Medals 1400-1900
The first medals derived from classical coins and flourished in Renaissance Italy.
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Plaquettes 1400-1550
Plaquettes are small plaques made of bronze, brass, lead or precious metals. They originated in the 1440s with the desire to reproduce coins and hardstone engravings from a…
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Commemorative medals
The first commemorative medals were made in Renaissance Italy in the 1430s. They marked significant events, people or places, or were intended as propaganda.
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Plaquettes 1500-1600: Germany
The art of plaquette making emerged in southern Germany, in Nuremberg and Augsburg, about 1510-20. The plaquettes had the same multiple purpose as their Italian predecessor…
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French Art Nouveau and Art Deco Medals: 1890-1940
The many national and world fairs that took place in Paris over this period greatly benefited French medallists.
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Plaquettes 1500-1650: The Netherlands
Plaquette-making flourished in the Netherlands in the 1500-1600s. Artists such as Jacques Jonghelinck, active in Antwerp, and Paulus van Vianen, a goldsmith in Utrecht, wer…
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Contemporary art medals
In contemporary medals the designer often questions the traditional concept of format, appearance and purpose. These medals are best appreciated when held and turned in the…
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The New Medallists
In 2012, the New Medallist display celebrated the first six years of the New Medallist scheme. By nurturing a new generation of British medallists, the New Medallist scheme…
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The John Charles Robinson Medal, by Felicity Powell, 2002
An anonymous donation and the decision to commission the Sculpture Collection’s first contemporary work of art sparked off a series of ideas which resulted in an exciting a…
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Medal Casting & Striking
This article outlines the stages involved in designing and casting a contemporary medal. As an example, it uses the John Charles Robinson medal that the V&A commissioned fr…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Zandra Rhodes: Textile Revolution: Medals, Wiggles and Pop 1961-1971
Pop art created a fresh new outlook using everyday objects and design conflating high and low culture into a bright bold aesthetic. Fuelled by the pre…
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