Medal of Martin Van Buren
1837
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diam. 2 7/16 in. (6.2 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
83.2.431
Tags
About this artwork
This Medal of Martin Van Buren by Moritz Fürst dating to 1837 exemplifies the artistic traditions of American. Created in bronze, the work demonstrates technical mastery of materials and processes characteristic of American artisans. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's The American Wing, this piece contributes to our understanding of historical artistic production. The work's Diam. 2 7/16 in. (6.2 cm) and material qualities reflect the aesthetic values and technical capabilities of 1837....
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...