Victoria white metal Uncertified Uniface Bonomi Pattern Crown 1837 UNC, Pinches mint, cf. ESC-328A, L&S-474a. 41mm. Edge: Plain. An intriguing and rare unfinished hub trial selection of the famed yet never issued Bonomi Crown. As an experimental piece it never entered circulation and is therefore in much as struck state of preservation, featuring only light signs of handling and partial darkening by oxidation of the metal. Incuse centering dot at center of portrait and aligning lines indicate this was a trial for aligning and testing the obverse die. According to Linecar & Stone, this trial is pedigreed ex. Capt. H. E. G. Paget Collection (lot 474a) where lots 474a – 474o were all sold as one lot for £170. Ex. St. James' Auction 87 (March 2024, Lot 1111), Heritage Auction 3035 (September 2014, Lot 30884) Joseph Bonomi the Younger, an accomplished artist, was born in London in 1796 and honed his skills at the Royal Academy Schools, earning the silver medal in both 1817 and 1818. He was notably the only student ever mentored by the renowned sculptor Joseph Nollekens. From 1824 to 1826, Bonomi joined Robert Hay's expedition to Egypt, where he meticulously sketched numerous antiquities. This experience greatly influenced his work, particularly his Egyptian-style incuse designs. His career included the publication of "Nineveh and its Palaces" along with other works on Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia, all richly illustrated with his own drawings. Bonomi's extensive network likely included Theophilus Pinches, a pioneering British Assyriologist and the son of John Pinches. HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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