Matthew Boulton

Object Type
This wax portrait would have been relatively cheap to make, and it could then be reproduced for the friends and family of the subject. The portrait of Boulton is posthumous; the artist, Rouw stated in a letter to the subject's son, M.R. Boulton, 'If any friend should wish to have a copy of your father's portrait the price will be fourteen guineas, as it has taken me more time than I expected it would when I gave you the amount.' A bill accompanying the letter mentions a portrait of the late M. Boulton 25 gns., a copy of the same 10 gns. Graham Pollard writing in the 'Numismatic Chronicle' (1970) commented: 'As 10 guineas was Rouw's standard price, the sum of 25 guineas must refer to the large-scale wax. The example in the Victoria and Albert Museum is signed and dated 1814. It is therefore one of the copies mentioned by Rouw, priced at fourteen guineas.'

People
Peter Rouw was a successful wax modeller, who specialised in portrait waxes. He was also appointed modeller of gems and cameos to His Royal Highness the Prince Regent.

Matthew Boulton was a Birmingham industrialist whose ormolu and metalwork were renowned, and were exported abroad, especially to Russia. He was a friend and rival of Wedgwood in the field of luxury commodities.

Materials & Making
Wax portraits and figure groups were popular in Britain during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The malleability of the material meant that it could be modelled very naturalistically. As casts could easily be taken, and wax was relatively cheap, reproductions could be made and sold at low prices. Sometimes colour was added; pink colour of this portrait was favoured by Rouw and other portrait modellers. Some wax pieces were naturalistically coloured, and adorned with textiles or other additions, such as glass jewels, increasing the realism of the pieces.