P O R T R A I T M E D A L FOR THE EIGHTIETH B I R T H D A Y OF CHRISTOPHER E V E L Y N BLUNT

SOME time ago a group of friends and admirers of Christopher Blunt discussed how best to use the occasion of his eightieth birthday on 16 July 1984 to show appreciation for his long and distinguished services to numismatics, history and archaeology. It was very quickly agreed that a specially-commissioned portrait medal would be appropriate. Although a medal was no doubt an obvious choice for the numismatists among his friends, it also carried the advantage of providing an opportunity for young artists interested in taking up the difficult art of coin and medal design.

The Blunt Medal Fund was established for the purpose of paying the artists and covering other necessary expenses. Contributions were invited in a letter signed by the president of the British Academy, the chairman of the British Art Medal Society, and the presidents of the British Association of Numismatic Societies, the British Numismatic Society, the Inter-national Numismatic Commission, the Royal Numismatic Society, the Society of Antiquaries, the Society for Medieval Archaeology, and the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society. A list of those who responded to the appeal is appended.

Mr R. C. Meaden, a former Royal Mint photographer, was commissioned to visit Mr Blunt at his home in- Ramsbury to take a series of photographs, and in August 1983 certain promising young artists who already had some experience in medal design were invited to take part in a small competition. They were asked to provide a portrait for the obverse but for the reverse, beyond the suggestion that it should in some way symbolise Christopher Blunt's long interest in coins or else consist of a simple inscription, they were left a free hand. Models were subsequently received from five artists and these were considered by a judging panel whihc met at the Royal Mint under the chairmanship of Dr C. H. V. Suther-land and which included Mr J. Porteous, Mr J. G. Pollard, Miss M. M. Archibald, Mr G. P. Dyer, and the chief engraver of the Royal Mint, Mr H. T. Elsasser. The panel was unanimous in its selection of the work of Miss Annabel Elev of Portobello Green, London. Her design, inspired by pennies of Offa, seemed to the panel not only to show a very pleasing originality but also to succeed in capturing in the portrait those qualities so familiar to Christopher Blunt's friends.

Miss Eley is primarily a jewellery designer but during her training at the Central School of Art and Design she began to take an interest in medals. In her final year, 1981/2, she entered the annual Royal Society of Arts' competition for young medallists and was awarded first prize for her Thames Flood Barrier medal. This success was followed by a commission from the British Art Medal Society, for whom she produced her second medal, Carnival. The Christopher Blunt medal has provided her first medallic portrait, and a portrait is also a feature of the private commission on which she is currently at work.

The special medal in silver for Christopher Blunt was cast by G. W. Lunt & Son Ltd of Birmingham, and on 19 July many of Mr Blunt's friends were at the British Academy to witness its presentation by Dr C. H. V. Sutherland. Bronze specimens of the medal, also cast by Lunt's, were distributed to members of Mr Blunt's family and to those who had subscribed for them.

190 CHRISTOPHER EVELYN BLUNT MEDAL

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE BLUNT MEDAL FUND

Lady Abell Mr P. V. Addyman Mr M. R. Allen Mrs Margaret Amstell Mr M. J. Anderson Mr F. K. Annable Miss Marion M. Archibald Capt. A. J. Arnot Miss Eileen M. Atkinson Mr R. Baker A. H. Baldwin and Sons Ltd Mr N. C. Ballingal Mr J. H. Bam forth Professor Peter Berghaus Mr E. M. Besly Professor Martin Biddle Mr M. A. S. Blackbum Mr G. C. Boon Mr J. D. Brand Mr R. P. V. Brettell Dr D. A. Brodie Professor C. N. L. Brooke Mr M. R. Broome Mr J. C. Brunei Dr A. J. P. Campbell Mr R. A. G. Carson Mr M. Y. Carter Professor Sir Owen Chadwick Dr C. E. Challis Mr A. O. Chater Mr D. S. Chick Mr J. F. Chown Mr P. A. Clayton Mr T. H. McK. Clough Mr W. H. R. Cook Mr F. R. Cooper Copenhagen, Royal Collection of

