Description:
Gold eagle badge medal for the Society of Cincinnati, which was said to have belonged to Major General John Sullivan (1740-1795), one of the founders of the Society of Cincinnati and the first President of the Society in New Hampshire. Sullivan was commissioned a general in the Continental Army under George Washington in 1775, and was a member of the Continental Congress for New Hampshire, and later NH President and U.S. District Judge. This and the other Sullivan-related items acquired in 1962, were said to be, "Unreservedly guaranteed to have been purchased directly from the home of Col. James and Mrs. Sullivan of Ashfield, Massachusetts" (nothing in the file about Col. James Sullivan). However, this medal was probably made by the John F. Newman Company of New York City between 1903-1917, which made about 20 eagle medals for the New Hampshire Society. The Newman Company were well-known for their commemorative medals and college fraternity jewelry. Founded in May, 1783 by Continental Army officers with George Washington elected its first president in December 1783, serving until his death in 1799, the Society is named for Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus, a 5th century B.C. Roman farmer who was called from his fields to lead his country's army in battle; he returned a triumphant leader, declined honors, and went back to his farm. Both the Society diploma and Eagle badge were designed by Pierre Charles L'Enfant (1754-1825) in June 1783, who then supervised the fabrication by Francastlet and Duval in Paris, returning with the first groups of eagles and the copperplate for the diploma in May 1784. His design includes an bald eagle with a central seal of Roman senators giving a sword to Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. However, Minor Myers in his "The Insignia of The Society of the Cincinnati" details the number of French versions and sizes that quickly followed the original design. The earliest versions of American medals date from 1784 when Jeremiah Andrew, a jeweler of Philadelphia, advertised in a Baltimore newspaper on Dec. 17, 1784 that he had completed a number of medals for the Society of Cincinnati. By the early 1800s, other American jewelers such as John Cooke of New York advertised in 1802 that he would make Society medals. Many variations of the medal, which usually copied the Andrews/Cook rather than the L'Enfant models, were commissioned by constituent societies and individuals through the 18th and 19th centuries, produced by many jewelers including Tiffany. The Society attempted to standardize the medal in 1902, designating as the standard the design submitted by Philadlephia jewelers, Bailey, Banks & Biddle. However that design never became the standard, but rather one from which to chose. The Society continues with its membership limited to the oldest living male lineal descendent of the original members. This two-sided medal has a solid, rounded wreath with blue enamel leaves over the white-enameled eagle's head with the pink stone (type unknown) eyes, beak, and neck feathers outlined in gold over center shields on both sides. The obverse side has the eagle's head facing right; the shield has “Omnia : Relinquit . Servare . Rempublicam +” (He gave up everything to serve the Republic) around the scene of Cincinnatus in profile receiving the sword from two senators in profile and a man in a toga standing behind them, and his wife standing in the doorway of a small house on the right, all on a dark blue ground; over two gold talons holding branches with blue enamel leaves and 6 gold-outlined, white enamels tail feathers. The reverse has the head left; "SOCIETAS CINCINNATORUM. INSTITUTA A D 1783" around Fame blowing a horn and reaching down with a wreath to crown Cincinnatus who is facing forward and standing in a field between his sword and plow in front of a rising sun and a sailing ship and two buildings; over two branches with blue enamel leaves and two layers (4 over 6) of gold-outlined, white enamel tail feathers.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+62.222 |
