Spink
Auction 23148 31 May 2023
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Coronation of George IV, Official AE Medal, 19 July 1821, by Benedetto Pistrucci for the Royal Mint, GEORGIUS IIII D • G • BRITANNIARUM REX F • D •, laureate head left, rev. PROPRIO JAM ANIMO PATERNO •, George IV enthroned, crowned by Victory, before him stand Britannia, Hibernia and Scotia, INAUGURATUS DIE • JULII • XIX ANNO • MDCCCXXI in exergue in three lines, 35mm, 22.52g (Eimer 1146a; BHM 1070), a couple of contact marks and some carbonisation, otherwise residually lustrous and with dark brown surfaces, a bolder very fine.
Provenance
'IF', by private treaty, 1985 - £19, ,
Until the Coronation of King George IV, official medals had only been struck in gold and silver, with some base metal imitations being made for public sale. But in 1821, official bronze medals, such as the present example, were made available. It is estimated about 1,525 were struck. The inscription on the reverse that states 'Now in his own right, with his father's mind' points to the tenure of King George III's reign, and how George IV as Prince Regent, had ruled on behalf of the King for almost a decade.
, ,
George IV wanted to reinstate his position through the staging of his Coronation. He wanted it to be more lavish than that of Napoleon's installation, and as such the event has become infamous for its extravagance and excess. It remains one of the most disproportionately expensive Coronations of any in British history, reportedly costing over £230,000. He had a new Crown commissioned made containing over 12,000 diamonds and more than three times the number of guests attended the Abbey service as previous events. The King stipulated that participants should dress in either Tudor or Stuart period dress, as such a display of the required styles was staged at the College of Arms in June 1820. The result was a "gay and gorgeous [array of] antique dress which floated before the eye", according to Sir Walter Scott. The King himself, aging and obese, struggled to keep cool in his thick, velvet Coronation robes, curled wig and feathered hat, under the oppressive July heat. It is said that he used at least nineteen handkerchiefs to mop his brow over the ceremony, and declared "I would not endure again the sufferings of that day for another Kingdom!"
, ,
One of the more famed aspects of the day was King George's estranged wife, Caroline's attempts to attend the Coronation in order to be crowned Queen Consort. The two hated each other and had led separate lives for years, as such the King was adamant she not be crowned and ordered those guarding the entrances to the Abbey (including celebrity boxer Bill Richmond) to refuse her entry. When her carriage arrived at 6am at Westminster Hall, to a sympathetic crowd, she was turned away several times and eventually left in her carriage to cries of "Shame! Shame!". She would die just two weeks later.
, ,
Spink wishes to thank Ella Mackenzie for the investigative historical research
Estimate: £90 - £120
Provenance
'IF', by private treaty, 1985 - £19, ,
Until the Coronation of King George IV, official medals had only been struck in gold and silver, with some base metal imitations being made for public sale. But in 1821, official bronze medals, such as the present example, were made available. It is estimated about 1,525 were struck. The inscription on the reverse that states 'Now in his own right, with his father's mind' points to the tenure of King George III's reign, and how George IV as Prince Regent, had ruled on behalf of the King for almost a decade.
, ,
George IV wanted to reinstate his position through the staging of his Coronation. He wanted it to be more lavish than that of Napoleon's installation, and as such the event has become infamous for its extravagance and excess. It remains one of the most disproportionately expensive Coronations of any in British history, reportedly costing over £230,000. He had a new Crown commissioned made containing over 12,000 diamonds and more than three times the number of guests attended the Abbey service as previous events. The King stipulated that participants should dress in either Tudor or Stuart period dress, as such a display of the required styles was staged at the College of Arms in June 1820. The result was a "gay and gorgeous [array of] antique dress which floated before the eye", according to Sir Walter Scott. The King himself, aging and obese, struggled to keep cool in his thick, velvet Coronation robes, curled wig and feathered hat, under the oppressive July heat. It is said that he used at least nineteen handkerchiefs to mop his brow over the ceremony, and declared "I would not endure again the sufferings of that day for another Kingdom!"
, ,
One of the more famed aspects of the day was King George's estranged wife, Caroline's attempts to attend the Coronation in order to be crowned Queen Consort. The two hated each other and had led separate lives for years, as such the King was adamant she not be crowned and ordered those guarding the entrances to the Abbey (including celebrity boxer Bill Richmond) to refuse her entry. When her carriage arrived at 6am at Westminster Hall, to a sympathetic crowd, she was turned away several times and eventually left in her carriage to cries of "Shame! Shame!". She would die just two weeks later.
, ,
Spink wishes to thank Ella Mackenzie for the investigative historical research
Estimate: £90 - £120