Benedetto Pistrucci
Benedetto Pistrucci (29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855) was an Italian
Born in Rome in 1783, Pistrucci studied briefly with other artists before striking out on his own at age 15. He became prominent as a
Talented but temperamental, Pistrucci refused to copy the work of other artists. When in 1823
Early life and career (1783–1815)
Benedetto Pistrucci was born in Rome on 29 May 1783, second child and son of Federico Pistrucci, Senior Judge of the High Criminal Court under the papal government, and Antonia (née Greco). His elder brother Filippo displayed artistic tendencies from a young age, but Benedetto showed mainly a disinclination to study. Federico Pistrucci wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps and sent them to Latin schools. Benedetto began his education in Bologna, where the family had property, but the Pistrucci family was forced to move to Rome in 1794 when Napoleon invaded Italy, and the boys were enrolled in the Roman College.[1]
Napoleon had put a price on Federico Pistrucci's head, as he had prosecuted Bonapartist rebels, so the family fled Rome when the French advanced towards it, stopping in
Pistrucci's obvious talent made his fellow apprentices envious, and one provoked a fight with him, stabbing him in the abdomen before Pistrucci fended off the attack. Recovering at home, he taught himself to model with wax.
Pistrucci's early clients included two of Rome's major art dealers, Ignazio Vescovali and Angelo Bonelli, and Napoleon's three sisters,
Bonelli returned from a successful trip to Britain in 1814 and proposed that Pistrucci go back with him, arguing that the artist's future was there.[3] Pistrucci was willing, and after making provision for his family left Rome with Bonelli. They first stopped in Perugia so that Pistrucci could say farewell to his brother Filippo, but found him willing to accompany them. By Turin, Filippo Pistrucci had decided that Bonelli was not to be trusted, and so informed his brother. When they reached Paris in December 1814, the brothers refused to accompany Bonelli further, and after making threats, the dealer departed. Filippo soon returned to Italy, but Benedetto Pistrucci found his name and art were known in Paris, and set to work. He was there when Napoleon returned from Elba, beginning the Hundred Days, but worked on, unaffected by the war. He saw Napoleon in a garden, and always having a ball of wax with him, quietly modelled the emperor, the last portrait of him done in Europe. After the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Pistrucci began preparations to move on to Britain,[6] but it was not until 31 December that he arrived there.[3]
Rise to prominence (1815–1819)
On arrival at
Pistrucci was introduced to
Sir Joseph commissioned Pistrucci to craft a cameo of King
Pole had Pistrucci create three portraits of the King in different sizes. Only two were used, one for the
After completing Lady Spencer's commission, by most accounts, Pistrucci suggested to Pole that an appropriate subject for the sovereign, a new gold coin equal to one pound that was to be struck, would be Saint George. Until the early 20th century, gold coins were struck for circulation, rather than as bullion pieces. Kevin Clancy, in his volume on the history of the sovereign coin, doubted whether the Spencer commission was truly the inspiration for the George and Dragon design which that coin has long featured, and that the idea might not even have come from Pistrucci. Clancy argued that such motifs were common at the time and that the story originated with Pistrucci, whom he deemed an unreliable witness on his own past.[11][12]
For a fee of 100 guineas (£105), Pistrucci created the sovereign's design, engraving it himself. He depicted the saint atop a fiery steed which is trampling the wounded dragon. George has a broken spear in his hand; part is in the dragon and another fragment lies on the ground. Pistrucci's original design, used for circulation in 1817–1819 and reprised by the Royal Mint in 2017, has the ribbon of the
After the death in 1817 of Thomas Wyon Sr, the father of the man who had adapted Pistrucci's designs, Pole most probably offered Pistrucci the post of chief engraver at the Royal Mint, with a salary of £500 per annum. and a house within the grounds of the Mint. However, it soon appeared that a law passed under William III barred foreigners from the post, and so Pole left it vacant, while granting Pistrucci the salary and emoluments of the office. Sir John Craig wrote in his history of the Royal Mint: "The arrangement was not put into writing, and misunderstanding was easy for a foreigner. Pole categorically denied any commitment beyond the grant for the time being of a salary for coinage designs as cheaper than payment of fees. The Italian persistently contended that he was seduced into Mint service by a promise of formal appointment to the chief engravership".[15] According to H.W.A. Linecar in his book on British coin designs and designers, "the arrangement might have worked very well, even though it was against accepted procedure, had Pistrucci been other than he was."[16]
In 1819, Pistrucci was awarded the commission to design the Waterloo Medal, a huge piece some 5.3 inches (130 mm) in diameter that the government planned to award to the victorious generals and national leaders who had defeated Napoleon. Such a medal had been proposed by the Prince Regent (later George IV) soon after the battle. Pistrucci's price was £2,400, and the down payment allowed him to bring his family from Italy. The medal was originally supposed to be a design by John Flaxman, but Pistrucci refused to engrave the work of another artist, and Pole allowed him to design his own medal, a decision that antagonised London's art establishment against Pistrucci. A gigantic undertaking, the medal would take Pistrucci 30 years to complete.[3][17]
Conflict at the Mint (1820–1836)
After the death of George III in 1820, Pistrucci prepared the coinage bust of the new King, George IV. The King despised Pistrucci's work for its bloated expression[18]—according to Clancy, "its full features implying something of the appetites of the monarch".[19] The King and Pistrucci also came into conflict over the Coronation medal, with the King objecting to being placed on the same level as the allegorical representations of his kingdoms. Pistrucci stated, "I shall elevate His Majesty", and did so. The King's toupee also caused difficulty in the engraving process.[20] On the coinage, the sovereign was modified to remove its garter, and the saint's broken spear was replaced by a sword. Thus, it became very similar to the design used on modern-day sovereigns[21] but for the lack of a streamer on Saint George's helmet. This version of the reverse was struck from 1821 to 1825,[a] but Pistrucci's design would be thereafter absent from the sovereign from 1825 to 1874, after his death.[22]
Aware of King George's dissatisfaction with the coinage effigy, the Mint played for time.
