Medal thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Medal

late nineteenth century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This copper medal depicts Jean Martin Charcot, a celebrated French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology, in academic robes. On the reverse there is a seated figure of Asclepius seated on a rock, holding his rod wreathed with a serpent; around him are a cock, dog, goat and eagle.

Charcot was friends withe Casella family and made several visits to London throughout his career. During the siege of Paris by the Germans in 1870, Charcot sent his wife and children to stay in London with the Casellas.

Ella Casella (1858-1946) and her sister Nelia Casella (1859-1950) were artists who worked collaboratively in a variety of media: wax, watercolour, glass enamelling, leather tooling and metalworking. In the 1880s, they studied under Alphonse Legros (1837-1911) at the Slade School of Art and exhibited both at the Royal Academy and with the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in the 1890s. As part of the revival of Renaissance art by British artists in this period, the Casella sisters drew from a Renaissance tradition, in form and method, aligning themselves with great masters such as Pisanello (1395-1455).

Actively involved in the thriving artistic and cultural life of turn of the century London, these artists were inspired by theatrical costuming of the period and many of their wax relief portraits represent friends from their circle, including many celebrities of the day such as Ellen Terry, Henry Irving, Franz Liszt and Bram Stoker. As well-educated ladies of wealth and distinction, both their gender and social standing played a predictably pivotal role in the development of their art, training, and working practice.



Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Copper electro-deposited
Brief description
Medal, depicting the neurologist Jean Martin Charcot and Asclepius, England, late 19th century.
Physical description
Medal, copper, electro-deposited. Jean Martin Charcot, a celebrated French physician. Obv.: Bust to right in academic robes. Rev.: A seated figure of Aesculapius seated on a rock holding his rod wreathed with a serpent; around him are a cock, dog, goat and eagle. Signed OPVS. E. CASELLAE.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 3.6875in
Object history
Bought for £1 10s.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This copper medal depicts Jean Martin Charcot, a celebrated French neurologist and professor of anatomical pathology, in academic robes. On the reverse there is a seated figure of Asclepius seated on a rock, holding his rod wreathed with a serpent; around him are a cock, dog, goat and eagle.

Charcot was friends withe Casella family and made several visits to London throughout his career. During the siege of Paris by the Germans in 1870, Charcot sent his wife and children to stay in London with the Casellas.

Ella Casella (1858-1946) and her sister Nelia Casella (1859-1950) were artists who worked collaboratively in a variety of media: wax, watercolour, glass enamelling, leather tooling and metalworking. In the 1880s, they studied under Alphonse Legros (1837-1911) at the Slade School of Art and exhibited both at the Royal Academy and with the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in the 1890s. As part of the revival of Renaissance art by British artists in this period, the Casella sisters drew from a Renaissance tradition, in form and method, aligning themselves with great masters such as Pisanello (1395-1455).

Actively involved in the thriving artistic and cultural life of turn of the century London, these artists were inspired by theatrical costuming of the period and many of their wax relief portraits represent friends from their circle, including many celebrities of the day such as Ellen Terry, Henry Irving, Franz Liszt and Bram Stoker. As well-educated ladies of wealth and distinction, both their gender and social standing played a predictably pivotal role in the development of their art, training, and working practice.

Bibliographic references
  • List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1900. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Her Majesty's Stationary Office. Wyman and Sons. 1903. pp.223
  • cf. Attwood, Philip. ed. Artistic Circles. London. British Museum. 1992. no. 4. pp.23.
Collection
Accession number
1396-1900

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Record createdMay 11, 2009
Record URL
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