Commemorative medal for the opening of the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition on 5 May 1857
John Pinches
Category
Coins and medals
Date
1857
Materials
Metal
Measurements
41 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Manchester
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 849235
Summary
Medal, white metal; Commemorative medal for the opening of the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition; John Pinches Ltd.; London or Manchester, 1857. A medal commemorating the opening of the 1857 Art Treasures exhibition in Manchester, the largest art exhibition ever organised in Britain and Ireland, which received more than 1.3m visitors during its six months run. The exhibition was opened by Prince Albert on 5 May 1857. The obverse of the medal shows allegorical representations of England, Ireland and Scotland, together with symbols representing trade and the arts.
Full description
A white metal medal commemorating the 1857 Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition, by Messrs Pinches. Obverse with three female figures representing England, Ireland and Scotland, seated and surrounded by objects that reflect the plethora of objects on show in the exhibition; within a double rim-fillet. The reverse has an inscription commemorating the opening of the exhibition. The Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition, which opened in May 1857, remains to this day the largest temporary exhibition of art to have been held in Britain and Ireland, with some 16,000 objects exhibited. The exhibition was organized towards the end of a decade that had seen a rash of major international exhibitions, beginning with the 1851 exhibition held in the specially-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London. This had been followed by the Great Industrial Exhibition held in Dublin in 1853 and, in 1855, the Exposition Universelle in Paris. The impetus for the Manchester exhibition came from the wealthy manufacturers of Manchester who recognised the significance of cultural prestige to the rapidly developing manufacturing cities of the mid-nineteenth century. An enormous glass structure reminiscent of the Crystal Palace was built in Old Trafford. On 5 May 1857 Prince Albert, who had been an enthusiastic supporter from the start, officially opened the exhibition, which over the following six months was visited by some 1.3 million people. The official medal for the exhibition was designed by Thomas Ryan Pinches (1815-1868) and made by the firm of John Pinches Ltd., to strict instructions laid down by George Scharf, the Art Secretary to the exhibition. In particular Scharf intended the central female figure to be seated on a bale of cotton and to represent the City of Manchester, whilst he also asked for the inclusion of a rudder, to symbolize Atlantic commerce, and a caduceus as the ancient symbol of commerce. The fullest description of the subject of the obverse of the medal as it was finally conceived appears to be the very detailed explanation that appeared in the Morning Chronicle for 5th May 1857, the day of the exhibition’s opening: ‘The medal is a very elegant bronze one, designed by Mr. T.R. Pinches. On the obverse, England is represented by an elegant female figure, in classic drapery, seated between her sisters Scotland and Ireland, the last leaning on the national harp. The United Sisters appear in affectionate converse on Art. At the feet of England is a shield bearing the arms of Manchester, with the caduceus of Mercury. By the side of Scotland, are the helmed bust of Minerva (representing “Art”), a richly embossed breastplate of armour, with a sword and shield, a vase, and a chalice. The artist’s palette is at her feet, which rests upon a book, upon the open page of which are inscribed the names of Michael Angelo, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Cellini, Flaxman. Round the harp of Ireland twine the rose, thistle, and shamrock. At her feet is a jewel casket, with a necklace, and a ribbon and badge visible.’ The paper also explained that Pinches had set up a stamping press in the exhibition’s central hall, which would produce medals daily for sale. The medals are sometimes found housed in embossed metal cases, inscribed with the name of Pinches (Allen 2000, p. 191, no. MA-005). A number of different medals were marketed, including one other (Taylor 1978, no. 173a), which uses the same obverse as the Ickworth medal which, with its special inscription, specifically commemorates the opening of the exhibition by Prince Albert, and was presumably struck for that occasion. It seems probable that the 1st Marquess of Bristol or some other member of the Hervey family was in Manchester for the opening. The Herveys are not known to have made any loans to the exhibition, although Joseph Nollekens’ Boy on a Dolphin (NT 852226) was lent by their Irish cousin Sir Henry Hervey Bruce. Jeremy Warren November 2025
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. Acquired by the National Trust in 1956 under the auspices of the National Land Fund, later the National Heritage Memorial Fund
Marks and inscriptions
Obverse. PINCHES / LONDON In exergue: MDCCCLVII Reverse: EXHIBITION OF / ART TREASURES / OF THE / UNITED KINGDOM / OPENED AT MANCHESTER / BY HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS / PRINCE ALBERT / MAY 5TH. 1857
Makers and roles
John Pinches, medallist
References
Taylor 1978: Jeremy Taylor, The Architectural Medal. England in the Nineteenth Century, London 1978 Brown 1987: Laurence Brown, British Historical Medals 1837-1901. The Reign of Queen Victoria, London 1987, p. 207, no. 2606 Allen 2000: Leslie L. Allen, The World’s Show: Crystal Palace Medals and Tokens 1851-1936, London 2000, p. 193, no. MA-025 Whittlestone and Ewing 2008: Andrew Whittlestone and Michael Ewing, Royal Commemorative Medals 1837-1977. I. The Reign of Queen Victoria 1837-1901, Llanfyllin 2008, no. 727 Eimer 2010: Christopher Eimer, British Commemorative Medals and their Values, London 2010, p. 203, no. 1513 Pergam 2016: Elizabeth A. Pergam, The Manchester Art Treasures Exhibition of 1857: entrepreneurs, connoisseurs and the public, London/New York 2016, p.5