Medal
ca. 1850 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Five different official medals were produced in bronze for the Great Exhibition. The Council medal, Prize medal and Jurors medal were the main awards, while the Exhibitors and For Services medals were less prestigious.
This is the Exhibitors medal that was designed by William Wyon (1795-1851), Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint at the time of the Exhibition. The obverse (or front) has a portrait of Prince Albert who was President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition. The reverse has a terrestrial globe, with a dove resting on the top, and an inscription. There were nearly 14,000 exhibitors in the Exhibition, and each received a medal like this, along with a certificate and a copy of the reports of the juries.
People
Miss Sarah Ann Cunliffe, Inventor, of Saffron Walden was awarded this medal for her 'Infant's knitted robe'. She did not win any special prize but her work had been selected from among the many thousands submitted for display.
Materials & Making
The medal was struck from a die. In this method, metal blanks were placed between two hardened-steel dies which were then hit with great force. On impact, the softer bronze 'flowed' into all the hollows and spaces in the die. This technique produced finished medals in huge numbers with hardly any loss of detail or clarity. The original dies for the Great Exhibition medals came to light some years ago in the stores of the V&A and are now on display in Gallery 64.
Five different official medals were produced in bronze for the Great Exhibition. The Council medal, Prize medal and Jurors medal were the main awards, while the Exhibitors and For Services medals were less prestigious.
This is the Exhibitors medal that was designed by William Wyon (1795-1851), Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint at the time of the Exhibition. The obverse (or front) has a portrait of Prince Albert who was President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition. The reverse has a terrestrial globe, with a dove resting on the top, and an inscription. There were nearly 14,000 exhibitors in the Exhibition, and each received a medal like this, along with a certificate and a copy of the reports of the juries.
People
Miss Sarah Ann Cunliffe, Inventor, of Saffron Walden was awarded this medal for her 'Infant's knitted robe'. She did not win any special prize but her work had been selected from among the many thousands submitted for display.
Materials & Making
The medal was struck from a die. In this method, metal blanks were placed between two hardened-steel dies which were then hit with great force. On impact, the softer bronze 'flowed' into all the hollows and spaces in the die. This technique produced finished medals in huge numbers with hardly any loss of detail or clarity. The original dies for the Great Exhibition medals came to light some years ago in the stores of the V&A and are now on display in Gallery 64.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Cast bronze, leather lined with silk |
| Brief description | Cast bronze medal and leather box lined with silk, Great Britain, ca. 1850 |
| Physical description | Cast bronze medal and leather box lined with silk. |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | Given by Mrs G. Wraith |
| Object history | This bronze medal was awarded for the whitework shirt (T.47-1952). It originally came in a circular bronze frame (now NIP) bearing the words 'Honourable Mention'.Awarded at the Great Exhibition of 1851, Class XX (No. 22). A printed label, possibly part of this box, found in 110 store in 120A |
| Summary | Object Type Five different official medals were produced in bronze for the Great Exhibition. The Council medal, Prize medal and Jurors medal were the main awards, while the Exhibitors and For Services medals were less prestigious. This is the Exhibitors medal that was designed by William Wyon (1795-1851), Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint at the time of the Exhibition. The obverse (or front) has a portrait of Prince Albert who was President of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition. The reverse has a terrestrial globe, with a dove resting on the top, and an inscription. There were nearly 14,000 exhibitors in the Exhibition, and each received a medal like this, along with a certificate and a copy of the reports of the juries. People Miss Sarah Ann Cunliffe, Inventor, of Saffron Walden was awarded this medal for her 'Infant's knitted robe'. She did not win any special prize but her work had been selected from among the many thousands submitted for display. Materials & Making The medal was struck from a die. In this method, metal blanks were placed between two hardened-steel dies which were then hit with great force. On impact, the softer bronze 'flowed' into all the hollows and spaces in the die. This technique produced finished medals in huge numbers with hardly any loss of detail or clarity. The original dies for the Great Exhibition medals came to light some years ago in the stores of the V&A and are now on display in Gallery 64. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.45A&B-1964 |
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| Record created | May 13, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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