The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 33, August 19, 2007, Article 24

WILLIAM WYON AND ASSISTANT ROYAL MINT ENGRAVER NATHANIEL MARCHANT

In my London Diary last week I mentioned seeing a collection
of gems by Nathaniel Marchant.  I'm not the only traveler around
here.  Hadrien Rembach writes: "I always love reading your diary!
I came back last night from Sicily, where I was able to see some
amazing Roman mosaics.  As for Marchant, the engraver, I attach
here an article in which you can see a gem he engraved, and find
several references to him."

[The article is "Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Engraved Gems
in the British Museum; Collectors and Collections from Sir Hans
Sloane to Anne Hull Grundy" by Judy Rudoe, published in 1996 in
'Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschichte', pp. 198-213.  The article is
a nice introduction to gems and their makers and collectors.
There are a number of numismatic ties to these items, which
straddle the line between medallic and sculptural arts  as
indicated by this short excerpt:   "Many late 18th and early
19th gem engravers were also medallists; Mrs Hull Grundy gave
medals by gem engravers with her gems because she wanted them
to be shown together. In the second half of the 19th century
the links were more with sculpture..."  Hadrien also forwarded
a short biography of Marchant he'd found on Answers.com.
-Editor]

"Nathaniel Marchant (b Sussex, 1739; d London, 24 March 1816).
English gem-engraver and medallist. He first came to notice as
the main prizewinner of the London Society of Arts' premiums
for intaglio-engraving between 1762 and 1766... he created
remarkable gems after ancient reliefs and statues ... In time
he became recognized as the only rival to Giovanni Pichler,
then considered the foremost engraver in Rome."

To read the complete Answers.com entry on Marchant, see:
Full Story

Jim Duncan writes: "Marchant rates a five-page illustrated
entry in Forrer's Biographical Dictionary of Medallists, and
yes, he was an engraver at the Royal Mint from about 1782, to
make models for engravers L Pingo and T Wyon, to copy.
He was also Engraver of His Majesty's Seals.

"He did a bust of George III which appears on the Bank tokens
of c1804, England and Ireland; and the Military Guinea of 1813
which is by Thomas Wyon.  Half Guineas of 1804-06, 1808-11
and 1813, and seven shilling pieces of the same dates.   It
was copied by William Wyon on his pattern crown of 1817.
And on, and on.   He does the work - someone else gets the glory!

"Forrer includes an almost two-page listing of his known works
(pages 560-565 of volume III)."

Gar Travis forwarded several links to small items relating to
Marchant, including the following page on the web site of
Christopher Eimer.  It pictures a c.1790 East India College
Reward of Merit medal attributed to Marchant.
christophereimer.co.uk/single/7903.html

Another of Gar's links referenced an article mentioning an
interesting connection between Marchant and Royal Mint engraver
William Wyon.  An article published in The Gentleman's Magazine,
"William Wyon and his Works" states that in 1811 "William Wyon
engraved a head of Hercules, which was shown to Nathaniel Marchant,
R.A. then the best English gem-engraver, and elicited from that
gentleman an earnest recommendation that the youth should be
employed upon objects of higher art than those which his father
was accustomed to receive from the tradesmen of Birmingham."

To read the William Wyon article on Google Books, see:
Full Story

[Finally, Gar included this information: "He was appointed
assistant engraver at the Royal Mint in 1797 and held the office
till 1815 when he was superannuated (Ruding, Annals, i. 45;
Numismatic Journal, ii. 18)"  Gar adds: "superannuated = retired
due to age".

Many thanks to everyone who responded.  This goes to show you
just never know where a line of numismatic inquiry can lead.

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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