John Flaxman (1755 – 1826) was a grand master of relief and sought-after illustrator of ancient texts, which were central educational materials during the period of European neoclassicism. As an established artist who had studied in Rome for a long time, he played a key role in the state acquisition of the Elgin Marbles (the marble tablets of the Parthenon that Lord Elgin had kidnapped from Greece to London). For Wedgwood, Flaxman worked as a modeler in his younger years.