Spink
Auction 23148 31 May 2023
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Coronation of George I, Official AR Medal, 20 October 1714, by John Croker for the Royal Mint, GEORGIVS • D : G • MAG • BR • FR • ET • HIB • REX • laureate and armoured bust right, rev. the King enthroned is crowned by Britannia, INAVGVRAT • XX • OCT • MDCCXIII • in exergue in two lines, 34mm, 16.74g (Eimer 470; MI ii 424/9; van Loon V, 255), heavily cleaned with resultant hairlines and superficial scuffing before nose, nevertheless residually lustrous with hues of natural tone, struck details about extremely fine, but of generally unnatural appearance.
Provenance
'CA', by private treaty, 1985 - £25, ,
The coronation of King George I in October 1714 marked the start of a new era and the beginning of the ruling House of Hanover. After Queen Anne died with no Stuart heir in spite of her best efforts, Prince Elector Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Luneberg ascended to the throne as her closest Protestant relative. He could speak little English and was relatively unfamiliar with the country and its people - to some extent reflected in the largely anepigraphic rendering of the reverse of this medal. A legacy of his reign would be the creation of a First Lord of the Treasury, or Prime Minister as a modern audience would recogise it. Similarly the adoption of the House of Hanover is appropriately reflected in the personification of Britannia choosing to crown the enthroned George. As a monarch unfamiliar with the customs and expectations of subjects, George I's medal would establish the tradition for how subsequent Georgian kings would choose to characterise their own coronation memorabilia.
, ,
Despite the fact that his accession signalled a new dynasty for Britain, it was not as joyous as most would have hoped for. The Coronation was not popular with the public and as a result considerable riots rumbled through the South and West of England, led in particular by High Church Anglicans and Jacobite Catholics. In Somerset, the rioters dressed up in a Fool's Coat and called themselves the Idiot George. Other uprisings were more violent, with some calling for George's death, and looting and murder taking place widely. The celebrations of the coronation (balls, bonfires and tavern parties) were interrupted, and celebrants attacked.
, ,
The coronation ceremony itself did not go as planned either. The service was mostly conducted in Latin as it was the only language that both the King and the ministers could understand. Thomas Tenison, the aged Archbishop of Canterbury was also responsible for several mishaps. Firstly, he refused to allow the two Bishops traditionally assigned to assist the monarch to take communion with the King, forcing them to bow to the altar and monarch and retire as gracefully as was possible. The Countess of Cowper's account also recalls how she felt Tenison overdid the demand for the congregation's consent when asking "does the old fool think that anyone here will say no to his question, when there are so many drawn swords?" However, he could hardly be blamed for the Sicilian and Venetian ambassadors arguing over position in the gallery, nor for the collapse of scaffolding which killed over twenty people.
, ,
Spink wishes to thank Ella Mackenzie for the investigative historical research
Estimate: £140 - £200
Provenance
'CA', by private treaty, 1985 - £25, ,
The coronation of King George I in October 1714 marked the start of a new era and the beginning of the ruling House of Hanover. After Queen Anne died with no Stuart heir in spite of her best efforts, Prince Elector Georg Ludwig of Brunswick-Luneberg ascended to the throne as her closest Protestant relative. He could speak little English and was relatively unfamiliar with the country and its people - to some extent reflected in the largely anepigraphic rendering of the reverse of this medal. A legacy of his reign would be the creation of a First Lord of the Treasury, or Prime Minister as a modern audience would recogise it. Similarly the adoption of the House of Hanover is appropriately reflected in the personification of Britannia choosing to crown the enthroned George. As a monarch unfamiliar with the customs and expectations of subjects, George I's medal would establish the tradition for how subsequent Georgian kings would choose to characterise their own coronation memorabilia.
, ,
Despite the fact that his accession signalled a new dynasty for Britain, it was not as joyous as most would have hoped for. The Coronation was not popular with the public and as a result considerable riots rumbled through the South and West of England, led in particular by High Church Anglicans and Jacobite Catholics. In Somerset, the rioters dressed up in a Fool's Coat and called themselves the Idiot George. Other uprisings were more violent, with some calling for George's death, and looting and murder taking place widely. The celebrations of the coronation (balls, bonfires and tavern parties) were interrupted, and celebrants attacked.
, ,
The coronation ceremony itself did not go as planned either. The service was mostly conducted in Latin as it was the only language that both the King and the ministers could understand. Thomas Tenison, the aged Archbishop of Canterbury was also responsible for several mishaps. Firstly, he refused to allow the two Bishops traditionally assigned to assist the monarch to take communion with the King, forcing them to bow to the altar and monarch and retire as gracefully as was possible. The Countess of Cowper's account also recalls how she felt Tenison overdid the demand for the congregation's consent when asking "does the old fool think that anyone here will say no to his question, when there are so many drawn swords?" However, he could hardly be blamed for the Sicilian and Venetian ambassadors arguing over position in the gallery, nor for the collapse of scaffolding which killed over twenty people.
, ,
Spink wishes to thank Ella Mackenzie for the investigative historical research
Estimate: £140 - £200