Coins and Medals The Earl of Cranbrook Miss Elizabeth Crittall Mr and Mrs A. A. Cross Mr E. W. Danson Mrs M. Delme-Radcliffe Mr G. V. Doubleday Mr R. W. Douglas Mr E. J. Downey Mr G. P. Dyer Mr C. R. Elrington Mr G. Emblem Mr G. A. Entwisle Professor J .D. Evans Mr John Farquharson Mr T. P. Fattorini Mr Daniel Fearon Mr I. D. Finney Mr L. H. Fletcher Lord Fletcher Mr B. Forster Mr Frank Forster Dr W. A. D. Freeman Mr W. C. French

f Professor G. Galster Mr N. J. Gordon Clark Mr James Graham-Campbell Professor Michael Grant Professor Philip Grierson Mr Arthur Grimwade

Mr L. V. Grin sell | Mr Antony Gunstone

Dr D. B. Harden Mr M. J. Harrison Professor and Mrs P. D. A. Harvey Mr R. N. P. Hawkins Mr H. E. Hill Dr P. V. Hill Dr Rosalind Hill Dr Catherine M. Hills Dr I. T. Holloway Mr G. S. Hopkins Mr J. H. Hopkins Professor R. J. Hopper Dr Spyros Iakovidis Mr Donald Insall Mr L. A. Ives Mr K. A. Jacob Mr F. C. Jewett Mr Humphrey Jones Mr M. E. P. Jones Professor E. M. and Mrs Margaret

Jope Dr J. A. Kay Dr J. P. C. Kent Dr S. D. Keynes Dr D. G. Kilgore Jnr Professor Shoji Kiyonaga Mr F. I. Kormis Dr J. D. O. Lavertine Mr E. R. Lax Mr Marvin Lessen Mr R. A. Lewis Dr J. F. Lhotka Jnr Professor and Mrs H. R. Loyn Mr R. M. Lubbock Mr C. S, S. Lyon Mr David MacDonald Mr Michael Maclagan Mr B. M. Mader Miss Kathleen Major Professor Brita Maimer Mr H. E. Manville The Manx Museum Professor H. B. Mattingly Society for Medieval Archaeology Dr Gay van der Meer Mr Philip Mernick Mr Ralph Merrifield Mr R. A. Merson Dr D. M. Metcalf Mr T. S. N. Moorhead Mrs Ann L. Morley Mr C. D. Morris Mr Andrew Morrison Mrs Anne C. Morrison Professor Karl Morrison Miss Sarah Morrison Mr H. R. Mossop Sir Godfrey Nicholson Bt Mr J. J. North

fMrs E. M. H. Norweb Mr A. H. Oswald Mrs D. M. Owen Mr H. E. Pagan Professor R. I. Page Mr T. M. Palmer

Mr J. D. Parry Mr O. F. Parsons Mr M. B. Pfeffer Mr and Mrs John Pinches Miss E. J. E. Pixie Mr J. G. Pollard Mr Leon Pomerance Mr John Porteous Mr P. J. Preston-Morley Mr J. F. Rainey Dr C. A. Ralegh Radford Mr E. H. Redfern Mr N. G. Rhodes Mrs Eleanore Rigold Mr H. Riley Mr T. J. Robertson Mr K. H. Rogers The Hon. Sir Steven Runciman Mrs J. A. Rutter Mr J. C. Sadler Mr R. Sancroft-Baker Mr H. Schneider MrS. E. Schwer Mr Peter Seaby Mr W. A. Seaby Mr R. J. Seaman Mr D. R. Sear Mr D. G. J. Sellwood Mr Robert Sharman Dr C. A. Shell Mr David Sherlock Mr Wilfrid Slayter Dr Veronica J. Smart Dr Isobel F. Smith Mr W. J. Smith Mr F. S. Snow Spink and Son Ltd Mr G. D. Squibb Mr T. Stainton Mr R. B. K. Stevenson Dr B. H. I. H. Stewart Stockholm, The Royal Coin

Cabinet Mr M. J. Summers Dr C. H. V. Sutherland Mr and Mrs Bonar Sykes Mr and Mrs Gordon Sykes Mr T. Talvio Dr G. L. V. Tatler Dr A. J. Taylor Mr N. Thomas Mr N. P. Thompson Mr R. H. Thompson Professor Bluma Trell Mr D. G. Waddilove Dr A. E. Werner Dr P. D. Whitting Mr D. F. Wicks Sir David Wilson Wiltshire Archaeological and

Natural History Society Mr G. W. de Wit Mr C. J. Wood Mr P. Woodhead Mr W. J. Zimmerman