Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
01.C.36 |
Object Name |
Medallion |
Title |
Medallion with Portrait of Benjamin Franklin |
Artist |
Nini, Jean-Baptiste |
Artist 2 |
Walpole, Thomas, Jr., after |
Date |
1777 |
Description |
Obverse: Profile bas-relief portrait of Benjamin Franklin in a fur hat. "B. Franklin. Americain" around image. Impressed on tranche of shoulder "Nini / F1777" and "1777" repeated below, with a relief shield emblazoned with lightning rod and thunderbolt and surmounted by a crown. Reverse: blank. Twisted wire hanger with loop at top. |
Label |
Many artists created images of Benjamin Franklin while he served as U.S. ambassador to France from 1776 to 1785. This bas-relief medallion by Jean-Baptiste Nini, an Italian sculptor working in Paris, was one of the most popular and widely copied Franklin portraits. Nini chose to portray his subject wearing a humble fur hat instead of an aristocratic wig, reflecting Franklin's modest style of dress. A direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin bequeathed this medallion to the APS in 1989. The donor described the piece as one of twelve original medallions that Nini gave Franklin in 1777. |
Medium |
Terracotta |
Dimensions |
Dia-4.375 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift at the bequest of Francis Sergeant Childs, 1989. |
Search Terms |
18th century eighteenth century Founding Father |