PAST EXHIBITION

England

England did not produce a school of renowned native medalists until the eighteenth century. The situation mirrored the country’s history of painting and epitomizes the rewards of cross-cultural exchange, as medalists from all over Europe memorialized English rulers from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. English medalists developed in large part out of the tradition of coinage production. Consequently, striking (and its necessary skill of die engraving) became the favored technique.

  • Silver medal of a man in a flat collar and richly decorated armor, wearing a soft cap with a bejeweled brim, adorned with feathers

    Unknown artist
    Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (1532/33–1588), dated 1587
    Silver, cast
    Diam.: 1 13/16 in. (4.67 cm)
    The Frick Collection; Gift of Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher, 2016

    Cat. 118

  • Silver portrait medal of Queen Anne crowned, with jewels in her hair, wearing a stiff lace collar, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace with pendant, and a gown with a low neckline (trimmed with lace and exposing her décolletage)

    Simon de Passe (1595–1647)
    Queen Anne (b. 1574; Queen Consort of Scotland 1589–1619; Queen Consort of England and Ireland 1603–19), ca. 1616
    Silver, stamped (?)
    2 1/4 × 1 13/16 in. (5.69 × 4.55 cm) (including gold frame but excluding top loop)
    Scher Collection; Promised gift to The Frick Collection

    Cat. 119

  • Silver portrait medal of Nicholas Wadham framed by a narrow wreath and four skulls (above, below, and flanking), wearing a falling ruff (trimmed) and plain doublet with set-in sleeves

    Unknown artist
    Nicholas (1532–1609) and Dorothy Wadham (1534–1618), ca. 1618
    Silver, repoussé
    2 1/8 × 1 13/16 in. (5.4 × 4.55 cm)
    Scher Collection

    Cat. 120

  • Silver portrait medal of Sir William Parkhurst framed by an ornate border of scrolls, bouquets of flowers, and vegetal motifs, with lions’ heads above and wearing a falling collar, plain buttoned doublet, and loose cloak, and holds in his hand, resting on his belly, a portrait medal (presumably of Charles I)

    Thomas Rawlins (1620–1670)
    Sir William Parkhurst (d. 1667; Warden of the Mint of England 1623–42, 1660–66), dated 1644
    Silver, repoussé, mounted on a wood backing
    Diam.: 3 3/16 in. (8.09 cm) (not including wooden frame)
    Scher Collection

    Cat. 121

  • Silver portrait medal of Dorcas Brabazon, Lady Lane with ringlets of hair falling from her braided chignon onto her shoulder, wearing a pearl tear-drop earring, pearl necklace, and a lace-trimmed or embroidered gown, with shoulders and décolletage exposed

    Abraham Simon (1617–1692) and Thomas Simon (1618–1665)
    Dorcas Brabazon, Lady Lane (dates unknown; m. 1644 to Sir George Lane), dated 1662
    Silver, cast
    Diam.: 1 1/4 in. (3.25 cm)
    Scher Collection

    Cat. 122

  • George Stubbs (1724−1806)
    Portrait of Warren Hastings, ca. 1791
    Watercolor over graphite
    5 3/8 x 4 5/16 in. (13.7 x 10.9 cm)
    The Frick Collection; Bequest of Charles A. Ryskamp, 2010

    Cat. 123

  • Bronze portrait medal of George Gordon, Lord Byron hair worn short and curled, within a thin, beadwork-like border

    Alfred Joseph Stothard (1793–1864)
    George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824), dated 1824
    Copper alloy, struck
    Diam.: 2 1/2 in. (6.36 cm)
    Scher Collection

    Cat. 124

  • Gold portrait medal of Queen Victoria at age 78, with hair and crown half-concealed under a veil, wearing a pearl tear-drop earring, a pearl or diamond necklace with pendant, and a blouse of light material under a gown, with what appears to be the Star of the Order of the Garter pinned above her heart

    George William de Saulles (1861–1903)
    Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (b. 1819; r. 1837–1901), dated 1897
    Gold, struck
    Diam.: 2 3/16 in. (5.56 cm)
    Scher Collection

    Cat. 125

  • Bronze portrait medal of Ella Mielziner seated on a bench, with hair worn pinned beneath a pillbox hat (decorated with three flowers) draped with a long veil, wearing a long dress with a lace or embroidery neck and elbow-length, leg-of-mutton sleeves (bound tight around the upper arm), holding a parasol in her lap and a pair of gloves in her hand

    Theodore Spicer-Simson (1871–1959)
    Ella Mielziner (1873–1968), dated 1906
    Copper alloy, cast
    Diam.: 6 13/16 in. (17.3 cm)
    Scher Collection

    Cat. 126

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