The journey of William to England, his landing at Torbay, his subsequent coronation and the flight of James, are illustrated by a number of medals of which interesting examples are described in this Guide. The rebellion in Ireland, with the battles of the Boyne and of Aghrim, and the capture of towns, next follow. The events of the war with France, concluded in 1697 by the Peace of Ryswick, produced medals, English, Dutch, and French, recording the naval battle of La Hogue, the taking of Namur by the French and the retaking of that city by William, the defeats of William at Steinkirk and Landen, for which his own countrymen held him up to ridicule (No. 390), the unsuccessful attempt on Brest, the bombardment of Havre and Dunkirk, and the taking of Huy. The other events commemorated by the medals are the passing of the Toleration Act in 1689, the regency of Mary, the return of William to Holland, the death of Mary, the Darien expedition, and lastly the death of William.
The War of the Spanish Succession, which had begun shortly before the death of William, was even more fruitful in medals than the previous conflict with France. For the events of the campaigns of the Duke of Marlborough and of Prince Eugene of Savoy in the Netherlands and Germany, and of that in Spain, as well as for the naval victories, the reader must be referred to the descriptions given at pp. 89—104. A few other events, which happened during the reign of Anne and to which medals refer, are the establishment of the Queen Anne's Bounty, the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, the attempted invasion of Scotland by the Elder Pretender in 1708, and the trial of Sacheverell.
With the accession of the House of Hanover the medallic series of England loses much of its interest. The affairs of England and Holland being no longer so closely united, the Dutch artists ceased to execute medals for England, and at that time there were few medallists in this country. The series therefore from this period is far less complete and of very inferior style and work. The only important events recorded by the medals of George I. are the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland in 1715, the war of the Quadruple Alliance, and the siege of Gibraltar.
The first ten years of George II. are also devoid of medallic interest, and it is not until the outbreak of the war of the Austrian Succession that we have a piece of any merit. The best medals of this period are those of the battle of Dettingen executed by Haesling and of the battle of Minden by Holtzhey, a native of Amsterdam. Other recorded events of this reign are the taking of Porto Bello and the attempt on Carthagena by Admiral Vernon (of these events there are more than a hundred different medalets), and the Jacobite rebellion under the Younger Pretender, 1745—6. There is also a series of medals issued by the Society for the Promotion of Arts and Commerce, commemorating the conquest of Canada and the successes of the forces of England in India. In portrait-medals the most important are the works of Dassier, of whom mention has already been made.
The medals which illustrate the long reign of George III. down to the battle of Waterloo in 1815, at which point this exhibition closes, will be found to record all that is of importance during that period. The events are so numerous and varied that the reader must be referred to the descriptions, which will be found at pp. 113—130. The greater portion of the medals relate to the struggle of England with her American colonists, and to the subsequent wars with France, Spain, and Holland, by sea and land. Following these are several pieces commemorating some of the battles of the Peninsular War, and bearing portraits of the principal generals, and a few personal medals of statesmen and others, among whom may be noted Washington and Benjamin Franklin. The series of historical medals closes with one of the finest productions of the art of modern times, the Waterloo medal, designed and executed by Pistrucci, a work of 'surpassing size and beauty,' on which the artist spent a great portion of his life.
Military and Naval Medals.
The selection of military and naval medals commences with that struck for the battle of Culloden, those which were issued before that period being included in the general series. The earliest pieces which belong to this class are probably the Armada medals; their variety, their oval form, as well as the circumstance that most have rings for suspension, and some have still chains attached to them, leaving little doubt but that they were intended as decorations. There is, however, no record that they were issued by authority. Charles I. is said to have granted in 1643 medals to soldiers who distinguished themselves in forlorn hopes; and the numerous badges issued during the Civil War by the King, and the Royalist and the Parliamentary generals were undoubtedly intended as military rewards and distributed among the soldiers who fought under them. No. 106, which was issued by Fairfax after the battle of Naseby, could only have served for such a purpose. During the Commonwealth the practice of bestowing decorative medals, both military and naval, became more frequent, and on several occasions was ordered by the Parliament. Of such medals is that distributed to all engaged at the battle of Dunbar (Nos. 149—150), and also those for Blake's victories over the Dutch, as well as several others.
Occasionally during the reigns of Charles II. and James II. military rewards were issued; but as none of these have rings for suspension, they cannot be considered as decorative medals. After the Commonwealth the medal for Culloden seems to be the first decorative piece: but even of this medal there is no record of its having been distributed by authority. Of that battle there is also a circular medal with loop in copper, the type being the Duke of Cumberland on horseback, which might also have served for distribution.
Again a long period elapses during which no decorative medals appear; and the victories of the Nile and Trafalgar would have remained unrewarded, but for the munificence and patriotism of two Englishmen, Alexander Davison and Matthew Boulton (see Nos. 539 and 544). In 1784 the East India Company acknowledged the services of its troops by awarding a medal for the campaign in the West of India, an example which originated a custom; and from that time, as long as India remained under the control of the Company, medals were awarded for all subsequent wars. The first medal issued by authority in England in this century is that given for the battle of Waterloo. It was conferred by order of the Prince Regent upon every officer and private present at that battle; but no acknowledgment was made of all the brilliant engagements in the Peninsular War till 1847, when a medal was issued for military services between the years 1793—1814 (No. 592). At the same time a corresponding medal for naval services was ordered to be struck for all naval engagements during the same period.
Since the accession of her Majesty medals have been awarded for every campaign, as well as others for 'meritorious service,' 'long service,' &c. Besides the medals issued by the authority of the Crown and those of the East India Company, there are a number of Regimental medals, of which some are exhibited. These were struck at the expense of the officers of the regiments for distribution among those who served under them; but this custom ceased when a public acknowledgment was paid to the services of the army.
The medals issued by the East India Company, being mostly of Indian work, have been classed separately, and will be found at the end of the series. As they were generally awarded only to Native troops, they are for the most part very scarce.
Method of Production.
Before proceeding to give some account of the medallists1 themselves, it may be useful to state shortly in what manner they accomplished their work. This was done in four different ways, by casting, by the repoussé process, by engraving, and by striking. Specimens of all kinds of work will be found in this exhibition.
In the case of casting, a method which was first adopted in Italy in the fourteenth century, the mode was sometimes elaborate. A model having been made in wax, it was painted over several times with layers of cement made of fine earth or charcoal stiffened with some kind of lye, until this dried and hardened upon the wax, and the foundation of a mould was formed. When the mould was finished and completely hardened, the wax was melted out, and the medal was then cast in some hard metal, gold, silver, or copper, or in lead. By this process the first mould was destroyed, and all subsequent ones had to be taken from the medals themselves; consequently in time, with each fresh casting, they became less sharp and perfect. Another method of casting was, after executing a model in wax, to make moulds from it in sand, in which the medal was then cast. By this means the original mould was not destroyed, and would serve for use any number of times. But