The death of Queen Mary II
James Roettiers (1663–1698)
Category
Coins and medals
Date
Unknown
Materials
Copper
Measurements
40 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
London
Order this imageCollection
Osterley Park and House, London
NT 773282
Summary
Copper, medal commemorating the death of Queen Mary II (1662-94), by James (1663-98) and/or Norbert Roettiers (1665-1727), struck London, United Kingdom, 1695. A copper medal designed by James and/or Norbert Roettiers, and issued by Thomas Woods to mark the funeral of Queen Mary II, who had died on 28 December 1694 old style (7 January 1695 new style). The obverse shows Mary in the form of a draped figure crowned with laurel, seated upon a globe and holding a palm branch in her raised right hand. With her feet she tramples the serpent of death. The legend reads ‘O Grave, where is thy victory?’ The reverse is plain with an inscription recording the dates of the queen’s death and her age, 32, at the time of her decease.
Full description
Mary was the eldest daughter of the Duke of York, the future King James II/VII (1633-1701) and his first wife Anne Hyde (1637-71). Her sister was the future Queen Anne. Since Mary’s uncle King Charles II had no legitimate children, Mary was from childhood second in line to the throne after her father. She and Anne were brought up as Protestants according to the instructions of Charles II, so did not share the religious views of their father, who had converted to Catholicism in the late 1660s. In 1677 Mary married her cousin William III of Orange, moving with him to the Netherlands. After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Mary moved back to Britain and reigned jointly with her husband, acting as sole Regent when he was away on campaigns (NT 773278). She died late in 1694 after having contracted smallpox. As she and William had remained childless, the succession devolved upon Mary’s sister Anne. Although Mary was the target of vicious propaganda from the Jacobites and was sometimes regarded as deferring too much to her husband, William in fact depended much on her for advice and was devastated by her death. Mary won general respect from many as a quiet, capable and wise monarch. A significant number of medals were issued to mark the death of Queen Mary II (for other examples, see NT 773280-281, 773283). This is a medal struck for the funeral of the queen, which took place on 5 March 1795 in Westminster Abbey. Mary’s body had been embalmed directly after her death, and had then been displayed lying in state in the Banqueting House, from 21 February to 5 March. Although Mary had wanted only a simple funeral, because of the particular circumstances created by the dual monarchy, the ceremony turned out to be the largest ever held for an English monarch. The procession made its way from the Banqueting House in a fierce snowstorm, along a special walkway constructed by Sir Christopher Wren. It then entered the abbey to the sound of Henry Purcell's specially composed Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary (which would be used again at the composer’s own funeral just a year later). The sermon was preached by the Archbishop of Canterbury, before the burial casket, which had been placed beneath a catafalque designed by Wren. A wax effigy of the dead queen was placed on display in the abbey, to perpetuate Mary's image beyond the grave. This particular medal, the same size as an English currency crown (5 /-, or 25 p.), is a funeral medal, made for distribution at an individual’s burial ceremony. The reverse was advertised by the goldsmith Thomas Woods in a news sheet published by the apothecary and tea dealer John Houghton in 1694 and 1695. Woods seems to have been working with the Roettiers, employed at the Royal Mint but on generally unsatisfactory terms, to find ways to broaden the market for their medals. The result was a series of advertisements from May 1694 to March 1695 for a variety of medals. The reverse was described in the advertisement as ‘VICTORY sitting as a Woman in a Robe, and in her Hand a Palm-Branch; her Foot is upon the Head of a Dragon. This represents her as Triumphing over Death’. Together with another reverse, depicting Time seated on a tombstone, that had been used in 1685 for the funeral medal of King Charles II (Medallic Illustrations, I, p. 601, nos. 289-90; British Commemorative Medals, no. 270), it could be used for special commissions of funeral medals. Woods broadcast to his potential customers the advantage of commissioning such a memorial. Four hundred medals would cost £50, with the obverse being embellished with arms, inscription, motto etc, as the customer desired. He recommended copper medals, which he sold for 2s. each, over those in precious metal: ‘All such persons of Quality who desire to continue their Memories, may best do it by Copper Medals, the impression being so much better than the [silver] Metal they will never be melted, but remain for ever, and the lowness of the price will extend them in greater numbers.’ Woods must have been commissioned to produce the medals for distribution at Queen Mary’s funeral but, surprisingly, he chose not to mention this fact in his advertisements. Jeremy Warren 2019
Provenance
Given to the National Trust in 1993 by George Child Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey (1910-1998).
Marks and inscriptions
Obverse, legend: O: GRAVE: WHERE + IS: THY: VICTORY. Reverse, legend: QVEEN: MARY. THE: SECOND: AETAT 32: OBIT: DEC: 28. ANNO: DOM. 1694
Makers and roles
James Roettiers (1663–1698), medallist Norbert Roettiers (1665–1727), medallist
References
Hawkins, Franks and Grueber 1885: Edward Hawkins, Augustus W. Franks and Herbert A. Grueber (eds.), Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland to the death of George II, 2 vols., London 1885, vol. II, p. 121, no. 364 Bryden 1991: D.J. Bryden, ‘Medals for Funerals. Thomas Woods and the Roettiers Medals of 1694/5’, The Medal, no. 18 (1991), pp. 23-28., pp. 25-27, fig. 3. Eimer 2010: Christopher Eimer, British Commemorative Medals and their Values, London 2010, p. 72, no. 363.