Spanish Wreck recovered
George Bowers (fl.1660 - 1689)
Category
Coins and medals
Date
1687
Materials
Silver-gilt
Measurements
55 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Great Britain
Order this imageCollection
Osterley Park and House, London
NT 773273
Summary
Silver-gilt, medal commemorating a Spanish wreck recovered, by George Bower (fl. 1664-1691), London, United Kingdom, 1687. A silver-gilt medal commemorating an expedition to recover treasure off the West Indies in 1687. On obverse, King James II (1633-1701) and his wife Mary of Modena (1658-1718) depicted conjoined facing right, James in armour and a cloak with long flowing wig and laurel crown. Sculptor’s initials G.B. below bust. Latin legend reads in translation: James II and Mary by the Grace of God King and Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland. On the reverse a British ship in an open sea. In the foreground, in waters studded with rocks, men in a small boat attempt to recover treasure from a wrecked ship. Legend reads in translation: ‘Let always your hook be hanging’ and, in the exergue, ‘Wreck recovered 1687’.
Full description
The medal was commissioned from George Bower following the successful conclusion of an expedition, led by Captain William Phipps (1651-95) and financed by the Duke of Albemarle, to recover the treasure on a wrecked Spanish galleon off the coast of the island of Hispaniola, in the West Indies. The galleon was the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, which had been wrecked in 1641. This discovery made Phipps suddenly rich and earned him a knighthood. The medals were presented to the officers of the ship, whilst the King also seems to have used them as occasional gifts. Jeremy Warren 2019
Provenance
Given to the National Trust in 1993 by George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910-1998).
Credit line
National Trust Collection (Osterley Park, The Jersey Collection)
Marks and inscriptions
Obverse: .IACOBVS. II. ET. MARIA. D. G. MAG. BRI. FRAN. ET. HIB. REX. ET. REGINA. Artist’s signature : G.B. Reverse: .SEMPER TIBI PENDEAT HAMUS. (Ovid, Ars amatoria, 3.425) In exergue: NAVFRAGA REPERTA/1687
Makers and roles
George Bowers (fl.1660 - 1689), medallist
References
Hawkins, E. (ed.) Franks, A.W. and Grueber, H.A: Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland to the death of George II, 2 vols,. London, 1885, vol. I, p. 619, no. 33 Eimer 2010: Christopher Eimer, British Commemorative Medals and their Values, London 2010, p. 63, no. 285, Pl. 35