- Museum number
- M.7600
- Description
-
Silver medal. (whole)
-
Bust of Charles II, right, hair short, neck bare, in richly figured armour and mantle tied in a knot on the left shoulder. Star. (obverse)
-
A Bluecoat boy in his costume, encouraged by Arithmetic holding a tablet of figures, Astronomy a sphere, Mathematics a triangle and compasses, and Mercury, as Commerce, a caduceus. On the ground, a mariner's compass and the lead. Above, infant Fame, and two others representing Plenty; and Zephyrs propelling favourably the ships of England. (reverse)
- Production date
- 1673
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 72.000 millimetres
- $Inscriptions
-
-
- Curator's comments
- Medallic Illustrations 1, published in 1885, states:
Rare.
This "glorious medallion", as Evelyn calls it, is one of the finest, rarest, and most valuable of all the works of John Roettier. The dies are in the British Museum. It was struck to commemorate the foundation of a Mathematical and Nautical School in Christ's Hospital. In the autumn of 1672 Charles II, who was extremely fond of naval affairs, and well versed in the art of building and navigating ships, encouraged by persons of much influence about his person, placed a sum of money in the hands of Trustees to provide for the education of forty boys in Christ's Hospital, ten of whom were to be annually allotted, after examination, to the sea-service.
See Pinkerton, J., ‘The Medallic History of England to the Revolution’, London, 1790 (fol.), xxxi. 5; Evelyn, John, ‘A Discourse of Medals ancient and modern, &c’, London, 1697 (fol.), 140.
- Location
- On display (G2/fc163)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2014 Oct 14 - London, BM, G2, 'Collecting the World'
- Associated events
- Commemoration of: Founding of Mathematical and Nautical School at Christ's Hospital
- Department
- Money and Medals
- Registration number
- M.7600
- Additional IDs
-
Miscellaneous number: H184
- C&M catalogue number
-
MB1 (Medallic Illustrations 1) (556) (217)