Portraiture of Our Stuart Monarchs on Their Coins and Medals
PORTRAITURE OF OUR STUART MONARCHS ON THEIR COINS AND MEDALS. PART VI. ANNE. BY HELEN FARQUIIAR. ONDY on ye 8th March 170J att 8 in the Forenoon at Kensington dyed his Maty K. William the third."1 So reads the announcement in the minutes of the Treasury Board of this important event, and the Age of Queen Anne had commenced. " The Age of Queen Anne " ! This THE PEACE OF UTRECHT MEDAL. MED. ILL., VOL II., P. 401, NO. 259. phrase, so familiar to every Englishman, be his bent towards the study of history or literature, is usually considered synonymous with success. To those, however, who specially interest themselves in portraiture, it is somewhat disappointing, for although we speak of "Queen Anne furniture," of " Queen Anne architecture," of " Queen Anne literature " 1 MS. Treasury Minutes, T. 29, vol. 13, p. 135. 20 Portraiture o or Stuart Monarcs. —yes, and of " Queen Anne plate," with pleasure and admiration, we find no remarkable development in the paintings of the day. But the glory of the reign, due to the victories of the nation in foreign wars, ultimately resulting in a long awaited, if not a very glorious, peace, and thereby giving a stimulus to commerce and art, is constantly brought before us by medals commemorating battles and finally the termination of hostilities ; and fortunately in this form of portraiture we find much to admire. And not only upon Anne's medals is she well portrayed, for the increased tendency towards high relief upon her coin, although prejudicial to its utility, in its medallic character almost justifies the panegyric of Ruding, who declared that in her reign " we enter upon the second splendid period in the annals of our mints."1 "The beauty of her coinage," writes this enthusiastic chronicler, " is exceeded only by the admirable works of Simon." PATTERN GUINEA OF 1702, SHOWING THE NECK BARE, IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM.
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