Lot 991
1777 Ben Franklin Terra Cotta Medallion Plaque. Produced in France in 1777, by Jean-Batiste Nini (1717-1786), 4.5" diameter. The Italian artist Jean Baptiste (or Giovanni Battista) Nini, based his portrait of Franklin on a drawing byh Thomas Walpole, the young son of an associate of Franklin. The bas-relief medallion is enclosed by a narrow moulding with the interior filled from rim to rim with a relief poertrait of Franklin's head and shoulders, facing left, wearing a close-fitting fur cap and dressed in a coat open at the neck, at which the ruffles of his neckwear are partially visible. The medallion is inscribed in serif Roman capitals around the inner edge of the moulded border. B. FRANKLIN, AMERICAN. Under ethe tranche of the shoulder is a shield bearing a lightning rod and thunderbolt, with a crown as its cresst. The mark impressed under the shouder is Nini / F 1777.
On verso of the medallion, lightly inscribed in fine ink is the well known Latin motto verse by Diderot "You see the wise man in his wisdom, whose happy male kind, seized the lightning from the heavens and the scepter from the tyrant."
Except for a small chip on the reverse not effecteing either the obverse or the text. Rare and in demand. Extremely Fine or better. Estimate Value $1,000 - UP
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| Realized $900 |