There was conflict at the Mint between Pistrucci and William Wyon, that sometimes involved Merlen.
This effectively left Pistrucci with little to do at the Mint.
Later career and death (1837–1855)
Pistrucci enjoyed a friendly relationship with
By the early 1840s, the Audit Office was questioning the amount spent on Pistrucci. In 1844, the Master of the Mint,
The conflict between Pistrucci and William Wyon continued into the late 1840s, and was sometimes featured in the press, contributing to the feeling that all was not well at the Mint. A
Pistrucci in 1850 moved from Old Windsor to Flora Lodge, Englefield Green, near Windsor, where he lived with his daughters Maria Elisa and Elena, both gem engravers. He continued to accept private commissions for cameos and medals. Pistrucci died there of "inflammation of the lungs", on 16 September 1855, and is buried at Christ Church, Virginia Water, Surrey.[40]
Appraisal
Pistrucci is probably remembered most for his George and Dragon design for the sovereign.[2] Not greatly liked at the time of its origin, it has come to be celebrated.[19] The Deputy Master of the Mint who restored the design to the sovereign in 1871, Charles Fremantle, stated his view that "it is hardly possible to over-rate the advantages accruing to a coinage from an artistic and well-executed design".[41] By 1893, it was on all of Britain's gold coins; The Art Journal described Pistrucci's design as having "triumphantly borne the test of time".[42] Marsh noted, "it is indeed a tribute that his wonderful design should still adorn the gold coinage of our current Queen Elizabeth II. It is one of the finest ever in our coinage history, and has certainly stood the test of time. Long may it continue."[43] Pistrucci's design has also appeared on a non-circulating £20 silver coin in 2013[44] and on the crown in 1818–1823, 1887–1900, 1902 and 1951.[45]
Roderick Farey, in his biographical articles on Pistrucci, described him as "an Italian with a fiery disposition, he had numerous arguments with the authorities but no-one could doubt his genius firstly as a cameo cutter and later as an engraver and medallist."[2] Those disputes, and a perceived slowness to complete his works (especially the Waterloo Medal) have been sources of criticism by later writers. Howard Linecar, in his book on British coin designs and designers, wrote, "there is little doubt that Pistrucci held the cutting of these dies as a bargaining counter in his relentless efforts to obtain the post of Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint ... On balance it is perhaps fair to say that Pistrucci, having probably been promised that which he could not have ... squeezed the last drop of blood out of the situation."[46] According to Clancy, "With great talent can often come controversy and throughout his career Pistrucci was acclaimed and reviled in equal measure, maintaining a series of tense relationships with his colleagues, the most pointed of which [was] with his fellow engraver William Wyon."[11] Craig concluded, "Apart from the George and Dragon design, which was less esteemed then than now ... this artist's Mint works, unlike his private commissions, were failures".[47]
The Waterloo Medal is regarded by many as a masterpiece on par with his St George and the Dragon.
Farey concluded his study of Pistrucci,
By his own admission, Benedetto Pistrucci argued readily with his peers and lost work by refusing point blank to copy the efforts of another artist. He remains an enigmatic figure whose genius is represented especially in the Waterloo medal and survives unsurpassed to this day in his portrayal of St George and the Dragon.[48]
Gallery
-
Cameo, 1810
-
1819 crown
-
Coronation medal for George IV (1821). Note the elevated King.
-
The Victoria Coronation design (1838) criticised by Joseph Hume
Notes
- ^ And again from 2009.
