Commemorative, Historical and Art Medals

United Kingdom, British Colonies and unspecified British-made Anti-Slavery Medals, Battle of the Saintes and La Ville de Paris, 1782, an engraved openwork oval gold medal, port-side ship portrait, flying flags and standards, rodney for ever above, 12 april 82 a proud day for old england, rev. starboard view, to the man who has humbled spain holland & france, thin scrolls at top and bottom, 78 x 55mm, 15.07g. Several small and skilful repairs, otherwise extremely fine, believed only four specimens known £3,000-4,000

Provenance: Glendining Auction, 4 March, 1987, lot 35, and cover illustration.

The battle, named after the Saintes, a group of islands between Guadeloupe and Dominica, was fought during the American War of Independence. Rodney captured the Ville de Paris, 104 guns, the flagship of Admiral the Comte de Grasse; 400 members of her crew had been killed and more than 700 were wounded. On the medal the ship flies a large Union Jack and Royal Standard, while a smaller Union Jack flies above the French colours from the stern. The medals are known in three sizes of which this is the largest and that in the following lot the middle size. The smallest is 44 x 24mm (Sandwich LL 3) and examples of all three are in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich