Antique silver — the most interesting small collectibles in London

This unusual medal pair was a private commission in 1774 from noted medallist Thomas Pingo (1714-1776). It commemorates the fortieth wedding anniversary of Peter Muilman (d.1790) and his wife Mary Chiswell, the daughter of a prominent merchant trading with Turkey.

Fig 1

The obverse of each medal shows portraits of the couple [Fig2] and the reverse an image of Kirby Hall in Essex, the home of the Muilman family [Fig1]. An illustration of this medal featured in the Gentleman’s Magazine when the medal was first struck [(volume LVIII p. 792)]. The medal was mentioned in the magazine a second time as being made ‘according to the Dutch fashion’ in Muilman’s obituary.

Fig 2

This group of objects contains a silver medal and a base metal medal (the two media in which it was issued) [ both in good condition], and a printed image of the house in which the couple lived from the late eighteenth century [Fig 3].

Fig 3

Luke Schrager