Ol' TH1-: KXOW'f.HDGl- Ol-" IlISrOKICAl. Ml'DALS. 



ISv A. M. HROADLEY. 



Alllltiir t,t ■■Dr. Juliitsnii aii<i Mrs. Tliralc. 



A MEHAi. hart Iklii described as "a circular piece 

 of metal issued to record or commemorate an event 

 or a person, and embellished with devices and inscrip- 



B;ittle of 



Portland, in the collection 



m-- 



^'t^Si^,.S^:: 



y/ 



')^ 



tions representative, svm- 

 holical or connected \\ ith 

 its [jarticular purpose." 

 This rather \-ague defini- 

 tion can scarcely be re- 

 garded as satisfactory, 

 the shape of a medal not 

 necessarily being circular; 

 for many well-known ex- 

 amples are oval, while 

 a few are octagonal. 

 The most familiar form 

 of medal is that struck 

 by the State as a reward 

 for militarv or naval 

 service, and worn as a 

 distinctise decoration bv 

 the recipient. Our pre- 

 sent concern, however, 

 is i)rincipally not with 

 medals designed and issued to serve as badges, but 

 with those intended onlv for commemorative pur- 

 l)i)ses. It is to historical medals that Joseph .\ddisoii 

 alludes in his "Dialogue"" when he speaks I't 

 ■"Critics in rust."" Possiblv the fondness of Englisli- 

 nien for medals is not asgfeat as that of the foreigner, 

 for a modern writer declares that "while we dis- 

 tribute tracts the French distribute medals.'" From 

 the end of the fourteenth centur\- downwards soin' 

 of the world's greatest artists have turnt-d thru 

 attention to the designing of medals. .\nn)ngst tin 

 great mediaeval medallists ma\- be mentioned the 

 names of men like Vittore Pisano. .Matteo de Pasti, 

 Benvenuto Cellini and .Albert Diirer. In the 



Portland, l-'ebrnarv. 165J, in the collection of .\. M. Broadlcv 



si.\teeiith and se\enteenth centur\' tlieii traditions 

 were perpetuated in I'rance by Prima\era, Pilon and 

 Duprc. The English commemorative medal begins 

 with the reign of Elizabeth, although we have ])()r- 

 trait medallions of Henrv VIII, Edwanl \I and 

 Oucen Mary. The fine English medals of the 

 Commonwealth and the reign of Charles II, were 

 the handiwork of those great engravers, Thomas and 

 .Abraham Simon. Rawlins was also emplo\ed by 

 Charles II after the Restoration. From the time of 

 \\ illiani and Mary onwards nearlv all the designers 

 ot lintisli medals were foreigners. The collecting 

 of war medals is a cult of itself, but for some un- 

 accountable reason the public interest in historical 

 medals has languished, although its votaries were once 

 as numerous and enthusiastic as those of philately are 

 to-day, when theex[)enditure of the £2,500 necessary 

 to purchase specimens of the penin- red and twopenny 

 blue Post Office Mauritius, intrinsically worth the 

 fraction of a farthing, would suffice to secure a fine 

 cabinet ot gold and sil- 

 ver medals illustrating 

 English histor\- from the 

 reign of janics I (low n 

 In the iiiiDnation of 

 hiding pos- 

 )/en unique 



ivw more 



to histor\- 



monumental 



two N'olumes. 



1)\- the late 



Hawkins, and 



Medallic Illu.s- 



1 the Histor\- 



i| (ireat liritain and 



1 1 eland to the death of 



(leorge II."" This book 



was edited 1>\ A. W. 



' ie(}lge \', illi 



il.ly'half a d 

 .amples 1 

 There are 



,-eful aids 

 than th 

 I'.nrk. in 

 eompiled 

 i;dward 

 I ntitleil ■ 

 I rations 



.\ Kenloratioii Medal ot l»it>n 



