Medal — Prince Albert's Medal, London, 1844, 1845, 1852
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1844, 1845, 1852
Medal in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number 38041800799231), made in London, dated 1844, 1845, 1852, attributed to William Wyon, Prince Albert.
The museum's brief description reads: Medal, Prince Albert's Medal depicting Prince Albert and St George and the Dragon, struck gold, by William Wyon, London, dated 1845. Museum description: Gold medal with obverse (front) depicting the profile bust of Prince Albert, facing right. On the reverse in profile facing left, a naked classicised figure of St George is mounted on a rearing horse with flowing mane. He wears a Roman helmet, with a billowing cloak over his right shoulder and holds a spear poised above the dragon's open jaws.
The museum records it as Gold, measuring Diameter 56 mm. These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This is a gold version of the Personal Medal for HRH Prince Albert and was commissioned privately by the Prince from William Wyon, Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint, in 1844. Prince Albert’s Medal appears here as part of a group of seven medals in a Presentation Set given to Henry Cole (the first Director of the South Kensington Museum, the forerunner of the V&A, and one of the main organisers of the Great Exhibition on behalf of Prince Albert) following the Great Exhibition of 1851. The standard Presentation Sets of medals for the Great Exhibition were made up of the five official medals, and normal recipients (such as the Commissioners who organised the Great Exhibition under the presidency of Prince Albert, together with a number of other Senior Officials involved in the Great Exhibition) would not have received the Prince’s medal as part of their set. Henry Cole received the Prince Albert Medal from the Prince as a memorial to their achievements together and as ‘a token of remembrance of our long communion in this work’. The Medal was bequeathed to the Museum, along with a letter from the Prince awarding it to Henry Cole, in 1883.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Gold
- Dimensions
- Diameter 56 mm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- William Wyon, Prince Albert
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Museum object name
- Medal
- Museum object number
- 38041800799231
- Museum system number
- O1264482
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and catalogue references against a specialist reference.