Baldwin & Sons
Auction 101 28 September 2016
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COMMEMORATIVE MEDALS, BRITISH HISTORICAL MEDALS, Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith (1764-1840), Bas-relief Copper Portrait Medal, 1834, by Pierre-Jean David, called David d'Angers (1788-1856), head right with thick and curled hair, his name behind in facsimile signature, signed and dated below truncation, "David 1834", 161mm, without foundry mark (Reinis 441; Chesneau 842). Much as made, very rare.
This example is without a founder's name. William Sidney Smith joined the navy aged 11, and his bravery at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780 brought him the unprecedented appointment as Lieutenant for one so young. He saw action in the American War of Independence and served in the Swedish navy (he was knighted for his bravery). In the Napoleonic Wars he was captured at Le Havre, but later escaped from the Temple prison in Paris back to England. Helped by Turkish forces he orchestrated the heroic defence of Acre against Napoleon. He received his British knighthood for his services to Wellington following Waterloo. He died in Paris and his tomb in the Père Lachaise Cemetery reproduces the David medal in marble.
Estimate: £250-350
This example is without a founder's name. William Sidney Smith joined the navy aged 11, and his bravery at the battle of Cape St Vincent in 1780 brought him the unprecedented appointment as Lieutenant for one so young. He saw action in the American War of Independence and served in the Swedish navy (he was knighted for his bravery). In the Napoleonic Wars he was captured at Le Havre, but later escaped from the Temple prison in Paris back to England. Helped by Turkish forces he orchestrated the heroic defence of Acre against Napoleon. He received his British knighthood for his services to Wellington following Waterloo. He died in Paris and his tomb in the Père Lachaise Cemetery reproduces the David medal in marble.
Estimate: £250-350