The Opening of the New Coal Exchange, on Behalf of the Queen, by Prince Albert, Accompanied by two of the Royal Children, the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal, October 30, 1849
1849
Medium
Bronze, struck
Dimensions
Diameter: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
British, London
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of the Corporation of the City of London, 1908
Accession Number
08.53.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
This bronze medal, struck in 1849 by British medallist Benjamin Wyon, commemorates the ceremonial opening of London’s New Coal Exchange on October 30 of that year. Prince Albert performed the dedication on behalf of Queen Victoria, accompanied by the young Prince of Wales and Princess Royal. Such commemorative pieces were popular in Victorian Britain, serving as portable records of civic and royal events that linked the monarchy to the nation’s industrial progress. Wyon, a member of a distinguished family of engravers and medallists, worked in the neoclassical tradition favored for official c...
About the Artist
Benjamin Wyon · 1802–1858
British, London 1802–1858 London