Triumph and Disaster: Engraver William Wyon’s Final Years

Description

More people have seen William Wyon’s work than that of any other British artist. A brilliant modeller in low relief, his coins, for Britain and its empire, were handled by hundreds of millions around the world. Join art historian, numismatist and museum director Sir Mark Jones in a talk exploring the extraordinary career of this prolific artist and engraver.

Wyon’s iconic, crowned image of Victoria as a young Queen outdid even the coins. Reproduced on the earliest postage stamps, the ‘penny black’ and its successors, from 1840 until the Queen’s death sixty years later in 1901, they were printed in billions and circulated around the globe. Wyon’s medals, considerable works of art, and beautiful and intriguing in themselves, hold a fascinating mirror to an era of imperial assertion, culminating in the First Opium War and the Great Exhibition of 1851.

This event is held in collaboration with the British Art Medal Society (BAMS) and is supported by the Goldsmiths’ Centre. BAMS, a registered charity, was founded in 1982 to promote the art of the medal through commissions, exhibitions, publications and events. Their latest publication, ‘Making Modern Art Medals’ is available to purchase in our online shop.

Date

Location

The Goldsmiths' Centre
42 Britton Street
London
EC1M 5AD

Prices

Contact and Booking Details

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Disclaimer

The information and prices in this listing are presumed to be correct at the time of publishing, but please always check with the venue before making a special trip.

All images are supplied by the exhibition organiser.

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