17th Century Historical Medallions

It wasn't until the early 1600's that commemorative medals became more widely used as a way to remember an important event. One of the earliest British medallions of the 17th Century was the coronation of James I in 1603. Royal occassions such as marriages, deaths and subsequent coronations were often the subject of medallions at that time, however towards the end of the century many more were struck to mark important military victories, and political events. Key artists of this century include Briot, Roettier, Bower, Muller and Hautsch.