Coins and Historical Medals

ALS (3), from Edward Poynter to Leonard Wyon, regarding the reverse design for the Ashantee Medal, 1873-4, viz. from Beaumont Lodge, Wood Lane, Shepherd’s Bush (2), Thursday 23 July 1874, 2pp, and Saturday 1 August 1874, 1pp, and from Simonstone, Hawes, Bedale, Tuesday 11 August 1874, 3pp [3]. Very fine £150-£200

The text of the first reads: “My Dear Sir, I do not see that I can possibly get the drawing for the Ashantee Medal ready by Wednesday. I have had to change the scheme of the Design completely to suit the views of the War Office, & the sketch I last sent in, & which has been approved, was in a very informed condition, so that the design has really to be remade, & fresh studies done for it. If you will send me your address in the country I will forward you the drawing, which I may hope to have ready about Monday week; I will not in case delay you longer than I can possibly help. Very truly yours, Edward J. Poynter”.

The text of the second reads: “My Dear Sir, I send you a line to say that I have slightly enlarged the drawing for the Ashantee medal to rather over 7 inches. It is nearly ready, but as I want it photographed I shall take it on Tuesday to the Autotype Compy., & they will forward it to you in N. Wales before the end of the week. Very truly yours, Edward J. Poynter”.

The text of the third reads: “My Dear Sir, I have sent you the drawing by the same post as this note. It has taken me an interminable time – much longer than I expected. I only hope that I have made it possible to work from – I must put off having it photographed till after you have done with it. I have endeavoured to represent the modelling as rather flat which I think would suit a composition of a good many figures better than high relief, but I must leave this to you a good deal of course. I shall be here another week if there is anything you would like explaining. Very truly yours, Edward J. Poynter”.

The Ashantee Medal, sanctioned on 1 June 1874, was awarded for Major-General Sir Garnet Wolseley’s campaign against the Ashantis, led by King Kofi Karikari (Hayward et al, British Battles and Medals, pp. 312-14). The reverse of the medal, depicting bush fighting between British soldiers and Ashanti warriors, is the work of the painter and sculptor Sir Edward Poynter, RA (1836-1919). At the time these letters were written Poynter was Slade professor at University College, London; he later became Director of Art at the National Art Training Schools in South Kensington. From 1894 to 1904 he was Director of the National Gallery and he opened the Tate Gallery in 1897; following the death of Sir John Everett Millais in office, he spent 22 years as President of the Royal Academy, 1896-1918. Poynter’s original sketches for the medal, in red chalk on blue tinted paper, are now held by the Victoria & Albert Museum. They show that his first designs, depicting muscular warriors resplendant in leather body armour repelling native hordes, were rejected in favour of a non-classical reverse in which ancient warriors had been replaced by modern soldiers wearing contemporary bush gear. Poynter’s first numismatic commission was the Army ‘Best Shot’ medal of 1869, where his neoclassical reverse was combined with Leonard Wyon’s portrait of Victoria; his other numismatic work includes a number of cast bronze portrait medals from the 1880s in the style of his friend Alphonse Legros, and the reverses of the florin and shilling for Victoria’s last coinage, 1893.








End of Session Three
Ten Minute Interval