameo medallion of Sir William Hamilton. It 

 was crisp, sharp, and an excellent likeness. His 

 portraits of the De Witts, Boerhaave, and De Kuyter. 

 were greatly admired by the Dutch. Among the 

 portraits which he executed were those of Dr. Priestley, 

 his devoted friend; of Dr. Darwin, his admirer and 

 physician ; of Dr. Johnson (modelled by Flaxman) ; 

 of Admiral Keppel, an immense favourite ; of Prince 

 William Henry (afterwards William IV.); of Dr. 

 Franklin, the American philosopher ; and of John 

 Philip Elers, one of Wedgwood's predecessors in the 

 manufacture of Staffordshire earthenware. 



"We propose," Wedgwood wrote to Bentley, "to 

 have more portraits prepared for sale abroad, such as 

 Voltaire, Eousseau, Linnaeus, the King of Prussia, and 

 the Hereditary Prince. The Italian poets by Flaxman 

 may, perhaps, by undressing them, and putting their 

 hair in order, be made fashionable. Among others in 



