United Kingdom - Rumford Medal of the first... - Lot 120 - Beaussant Lefèvre & Associés

Lot 120
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United Kingdom - Rumford Medal of the first... - Lot 120 - Beaussant Lefèvre & Associés
United Kingdom - Rumford Medal of the first type of the Royal Society of London by John Milton, in silver, on the obverse a tripod bearing a flaming bowl encircled by the legend "NOSCERE QUÆ VIS ET CAUSSA", on the exergue the engraved attribution "JEAN-BAPTISTE BIOT MDCCCXL", on the reverse, within a laurel wreath the dedication "PRÆMIUM OPTIME MERENTI EX INSTITUTO BENJ. A RUMFORD S.R.I. COMITIS ADJUDICATUM A REG. SOC. LOND." (shocks, deformations, strong corrosion with concretions). The silk background embroidered with two crossed palms and the names and dates of life of Jean-Baptiste Biot. 77 mm, weight : 233 g United Kingdom, circa 1840. Jean-Baptiste Biot received the Rumsford Medal in 1840 "For his researches in, and connected with, the circular polarization of light." This prestigious medal is a biennial scientific prize founded in 1796 by Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford (1753-1814), to reward outstanding discoveries in the fields of thermics and optics. Originally, the recipient received two copies of this exceptional three-inch (76.2 mm) medal: one in gold worth £60 and one in silver worth £4. Engraved by John Milton, the medal was first awarded in 1802 to Earl Rumford, its creator. The first type was replaced in 1863 by a model with Count Rumford's profile engraved by Charles Wiener. From 1802 to 1863, this medal was awarded only 22 times. Extremely rare, it is also very prestigious: Augustin Fresnel in 1824, Michael Faraday in 1846, François Arago in 1850 and Louis Pasteur in 1856. B
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