References
- ^ a b Marsh 1996, pp. 3–4.
- ^ a b c d e Farey September 2014, p. 51.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i ODNB.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 5.
- ^ a b Marsh 1996, p. 7.
- ^ Marsh 1996, pp. 12–13.
- ^ Marsh 1996, pp. 13–15.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 15.
- ^ a b Farey September 2014, p. 52.
- ^ Linecar, pp. 93–94.
- ^ a b Clancy, p. 58.
- ^ a b Rodgers, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Clancy, p. 62.
- ^ Farey September 2014, pp. 52–53.
- ^ Craig, pp. 295–296.
- ^ Linecar, p. 95.
- ^ a b c Farey October 2014, p. 51.
- ^ Peck, p. 390.
- ^ a b c Clancy, p. 67.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 27.
- ^ Lobel, p. 453.
- ^ Rodgers, pp. 44–47.
- ^ Rodgers, p. 44.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 28.
- ^ Marsh 2002, p. 12.
- ^ Craig, p. 296.
- ^ Linecar, pp. 97–98.
- ^ a b Craig, p. 297.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 57.
- ^ a b c Dyer & Gaspar, p. 489.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 35.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 39.
- ^ Marsh 1996, pp. 30, 40.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 43.
- ^ Marsh 1996, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Marsh 1996, pp. 45–46.
- ^ a b Craig, p. 298.
- ^ Marsh 1996, p. 48.
- ^ Dyer & Gaspar, pp. 496, 502, 504.
- ^ Marsh 1996, pp. 59–60.
- ^ Clancy, p. 73.
- ^ Clancy, p. 75.
- ^ a b Marsh 1996, p. 61.
- ^ Mussell, p. 234.
- ^ Lobel, pp. 487–492.
- ^ Linecar, pp. 96–97.
- ^ Craig, pp. 298–299.
- ^ Farey October 2014, p. 52.
Bibliography
- Clancy, Kevin (2017) [2015]. A History of the Sovereign: Chief Coin of the World (second ed.). Llantrisant, Wales: Royal Mint Museum. ISBN 978-1-869917-00-5.
- Craig, John (2010) [1953]. The Mint (paperback ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-17077-2.
- Dyer, G.P.; Gaspar, P.P. (1992), "Reform, the New Technology and Tower Hill", in Challis, C.E. (ed.), A New History of the Royal Mint, Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, pp. 398–606, ISBN 978-0-521-24026-0
- Farey, Roderick (September 2014). "Benedetto Pistrucci (1782–1855), Part 1". Coin News: 51–53.
- Farey, Roderick (October 2014). "Benedetto Pistrucci (1782–1855), Part 2". Coin News: 51–53.
- Leonard Forrer. Benedetto Pistrucci: Italian medallist & gem-engraver, 1784-1855 (Spink, 1906).
- Linecar, H.W.A. (1977). British Coin Designs and Designers. London: G. Bell & Sons Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7135-1931-0.
- Lobel, Richard, ed. (1999) [1995]. Coincraft's Standard Catalogue English & UK Coins 1066 to Date (5th ed.). London: Standard Catalogue Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9526228-8-8.
- Marsh, Michael A. (1996). Benedetto Pistrucci: Principal Engraver and Chief Medallist of the Royal Mint, 1783-1855. Hardwick, Cambridgeshire: Michael A. Marsh (Publications). ISBN 978-0-9506929-2-0.
- Marsh, Michael A. (2002) [1980]. The Gold Sovereign (Golden Jubilee (Third) ed.). Hardwick, Cambridgeshire: Michael A. Marsh (Publications). ISBN 978-0-9506929-4-4.
- Mussell, John W., ed. (2016). The Coin Yearbook 2017. Exeter, Devon: Token Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-908828-30-9.
- Peck, C. Wilson (1960). English Copper, Tin and Bronze Coins in the British Museum 1558–1958. London: Trustees of the British Museum. OCLC 906173180.
- required.)
- Rodgers, Kerry (June 2017). "Britain's Gold Sovereign". Coin News: 43–47.
Further reading
- Billing, Archibald & Pistrucci, B. The science of gems, jewels, coins, and medals, ancient and modern (inc. biography of Pistrucci) (London: Bell & Daldy, 1867) pp. 135–211. Illustrated.
- Lee, Sidney, ed. (1896). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 45. London: Smith, Elder & Co. Contains list of works as well as biography.
External links
- B. Pistrucci at Artnet
- Pieces by Pistrucci in the Royal Collection
- Head of Medusa, Cameo (Metropolitan Museum of Art)
- Portraits by Pistrucci (National Portrait Gallery, London)
- Benedetto Pistrucci, in: World of coins
- Museo della Zecca di Roma page with some of Pistrucci's coin and medal models (in Italian)