HANOVER. temp. George III. 1760-1820. Restrike Æ Medal (63mm, 129.80 g, 12h). 175th Anniversary of The Battle of Waterloo. After B. Pistrucci . Struck by the Royal Mint, after an 1849 original. As made.

Electronic Auction 548
Lot: 984. Estimated: $ 100

British Medals, Bronze

Sold For $ 120. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

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HANOVER. temp. George III. 1760-1820. Restrike Æ Medal (63mm, 129.80 g, 12h). 175th Anniversary of The Battle of Waterloo. After B. Pistrucci . Struck by the Royal Mint, after an 1849 original. Conjoined laureate and draped busts left of the allied sovereigns: George III, King of Great Britain, Franz II, Emperor of Austria, Alexander I, Tsar of Russia, and Wilhelm III, King of Prussia; around, allegorical and mythological allusions to the Treaty of Peace, which resulted from the Battle of Waterloo: above, Apollo driving quadriga left, restoring the day; to upper right, the rainbow Zephyr and Iris following to right; to upper left, Gemini indicating the month in which the battle occurred; to right, Hercules seated right upon rock, suppressing the Furies within the Cimmerian caverns below; to left, Themis, the protector of the Just, seated left; to lower left, the Fates spinning the future, indicating that human actions will be governed by Justice alone; below, Night, the mother of the Fates, receding into darkness / Two equestrian figures, in classical attire and with the features of the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard von Blücher, being guided to the battle by Victory; around, the Battle of the Giants, being silenced from above by the thunder of Jupiter, driving facing quadriga. Cf. BHM 870; Eimer 2166 (not listed in Æ); cf. Bramsen 2317. Brown surfaces. As made. In original green leatherette Royal Mint case, some foxing to interior padded silk.

Certainly the most famous medal relating to the Napoleonic Wars, Benedetto Pistrucci spent 30 years engraving the obverse and reverse dies for the British Royal Mint.  The obverse depicts the rulers of the four nations triumphant at the Battle of Waterloo: George, Prince Regent of England; Franz I of Austria; Alexander I of Russia; and Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia. The center of the reverse depicts Victory riding along between Lord Wellington and Field Marshal Blücher, the victorious commanders in the battle. The scene around the outside equates the 19-year struggle against Napoleon with the gigantomachy, the famous battle in Greek mythology fought between the Olympian gods and the Giants for supremacy of the cosmos. Jupiter, at the top, is shown victorious against the figures of 19 Giants that he has overcome – one for each year of the war.

Closing Date and Time: 18 October 2023 at 15:27:40 ET.

All winning bids are subject to a 20% buyer’s fee.