Medal of Captain William Bainbridge
1800–1830
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diam. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm)
Classification
Medal
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
Accession Number
83.2.378
Tags
About this artwork
This bronze medal commemorates Captain William Bainbridge's naval victories during the War of 1812, when American successes at sea provided crucial morale boosts during a difficult conflict. Created by Hungarian-born medalist Moritz Fürst between 1800 and 1830, this work exemplifies early American commemorative medal production and the young nation's efforts to celebrate military heroes. Bainbridge commanded the USS Constitution during its famous victory over HMS Java in December 1812, one of se...
About the Artist
Moritz Fürst · 1782–1882
Moritz Fürst was a Hungarian-born engraver and medalist who became one of the most accomplished practitioners of his craft in the early United States. Born in Hungary in 1782, he acquired his technical training in European ateliers before emigrating to America, where he arrived in the early years of the nineteenth century and ultimately settled in Philadelphia — then the center of the young nation...