Rare James Tassie seal, white cast glass/enamel figure of an athlete, c. 1785
$495.00 AUD
Rare cast glass ‘Tassie’ seal of a male athlete, shown naked in an active pose facing right, his fists clentched.
Inscribed below ‘MIXAGI’
Circa 1785
3×2.4cm
Good condition, the back with small rim chip showing the nature of the interior.
James Tassie (1735-99) was a Scottish gem engraver who came to perfect a method of using glass-enamel to cast replicas of ancient gems. He was well known to Josiah Wedgwood, who purchased many of his creations with the sole purpose of reproducing them in his own ceramic body. James Tassie produced in excess of 20,000 different designs in his long career. Cathrine the Great , Empress of Russia, collected 16,000 of his gems, which are still in the Hermitage Collection. His products were all said to be as perfect as possible, with any slight flaws resulting in the casting being ground-up to be re-made again.
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