Marriage of Victoria and Albert
1840
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Diameter: 1 13/16 in. (46 mm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
British
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ada Peluso, and Romano I. Peluso, in memory of Ignazio Peluso, 2001
Accession Number
2001.217.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
This silver medal, crafted by British medallist Benjaminon in 1840, commemorates the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Measuring just under two inches in diameter, the work belongs to the long tradition of commemorative medals, which served as portable records of important royal events. Wyon, from a prominent family of engravers, specialized in such official pieces, often employing precise profile portraits on the obverse and symbolic imagery—such as coats of arms—on the reverse. The union of Victoria and Albert marked a pivotal moment in British history, celebrated across the emp...
About the Artist
Benjamin Wyon · 1802–1858
British, London 1802–1858 London