Object Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
2013.1 |
Object Name |
Medallion |
Title |
Medallion with Portrait of Benjamin Franklin |
Artist |
Nini, Jean Baptiste |
Artist 2 |
Walpole, Thomas |
Date |
1777 |
Description |
Profile portrait-relief of Benjamin Franklin wearing a fur hat within a circular terracotta medallion. The upper surface of the medallion reads: "B. FRANKLIN / AMERICAIN" around image. Impressed on the tranche of the sitter’s shoulder "Nini / F1777" has been engraved, with an additional "1777" repeated below. A relief shield has been rendered to the right of these inscriptions; the shield is emblazoned with a lightning rod and thunderbolt and surmounted by a crown. |
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. Nini’s portrayal was modeled after a preliminary sketch by Thomas Walpole, an acquaintance of Franklin's. |
Medium |
Terracotta |
Dimensions |
D-0.5 Dia-4.5 inches |
Credit line |
American Philosophical Society. Gift of the Estate of Mary Bessborough, 2013. |
Search Terms |
18th century APS President commemorative eighteenth century Franklin French medal |