Spink
Auction 23148 31 May 2023
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Coronation of Anne, Official AR Medal, 23 April 1702, by John Croker after Sir Isaac Newton for the Royal Mint, ANNA • D : G : MAG : BR : FR : ET • HIB : REGINA •, draped bust left, rev. VICEM GERIT • ILLA • TONANTIS • Anne as Pallas hurls thunder against a double headed and four armed monster, edge plain, 35mm, 16.10g, 11h (Eimer 390; MI ii 228/4; van Loon IV, 347; Wollaston 10), lightly contact marked and with usual die flawing to obverse edge, nevertheless with darker cabinet tone overlying much residual lustre, very fine or pleasingly so.
Provenance
'CA', by private treaty, 1990 - £58, ,
Croker's official coronation medal had until very recently been thought the conception of Royal court painter Sir Geoffrey Kneller. However in 2015, a manuscript was reviewed at the National Archives which contained sketches and notes by Sir Isaac Newton, then Master of Her Majesty's Mint. This would confirm that in fact it was he who was responsible for the iconography. This discovery illuminated the reasoning behind the unusual iconography. Newton explained that the scaly, two-headed Hydra was an allegory of the "double Catholic threat" Anne faced at the time of her coronation - King Louis XIV of France, and James Francis Edward Stuart, son of James II, who was a rival claim to the throne.
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It would be the first time that a monarch had been portrayed as a mythical figure on a Coronation medal. The use of allegorical personification is intriguing and begs the ultimate question, why did Anne not feel as though she could be portrayed as herself? Why had she accepted the attributes of the Greek goddess Pallas? Newton explains that even though the new Queen had physical infirmities, such that she was too weak even to walk to her own Coronation much less hurl a thunderbolt, she was strong willed, had a robust foreign policy and expected to defend her kingdom. Having Pallas on her medal, immediately communicated a message of courage and boldness. Newton also explained that by describing Anne as a 'Thunderer', he hoped to hark back to the previous Coronation medal of William and Mary, where a thundering Jupiter featured, demonstrating her continuity of the Protestant rule. No fewer than 1,200 of these silver medals were distributed at the Abbey.
, ,
Anne's infirmity at her Coronation was the result of her struggle with gout (induced by a predilection to brandy). As a result, she was carried in the procession upon an open sedan chair by the Yeomans of the Guard. She had a respect for splendour, a taste for ceremony and a strong will to rule. Her vigour and determination were shown when, on arriving at the Abbey, she descended and walked down the aisle to the altar, despite the pain she must have suffered. She wished to convey her relevance to her subjects and to imbue a strong sense of propriety. This act has also led some to compare her to Elizabeth I, not only as they align in terms of their staunch Englishness and Anglican faith, but also in their ability to rise to the occasion despite debilitating physical infirmities. Clearly her presence made an impact as Anne's coronation ceremony was described by one commentator as "more magnificent than any in England", with another detailing how she gave "obliging looks and bows to all" and how the diamonds in her hair "at the least motion brill'd and flamed". For the version of this medal in Gold, please see lot 26
, ,
Spink wishes to thank Ella Mackenzie for the investigative historical research
Estimate: £140 - £200
Provenance
'CA', by private treaty, 1990 - £58, ,
Croker's official coronation medal had until very recently been thought the conception of Royal court painter Sir Geoffrey Kneller. However in 2015, a manuscript was reviewed at the National Archives which contained sketches and notes by Sir Isaac Newton, then Master of Her Majesty's Mint. This would confirm that in fact it was he who was responsible for the iconography. This discovery illuminated the reasoning behind the unusual iconography. Newton explained that the scaly, two-headed Hydra was an allegory of the "double Catholic threat" Anne faced at the time of her coronation - King Louis XIV of France, and James Francis Edward Stuart, son of James II, who was a rival claim to the throne.
, ,
It would be the first time that a monarch had been portrayed as a mythical figure on a Coronation medal. The use of allegorical personification is intriguing and begs the ultimate question, why did Anne not feel as though she could be portrayed as herself? Why had she accepted the attributes of the Greek goddess Pallas? Newton explains that even though the new Queen had physical infirmities, such that she was too weak even to walk to her own Coronation much less hurl a thunderbolt, she was strong willed, had a robust foreign policy and expected to defend her kingdom. Having Pallas on her medal, immediately communicated a message of courage and boldness. Newton also explained that by describing Anne as a 'Thunderer', he hoped to hark back to the previous Coronation medal of William and Mary, where a thundering Jupiter featured, demonstrating her continuity of the Protestant rule. No fewer than 1,200 of these silver medals were distributed at the Abbey.
, ,
Anne's infirmity at her Coronation was the result of her struggle with gout (induced by a predilection to brandy). As a result, she was carried in the procession upon an open sedan chair by the Yeomans of the Guard. She had a respect for splendour, a taste for ceremony and a strong will to rule. Her vigour and determination were shown when, on arriving at the Abbey, she descended and walked down the aisle to the altar, despite the pain she must have suffered. She wished to convey her relevance to her subjects and to imbue a strong sense of propriety. This act has also led some to compare her to Elizabeth I, not only as they align in terms of their staunch Englishness and Anglican faith, but also in their ability to rise to the occasion despite debilitating physical infirmities. Clearly her presence made an impact as Anne's coronation ceremony was described by one commentator as "more magnificent than any in England", with another detailing how she gave "obliging looks and bows to all" and how the diamonds in her hair "at the least motion brill'd and flamed". For the version of this medal in Gold, please see lot 26
, ,
Spink wishes to thank Ella Mackenzie for the investigative historical research
Estimate: £140 - £200