Medal striking & casting

At its simplest, a medal is cast by pouring molten metal into a mould and letting it solidify. The process usually begins with preparatory drawings. From these, the artist develops a model. This may be made from plaster, beeswax or, as was common in Germany during the Renaissance, carved fruitwood or stone. When the models for each face are complete, a negative mould is taken.

  • Felicity Powell's sketchbook, 2001-2



    Sketchbook
    Felicity Powell
    2001-2
    Graphite on paper
    Museum no. E.1034-2003
    Given by the artist.

    The drawings show Powell exploring an idea that she later translated into the design for the reverse of the Robinson medal. She took the hands from the carved figures in The Annunciation by Arnolfo di Cambio of about 1300. Robinson bought this work for the Museum in 1861.

  • Model for the reverse of the medal, Felicity Powell



    Model for the reverse of the medal
    Felicity Powell
    2002
    Plaster
    Museum no. A.7-2002
    Given by the artist.

    This is one of the models that Powell developed during the evolution of her design.

  • Bronze Medal (reverse view), Felicity Powell



    Bronze Medal (reverse view)
    Felicity Powell
    Cast by Alan Dunn
    London
    2004
    Cast bronze
    Museum no. A.10-2004

    The final version was cast using ceramic shell technique, which has originally developed for precision castings. It is ideally suited to casting small-scale objects and was first used by artists in the 1950s. The wax is surrounded by a shell of ceramic particles bound together. As the shell is porous there is no need to construct vents to allow the gas given off during casting to escape.

  • John Charles Robinson Medal



    'John Charles Robinson Medal'
    Felicity Powell
    2002
    Cast by Alan Dunn
    London
    2002
    Patinated cast bronze
    Museum no. A.5-2002.
    Commissioned by the V&A with funding from an anonymous donor.

    Surface treatments greatly affect our appreciation of a medal. Here Powell has applied a copper nitrate solution, under heat, to give a greenish-blue patination (a chemical alteration of a metal surface, resulting in a change of colour). Unusually, she has left the edge unpatinated. Instead, she has polished it and stamped it with Robinson's full name and dates, adding also the cryptic message 'From Few to Many'.

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