Featured Some British and French medals ca. 1880-1920: Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau

Discussion in 'World Coins' started by DonnaML, Mar 30, 2020.

  1. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Since there was recently a thread for Art Deco coins and medals, I thought I'd start one for coins and medals from a slightly earlier period -- covering Pre-Raphaelite and Art Nouveau and related styles -- and post some of my own from that period.

    Great Britain, 1882, AE Commemorative Medal for the Corporation of the City of London (No. 17), The Dedication of Epping Forest, by Charles Wiener. Obv. Bust of Queen Victoria l., wearing the small diamond crown, sash and Orders/ Rev. Londinia standing facing the seated Queen within a forest setting, holding gate open to winding pathway, IT GIVES ME THE GREATEST SATISFACTION TO DEDICATE THIS BEAUTIFUL FOREST FOR THE USE AND ENJOYMENT OF MY PEOPLE FOR ALL TIME. EPPING FOREST, 6 MAY 1882. Eimer 1689, BHM 3128, Welch 17. 75 mm., 268 g.

    1882 City of London Medal Epping Forest Obv..jpg

    1882 version 2 City of London Medal Epping Forest Rev..jpg

    Great Britain, 1837-1897, AR Official Royal Mint Medal to Commemorate 60th Anniversary of Victoria's Reign. Obv. Bust l., crowned, veiled and draped, VICTORIA ANNVM REGNI SEXAGESIMVM FELICITER CLAVDIT XX IVN. MDCCCXCVII. Rev. Young head of the Queen, l., dividing inscription LONGITVDO DIERVM IN DEXTERAEIVS ET IN SINISTRA GLORIA. Below, 1837 upon branch tied with ribbon. By G.W. de Saulles, after T.Brock/W. Wyon. Eimer 1817a, BHM 3506. 56 mm, 82.5 g.

    Victoria 1837-1897 Obv.jpg

    Victoria 1837-1897 Rev..jpg

    Great Britain 1911, AR Official Medal for Investiture of Prince of Wales [the future Edward VIII]. Obv. Bust three-quarters l., crowned and draped, CARNARVON IVLY. XIII MCMXI across the field. INVESTITURE OF EDWARD PRINCE OF WALES. K.G. / Rev. Caernarvon Castle; the Welsh dragon, below. GORPHENAF MCMXI above, on a radiate sky decorated with the Prince's crest within Garter, crowned. ARWISGIAD. IORWERTH TYWYSOG. CYMRU. M.G. By W. Goscombe John. Eimer 1925, BHM 4079. 35 mm., 22.5 g. [The blue toning seems to have come from the medal being kept in its case since issuance.]

    1911 Prince of Wales Investiture Obv..jpg

    1911 Prince of Wales Investiture Rev..jpg

    Now some French medals.

    France 1898, La Source and Le Nid, both by Daniel Dupuis. AE

    La Source & Le Nid Obv. Dupuis 1898.jpg

    La Source & Le Nid Dupuis 1898 Rev..jpg

    France 1922, L'Enfant aux Roses, by Ovide Yencesse. Silvered AE.

    Ovide Yencesse 1922 Enfant aux Roses - Girl-Flowers Obv.jpg

    Ovide Yencesse 1922 Enfant aux Roses Girl-Flowers Rev..jpg
     
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  3. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Nice medals! I especially like the Victoria ones. Personal preference. I just purchased an 1838 Victoria Coronation medal last week.
     
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  4. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Some more.

    France 1896. National and Colonial Exhibition, Rouen. Silvered AE by Oscar Roty. Obv. Woman seated r. against tree, barefoot, knitting, against pastoral background, NORMANNIA NVTRIX / Rev. View of City of Rouen, EXPOSITION NATIONALE ET COLONIALE; ROVEN in field above city view; MDCCCXCVI below. 69 mm., 137.3 g.

    Roty Rouen O3.jpg

    Roty Rouen Reverse.jpg

    France ca. 1920. Nude woman eating grapes[?], by Georges Crouzat.

    Georges Crouzat - Nude w. Grapes.jpg

    France 1900. Medal for Universal Paris Exposition of 1900, silvered AE by Oscar Roty. 51 x 36 mm. (Distributed to judges and officials of the Olympic Games held in Paris that summer in conjunction with the Exposition.)

    Roty, Paris Exposition 1900 Obv..jpg

    Roty, Paris Exposition 1900 Rev..jpg

    France 1900. Another Art Nouveau medal issued to commemorate the 1900 Paris Exposition, this one in AE (53 mm.) by Georges Lemaire. Note the airship, the battleship, and the other tools of science and industry depicted on the reverse.

