Two Pound Piece: George V (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse) (1911): Art, History and Details

Two Pound Piece: George V (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse) (1911) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Bertram Mackennal (Australian, 1863–1931); Benedetto Pistrucci (Italian, 1784–1855).

The work and its context

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

Benedetto Pistrucci, an Italian gem and coin engraver, is best known for his image of St. George and the Dragon, which is still used on coinage today. Bertram Mackennal, an Australian sculptor and medallist, was reported to be one of the few artists King George V liked and is most famous for designing the king's likeness.

Object facts

• Title: Two Pound Piece: George V (obverse); St. George and the Dragon (reverse)
• Date: 1911
• Creator attribution: Bertram Mackennal (Australian, 1863–1931); Benedetto Pistrucci (Italian, 1784–1855)
• Culture: England, George V, 1910-1936
• Type: Coins
• Technique: gold
• Dimensions: Diameter: 2.8 cm (1 1/8 in.)
• Collection: MED - Numismatics
• Department: Medieval Art
• Accession number: 1969.222

A detail from the museum

This piece was struck for inclusion in poof sets, never for circulation.

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.