St Paul's Cathedral, London thumbnail 1
St Paul's Cathedral, London thumbnail 2
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

St Paul's Cathedral, London

Medal
ca. 1723 (made)
Artist/Maker
Gaab, George Daniel (medallist)
Place of origin
England (made)
Germany (made)

This medal was cast to commemorate the death of Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723), scientist, mathematician and architect of St Paul’s Cathedral. His tomb bears a Latin inscription which translates, ‘If you seek a monument, look around you’.

Object details

Categories
Coins & Medals
Sculpture
Portraits
Death
Object type
Medal
Titles
  • St Paul's Cathedral, London (generic title)
  • Sir Christopher Wren (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze, cast
Bronze
Casting
Brief description
Bronze medal, obverse; a bust of Sir Christopher Wren, to the left; on the reverse, an elevation of St. Paul's Cathedral, by George Daniel Gaab, English, mid 18th century
Physical description
Bronze medal, obverse; a bust of Sir Christopher Wren, to the left; on the reverse, an elevation of St. Paul's Cathedral
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 4in
Marks and inscriptions
  • reverse, an elevation of St. Paul's Cathedral

  • "INCEPT.A.D.1676; PERFECT.A.D.1711; VNVM.PRO.CVNCTIS.FAMA.LOQVATOR.OPVS" "DESS.PAVLI.LOND.."

    Note
    Reverse

Historical context
This medal was cast to commemorate the death of Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723), scientist, mathematician and architect of St Paul’s Cathedral. His tomb bears a Latin inscription which translates, ‘If you seek a monument, look around you’.
Subject depicted
Wren, Christopher (Sir,)
Place depicted
St Paul's Cathedral
Association
Wren, Christopher (Sir,)
Summary
This medal was cast to commemorate the death of Sir Christopher Wren (1632–1723), scientist, mathematician and architect of St Paul’s Cathedral. His tomb bears a Latin inscription which translates, ‘If you seek a monument, look around you’.
Bibliographic references
  • Taylor, Jeremy: The Architectural Medal. England in the Nineteenth Century London, 1978, pp.25-6
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1856. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 36.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
1260-1856

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Record createdAugust 25, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O102772/st-pauls-cathedral-london-medal-gaab-george-daniel/
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