Collection record · Small worlds
Two Pound Piece: George IV (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse)
The collection record classifies this work as coins. It is dated 1823. Recorded culture or place: England, George IV, 1820-1830.
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A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Two Pound Piece: George IV (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse)
- Date
- 1823
- Culture / origin
- England, George IV, 1820-1830
- Materials and technique
- gold
- Dimensions
- Diameter: 4.5 cm (1 3/4 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Benedetto Pistrucci (Italian, 1784–1855); Francis Legatt Chantrey (British, 1781–1841); Jean Baptiste Merlen (French, 1769–1850)
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1969.214
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
During the reign of King George IV, two-pound pieces were struck for circulation in 1823 only. Pattern pieces appeared in 1824, 1825, and 1826. The king was so disgusted with the caricature of a portrait that Pistrucci placed on the first coins of the reign that the artist was ordered to model a new obverse from a bust by the sculptor Sir Francis Chantrey (1781–1841). Pistrucci refused; it was beneath his dignity to copy the work of another artist. The work was therefore carried out by J. B. Merlen, assistant engraver at the Royal Mint.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · The Norweb Collection · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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