Five Pound Piece: Edward VII (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse) (1902): Art, History and Details

Five Pound Piece: Edward VII (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse) (1902) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Benedetto Pistrucci (Italian, 1784–1855); George Edward de Saulles (British).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Struck for inclusion in the proof commemorative sets of the new coinage of the reign, this piece was unusual in having a frosted or matte surface, produced by the application of acid. Non-proof five-pound pieces were also struck, but not for circulation. George Edward de Saulles was appointed chief engraver at the Royal Mint in 1892. At his death, the position was abolished for the sake of 'greater freedom in obtaining designs." There is still, however, a body of engravers at the mint to carry out the work necessary in adapting coin designs and making the dies.

Object facts

• Title: Five Pound Piece: Edward VII (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse)
• Date: 1902
• Creator attribution: Benedetto Pistrucci (Italian, 1784–1855); George Edward de Saulles (British)
• Culture: England, Edward VII, 1901-1910
• Type: Coins
• Technique: gold
• Dimensions: Diameter: 3.7 cm (1 7/16 in.)
• Collection: MED - Numismatics
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1969.221

A detail from the museum

George Edward de Saulles designed coins under Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.

Collection credit

The Norweb Collection

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection. [Catalog. 1968.]

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.