Medal, struck sterling silver, commemorating the opening of the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries on 2 December 2009, by Felicity Powell, produced by Thomas Fattorini Ltd, Britain, 2009

The medal is struck in sterling silver, with a dark oxidised finish and silver outer collar edge.

This medal was commissioned by V&A director Mark Jones to Felicity Powell in 2009 and struck by Thomas Fattorini Ltd.

Historical significance: The medal encapsulates the mission of the Victoria and Albert Museum, knowledge and inspiration, as inscribed on either side of the Museum’s main entrance. As such, it also echoes the thinking behind the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries.
The commemorative function of this medal, its iconography, the artist’s methods of creation (a wax model on mirror back echoeing the Renaissance production of wax models on slate) as well as the aesthetic and philosophical qualities of this object fittingly reflect the Renaissance practice of medal-making. It is closely related to the artist’s wax reliefs on mirror backs, as the reverse is taken from ‘Lightning on Sea’, a piece Felicity Powell exhibited at Domobaal gallery in 2009.

Felicity Powell (born 1961) creates small-scale sculpture, building on long established traditions to produce thoughtful objects with a distinctively poetic resonance. The formal qualities of the object, in the delicacy of the relief and resulting subtle effects of light and shadow, illustrate the artist’s commitment to the excellence of medal-making.

This fine medal commemorates the opening of the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries at the V&A on 2 December 2009. It was commissioned by the Museum from the artist in a limited edition of 80, its primary function being to serve as a gift to major donors to the project.
One of these 80 medals is in the British Museum.

Attribution note: Limited edition of 80

This medal commemorates the opening of the new Medieval and Renaissance galleries at the V&A in December 2009.

The medal encapsulates the mission of the Victoria and Albert Museum, to promote knowledge and offer inspiration, as inscribed to either side of the Museum's main entrance. As such, it also echoes the thinking behind the new galleries. It reflects the statement by J. C. Robinson, first curator of the South Kensington Museum (now V&A), that knowledge gained from the Museum will not inhibit but inspire originality for 'he who knows most will be the most original'. On the obverse of the medal is the tree of knowledge and of life, while the flash of lightning on the reverse symbolises inspiration.

The commemorative function of this medal, its iconography, the artist's methods of creation as well as the aesthetic and philosophical qualities of this object reflect the Renaissance practice of medal-making.

A.38-2009