5/6/2023 0 Comments Coinage of great britain![]() When the sixteen-year-old Frances arrived at the royal court in 1661, she quickly attracted the attention of the King, who doted on her and tried unsuccessfully to make her his mistress. If correct, it was an inspired choice by the artist to secure royal approval for his work. The Peace of Breda Medal by John Roettiers, 1667Īccording to Pepys, Roettiers modelled his Britannia on Frances Teresa Stewart, the Queen’s lady in waiting, who became the Duchess of Richmond later that year. The inscription can be translated as, “By the favour of God”. Her proud gaze is fixed on a British Royal Navy ship as it sails out to sea to join others in the fleet on the horizon. ![]() ![]() She continues to hold a spear, and Roettiers emblazoned her shield with the Flag of Great Britain to symbolise the union of England and Scotland. Roettiers gave her an olive branch to hold instead, to convey her desire for peace. On the Roman coin, she rested her chin on one hand as if contemplating her fate under occupation. That design depicted Britannia, the female personification of Britain, dressed in flowing robes and seated by rocks, with a shield in one arm and a large shield at her side. For the reverse design, Roettiers drew inspiration from an ancient coin, first struck during the reign of Emperor Hadrian during the Roman occupation of Britain in the second century. The large (56mm diameter) medal was struck in gold, silver and bronze, and the obverse was a portrait of the King, wearing a laurel wreath in his long hair. One commemorated the Peace of Breda, which marked the end of the second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667. In addition to designing coins, Roettiers produced a new great seal of the kingdom of Great Britain and a large number of important medals. In 1666, the diarist Samuel Pepys visited him at his studio in the Tower of London, where he saw “some of the finest pieces of work, in embossed work, that ever I did see in my life, for fineness and smallness of the images thereon.” Pepys was so impressed that he resolved to take his wife to see them (Diary, 26 March 1666). John Roettiers quickly acquired a reputation as one of the finest engravers ever employed at the mint. Their youngest brother, Philip, became engraver-general of the mint of the King of Spain in the Low Countries. ![]() His younger brother Joseph, who acted as his principal assistant, later became engraver-general of the French mint in 1682. ![]() Within a year of arriving in London, John Roettiers (1631–1703) had been appointed one of the mint’s chief engravers and entrusted with the task of preparing the nation’s coinage. Though it would appear that the appointment was made to return a favour, there is no doubt that all three brothers were extremely talented engravers. The royal invitation announcing the appointment of John, Joseph and Philip Roettiers stated that they were to be employed on account of the King’s long experience of their great skill and knowledge “in the arts of graveing and cutting in stone”. Their father, Philip Roettiers, a goldsmith in Antwerp, had loaned money to Charles during his time in exile and had been promised employment for his sons when the monarchy was restored. In 1661, King Charles II invited three Dutch brothers to move to London to join the Royal Mint as engravers. ![]()
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