Benjamin Wyon (9 January 1802 – 21 November 1858) was a British engraver of seals, and medallist. Great Seal William IV

Life

Family grave of Benjamin Wyon in Highgate Cemetery

Born in John Street,

Blackfriars, London Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London. Blackfriars Priory The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...

, on 9 January 1802, he was the second son of Thomas Wyon the elder. He received instruction from his elder brother, Thomas Wyon the younger, and in 1821 gained the gold medal of the

Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

for a medal die of figures. He also gained the silver medal of the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

, for a die with the head of

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

. On 10 January 1831 Wyon was appointed Chief Engraver of the Seals and made the Great Seal of

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

. He died in London on 21 November 1858 and is buried on the west side of

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

Works

Wyon produced medals, his signatures being "B. Wyon" and "Benj. Wyon". Among them were: * 1821, Visit of George IV to Ireland (obverse only); * 1831, Opening of London Bridge; * 1832, Passing of Reform Bill; * 1834, Foundation of City of London School; * 1842, Pollock Prize Medals; * 1849, Opening of London Coal Exchange; * 1851, Shakespeare Prize, City of London School; * 1855, Visits of the Emperor of the French and of the King of Sardinia to the Guildhall, London. Seals produced by Wyon include The Seal of

George Augustus Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was Metropolitan (later ...

, the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand in 1841.

Family

Wyon was the father of

Joseph Shepherd Wyon Joseph Shepherd Wyon (28 July 1836 – 12 August 1873) was a British medallist and seal-engraver. Life Born in London on 28 July 1836, he was the eldest son of Benjamin Wyon. He was educated by his father, and studied in the Royal Academy Schoo ...

Alfred Benjamin Wyon Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, and Allan Wyon.

Notes

External links

''Europe in the age of enlightenment and revolution''
a catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Wyon(see index) ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyon, Benjamin 1802 births 1858 deaths Burials at Highgate Cemetery People from the City of London English medallists English engravers 19th-century sculptors