About William Tassie
Lived 1777 – 1860 (aged 82–83). William Tassie was a jewelry designer and medalist.
William Tassie (177726 October 1860) was a British gem engraver and cameo modeller of Scottish descent, who worked in London in the early 19th century. He took over the business of his uncle, James Tassie, after James's death in 1799. He added largely to his uncle's collection of casts and medallions. His portrait of Pitt, in particular, was very popular, and circulated widely.
On 28 January 1805, Tassie won the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery and its painting collection in a lottery held to pay off the debts of its owner, John Boydell. Tassie's three-guinea ticket won the top prize among the 22,000 sold. Boydell had died just before the drawing. His nephew Josiah Boydell offered to buy the gallery and its paintings back from Tassie for £10,000, but Tassie refused and auctioned the paintings at Christie's. The painting collection and two reliefs by Anne Damer fetched a total of £6,181 18s. 6d.
Tassie died in 1860 and is buried in Brompton Cemetery, London. He bequeathed to the Board of Manufactures, Edinburgh, an extensive and valuable collection of casts and medallions by his uncle and himself, along with portraits of James Tassie and his wife by the painter David Allan, and a series of watercolour studies by George Sanders from pictures of the Dutch and Flemish schools.
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Important facts
People in William Tassie's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped William Tassie's
Frequently asked questions
Who was William Tassie?
British jeweler
When was William Tassie born?
William Tassie was born in 1777 in Scotland.
When did William Tassie die?
William Tassie died on 26 October 1860.
What was William Tassie's occupation?
William Tassie was a jewelry designer and medalist.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Tassie. https://biography.guide/william-tassie/
MLA: "William Tassie." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-tassie/.
Chicago: "William Tassie." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-tassie/.
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