Personification of Painting at an Easel Portraying Sir Joshua Reynolds [reverse] 1773

This bronze medal was designed by John Kirk in 1773, and celebrates Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first president of the Royal Academy. The medal's material is telling: bronze signifies durability and prestige. It was created through striking – a process of hammering metal between dies, essentially a form of industrialisation. The image on the medal’s reverse depicts the personification of Painting portraying Reynolds at an easel, palette in hand. The design emphasizes skill, artistry, and the Academy's endorsement of Reynolds's work. The production of medals like these involved specialized labor and a degree of mechanical reproduction, a departure from singular artworks. By combining artistic subject matter with industrial processes, this medal blurs the lines between fine art and craft, questioning traditional hierarchies in art production.