Benjamin Wyon (9 January 1802 – 21 November 1858) was a British engraver of seals, and medallist. Great Seal William IV

Life

Family grave of Benjamin Wyon in Highgate Cemetery

Born in John Street,

Blackfriars, London Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London. Blackfriars Priory The name first occurs in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from as has, meaning 'brother'. Black refers to the ...

, on 9 January 1802, he was the second son of Thomas Wyon the elder. He received instruction from his elder brother, Thomas Wyon the younger, and in 1821 gained the gold medal of the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

for a medal die of figures. He also gained the silver medal of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

, for a die with the head of

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

. On 10 January 1831 Wyon was appointed Chief Engraver of the Seals and made the

Great Seal A great seal is a seal used by a head of state, or someone authorised to do so on their behalf, to confirm formal documents, such as laws, treaties, appointments and letters of dispatch. It was and is used as a guarantee of the authenticity of ...

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

. He died in London on 21 November 1858 and is buried on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in North London, England, designed by architect Stephen Geary. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for so ...

Works

Wyon produced medals, his signatures being "B. Wyon" and "Benj. Wyon". Among them were: * 1821, Visit of George IV to Ireland (obverse only); * 1831, Opening of London Bridge; * 1832, Passing of Reform Bill; * 1834, Foundation of City of London School; * 1842, Pollock Prize Medals; * 1849, Opening of London Coal Exchange; * 1851, Shakespeare Prize, City of London School; * 1854/1855, reverse of the

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...

as the obverse, the diademed head of Queen Victoria, was a reuse of an engraving of

William Wyon William Wyon (1795 – 29 October 1851) was a British engraver who was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. Biography Wyon was born in Birmingham and, in 1809, was apprenticed to his father, Peter Wyon who ...

; * 1855, Visits of the Emperor of the French and of the King of Sardinia to the Guildhall, London. Seals produced by Wyon include The Seal of

George Augustus Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was metropolitan bishop ...

, the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand in 1841.

Family

Wyon was the father of Joseph Shepherd Wyon, Alfred Benjamin Wyon, and Allan Wyon.

Notes

External links

''Europe in the age of enlightenment and revolution''
a catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Wyon(see index) ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyon, Benjamin 1802 births 1858 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery People from the City of London English medallists 19th-century English engravers 19th-century English sculptors