George III pattern sovereign with St. George reverse

George III pattern sovereign with St. George reverse

Benedetto Pistrucci

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan has not been known historically for collecting coins, but the Peluso family's gift of British coinage is a worthy addition for its revelations of high artistry. Benedetto Pistrucci began his career in Rome, carving cameos with amazing dexterity. Soon after his arrival in London in 1815, he became chief engraver at the Royal Mint. The coins of George III (r. 1760–1820) are among the most elegant ever created. The gold sovereign's obverse succinctly invests the fat, ancient monarch with authority, while the reverse, with Saint George and the Dragon encircled in the Order of the Garter, is so successful in its clarity that it has been repeated (minus the Order) on the specie of most succeeding British monarchs.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

George III pattern sovereign with St. George reverseGeorge III pattern sovereign with St. George reverseGeorge III pattern sovereign with St. George reverseGeorge III pattern sovereign with St. George reverseGeorge III pattern sovereign with St. George reverse

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.