Diamond thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Diamond

Medal
1983 (struck)
Artist/Maker
Pobjoy Mint (makers)
Chadwick, Lynn (medallist)
Place of origin
Kingswood (made)

In contemporary medals the designer often questions the traditional concept of format, appearance and purpose. These medals are best appreciated when held and turned in the hand. Only this will reveal the intimate relationship of one side to other as intended by the artist. Fortunately contemporary medals are one of the most affordable art forms. The medal is thematically related to a large-scale sculpture of the same name showing full-length male and female figures. It was executed at the same time and is Chadwick’s only medallic work. His monumental approach to composition is captured even within the small-scale format of the medal. This medal was cast by the Pobjoy Mint for the British Art Medal Society.


Object details

Categories
Coins & Medals
Sculpture
Object type
Medal
Titles
  • Diamond (assigned by artist)
  • Male and Female (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze, struck
Bronze
Brief description
Medal, bronze, Male and Female, by Lynn Chadwick, England (Kingswood), 1984
Physical description
Obverse: stylised head and shoulders, the head in a diamond shape.
Reverse: female torso with head in a triangular shape.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 76mm
Style
Contemporary
Production typeLimited edition
Object history
This medal was purchased from the British Art Medal Society in 1984 for £35,-.

Historical significance: This is Lynn Chadwick's only medallic work. It is related to his large scale work of the same title and period, which shows two seated male and female figures.
Historical context
This is the eighteenth medal issued by the British Art Medal Society which aims to 'encourage, develop and support the practice and study of medallic art'.
Production
Attribution note: 128
Subject depicted
Diamond
Summary
In contemporary medals the designer often questions the traditional concept of format, appearance and purpose. These medals are best appreciated when held and turned in the hand. Only this will reveal the intimate relationship of one side to other as intended by the artist. Fortunately contemporary medals are one of the most affordable art forms. The medal is thematically related to a large-scale sculpture of the same name showing full-length male and female figures. It was executed at the same time and is Chadwick’s only medallic work. His monumental approach to composition is captured even within the small-scale format of the medal. This medal was cast by the Pobjoy Mint for the British Art Medal Society.
Bibliographic references
  • Jones, Mark, 'The medal in modern society', Médailles, 1985, pp. 31-40, ill. 24 p. 35, p. 36
  • Jones, Mark, Contemporary British Medals, London: British Museum, 1986, pp. 24-25 and cover illustration
  • 'New Medals from BAMS', The Medal, no. 5 (September 1984), p. 57 and cover illustration
  • Attwood, Philip, British Art Medals, 1982-2002, London: British Art Medal Trust, 2002, pp. 18, 51
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.30-1984

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Record createdMay 9, 2005
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O111857/diamond-medal-chadwick-lynn/
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