ChrisB Posted May 29 · Patron Share Posted May 29 My taste in numismatic items tends to be inconsistent at best. Set building is not an interest of mine. The more unique an item is, the better chance that it will catch my attention. When I read the title to an item on one of my favorite dealers website, I assumed it was for one of the many varieties of Crystal Palace medals that can be found. They are mostly well-made pieces with a depiction of Crystal Palace on one side with multiple varieties of reverses. To my surprise, that was not the case. I hadn’t been aware, but there were two related structures that called themselves Crystal Palace. The original in London and then later one in New York. So, the question I asked myself was: which Crystal Palace issued this medal. The sellers description doesn’t help: UNITED STATES & GREAT BRITAIN. Crystal Palace Company silver award Medal. Awarded 1891 to Walter MacEwen (63mm, 108.83 g, 12h). By G. G. Adams. The original Crystal Palace was built in London’s Hyde Park in 1851. It was designed and erected by the famous English gardener and architect Joseph Paxton (1803–1865). As head gardener for the Duke of Devonshire, Paxton had already designed and built major greenhouses for his employer. His plan for the Crystal Palace was based on that experience as well as the cruciform shape of Gothic churches. The building was originally created for the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, the first “World’s Fair”. Around 25 European and American nations took part in this international show, which exhibited the technical achievements of the industrial era. The Exhibition lasted for 140 days and was visited over 6.3 million people. One of the leading individuals organizing this great event was the prince consort Albert (1819–1861), husband of Queen Victoria (1819–1901). After the end of the Great Exhibition, the Crystal Palace could not remain in Hyde Park. Instead, it was disassembled and moved to Sydenham Hill, then on the outskirts of London, where the components were rebuilt to a different and even larger design. The work was completed in 1854, including a surrounding park with gardens, trees, fountains, and life-size figures of dinosaurs, which attracted particular attention, as well as statuary, including a bust of Paxton, who died in 1865. The Crystal Palace met its unhappy fate on the evening of November 30, 1936, when a fire spread out of control. Despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters, by morning it had been destroyed. London’s Great Exhibition became the model for subsequent World’s Fairs organized in various countries. In July 1853, New York emulated London’s example with its Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations. Like London, New York built a modern structure of cast iron and glass for its exhibition and named it a Crystal Palace. It was designed by the Danish-American businessman Georg Carstensen (1812–1857) and the German-American architect Karl Gildemeister (1820–1869). Constrained by the limited space available, the location that is now Bryant Park in Manhattan, they designed it in the form of a Greek cross with an enormous central dome. When it became clear that the building needed more space for exhibits of machinery, they modified the ground floor to an octagonal shape. After the Exhibition closed in 1854, New York’s Crystal Palace was used for other events, but unfortunately it met the same fate as its namesake in London. The building was destroyed in a fire in less than half an hour in 1858. Since the New York structure was destroyed in 1858 it is most likely that there is no tie to that building. I could find no information that the two structures were operated by the same organization, so it is logical that this medal is a British production. Born in Chicago in 1860, Walter MacEwen often lived and painted in the Netherlands, with his style featuring a clear Dutch influence. One of his paintings, The Ghost Story (painted in 1887), depicts women of the house gathering to spin and prepare food. All eyes are fixed upon one of the women who is deep in an engrossing tail—that of a ghost story. The painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1888 and the Chicago World's Fair/Columbian Expo in 1893, among numerous others, with it winning praise not only for its technical approach but also for it capturing the essential qualities of the Dutch. The painting was clearly also exhibited at the Crystal Palace Company showing in 1891, where it won the present award medal. Unmistakably pertaining to the same work of art, this medal clearly belonged to MacEwen. As for the painting, it now resides in the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it has been since 1923 when it was donated by Mrs. Edward S. Harkness. ORNATUR PROPRIIS INDUSTRIA DONIS, Britannia standing facing, holding trident and scroll; female personifications of the Arts and Industry to left and right; above, Fama flying left, trumpeting and holding cornucopia; view of the Crystal Palace in background // Engraving in eight lines in various scripts: "AWARDED / BY THE / Crystal Palace Coy / for a picture / A GHOST STORY / BY / W. MacEwen / 1891"; all within wreath. Edge: Plain. Numista claims that this medal is a product of John Pinches Medallist Ltd of London although I would like to find confirmation of that. The medallist for this piece, George Gammon Adams was born on 21 April 1821, in Middlesex. He entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1840 on the recommendation of the medallist William Wyon and trained as a sculptor and medallist. He won a silver medal at the academy in the same year. He was taught to model and cut medals and coin dies by Benedetto Pistrucci. Wow, he was connected to some prominent people of the time. He exhibited several works at the Great Exhibition of 1851, and was one of the three artists whose designs were used on the medals awarded to exhibitors. In the following year he was given the honor of making the death mask of the Duke of Wellington from which he made a marble bust of the Duke. This medal is issued in silver, and I have found another in silver that is undated and two more in bronze that were awarded in 1873 and 1893. All four of these were awarded for paintings. It appears that both the silver and bronze were minted in the same diameter. That’s a pretty small sample to make any conclusions from and it leaves me with lots of questions. How long were these issued? Were both silver and bronze issued in the same year (1st and 2nd place)? Were these issued in any other metals? Any thoughts on these questions are appreciated. https://numismatics.org/pocketchange/crystal-palace/ https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1923.416 https://profjoecain.net/crystal-palace-company-agm-first-annual-general-meeting-08-august-1853/ 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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