    Lemaire Paris Exposition 1900 Obv..jpg

    Lemaire Paris Exposition 1900 Rev..jpg

    Finally, a silvered AE plaque in the Art Nouveau style by the French medallist Paul Vannier, 49 x 70 mm., issued for the 1906 "Intercalated" Olympic Games in Athens, which originally were held as official Olympic Games in between the 1904 and 1908 games -- and were intended to be held every four years in Athens in between the regular games, beginning 10 years after the first modern games in 1896 -- with the results counting as official Olympic records. These games were later demoted to unofficial status.

    Obv. Athlete stands holding a sword, laurel branch, and victory wreath in right hand, and a shield in left hand; in foreground the Athens Olympic Stadium with crowd; in background the Acropolis, with rising sun/ Rev. Winged angel holding trumpet in left hand to proclaim the victor and and a laurel branch in right hand, flying over an olive grove near the Acropolis; space for inscribing name of participating athlete.

    1906 Athens Olympics P. Vannier Obverse.jpg

    1906 Athens Olympics Plaque P. Vannier Reverse.jpg
     
  5. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    I have that one too, if you mean the official Royal Mint medal by Pistrucci. I have a couple of the unofficial ones too. At one time I had all the official coronation medals from Charles I through George VI (there was no official coronation medal for Elizabeth II), but I was in a position where I had to sell the earlier ones a few years ago.
     
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  6. cpm9ball

    cpm9ball CANNOT RE-MEMBER

    Thanks for posting these. I'm a big fan of Louis Oscar Roty, and I have both the medal and plaquette that you've posted. Daniel Dupuis is another favorite of mine, but I have neither of those plaquettes. ~ Chris
     
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  7. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Yes, I was talking about the official Royal Mint piece. I like its high relief. Wonder if this type is popular or not.

    I recently get interested in medals. Still learning. Thanks for showing some of your collection. The others are very high quality pieces. A great post. :happy:
     
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  8. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    You should definitely consider buying the second edition of Christopher Eimer's guide to British Commemorative Medals, published by Spink in 2010, if you want to pursue collecting British historical medals. It's comprehensive, and the 2000 illustrations are all in color.
     
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  9. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Thanks for your information. Will definitely get the book later. Great to know it has color illustrations.
     
  10. cpm9ball

    cpm9ball CANNOT RE-MEMBER

    Have either of you checked out Hedley Betts' site?

    http://www.mcssl.com/store/8596432

    ~ Chris
     
  11. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Thanks for your weblink, Chris. Lots of medals there.
     
  12. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Yes, I've bought a number of medals from him over the years.
     
  13. Maxfli

    Maxfli Well-Known Member

    Wow, those are spectacular. Thank you for sharing.
     
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  14. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Here are links to a few more dealers' websites where I used to buy medals, including Christopher Eimer's own website. All these sites have archives of sold medals which are useful for research purposes.

    https://www.christophereimer.co.uk/ (You can buy his book from him; it's not cheap. Perhaps you could find a used copy somewhere for less.)

    http://www.charlesriley.co.uk/medsale.htm

    https://historicmedals.com/index.php
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2020
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  15. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

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  16. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Here is a tray with most of the British coronation and other small "royal" medals that I still have; the earliest one I kept is the William & Mary official coronation medal in silver:

    Coronation medals tray.jpg

    The two top shelves of this display case are where I keep most of my remaining larger British "royal" medals, including a couple I posted here and a couple of unofficial Victoria coronation medals (for instance, the giant one that's second from the right on the second shelf). The third shelf primarily holds various "art" medals, including several I posted in this thread. The bottom shelf has various items, including a couple of medals related to Jewish emancipation and one issued to commemorate Moses Mendelssohn. The military medals on the right belonged to my father and maternal grandfather.

    Large medal case - marble table.jpg
     
  17. happy_collector

    happy_collector Well-Known Member

    Very nice display of medals!
     
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  18. Deacon Ray

    Deacon Ray Artist & Historian Supporter

    Beautiful collection, @DonnaML —it’s inspiring to see them so beautifully displayed, side by side, so you can enjoy the variety of colors and sizes.

     
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  19. Deacon Ray

    Deacon Ray Artist & Historian Supporter

    I collect French military medals from World War I and World War II.

    ALL_FRENCH_MILITARY_MEDALS.jpg

     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2020
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  20. DonnaML

    DonnaML Well-Known Member

    Wow. Very impressive! Any particular reason you focused on French medals as opposed to those of some other country? I've never tried to collect military medals (as opposed to historical/commemorative and art medals); the only ones I have are my father's Good Conduct Medal from the U.S. Army during World War II, and my maternal grandfather's medals from his four years of front-line service in the German Army in World War I.
     
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  21. Deacon Ray

    Deacon Ray Artist & Historian Supporter

    I toured the World War I battlefields of France and developed a fascination (a crush ;)) on the heroic legendary character, Marianne, Goddess of Liberty, the national symbol of France. I kept seeing her image in sculptures, monuments, coins, and medals. It was my admiration of the symbolism combined with a love of French history.

    Marianne.jpg
     
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