Lot 01128

IONIAN ISLANDS, Ionian State, as a British protectorate. 1815-1864. Medal (Silver, 38 mm, 23.24 g, 12 h), presented by Governor Edward Douglas to the Leading Students of the Ionian Academy, Corfu (Korkyra) 1841, struck from dies prepared by Paulos Lambros. ΕΠΙ ΧΡΗΣΤΑΙΣ ΕΛΠΙΣΙΝ – KERKΥΡAI ΑΩΚΑ (with good hope – Corfu 1841) Owl, with its head facing front, standing to right on a branch; around, olive wreath with ties below; Π ΛΑΜΠ (engraver’s name) in small letters close to the edge at 3,5h . Rev. OΥAΡΔ / ΔΟΥΓΛΑΣ / TOIΣ / MOΥΣOTΡOΦOIΣ / TOΥ/ IONIOΥ / -.- (Howard Douglas the Ionian reared by the Muses) in seven lines, the whole within laurel wreath. Chase, Medals of Greece, I, 468 (this medal depicted). Chatziotis, Num. Chron. 4 (1976), p.84, 29. An extreme rarity with only two examples known in silver to Peter Chase, with the other currently in the collection of the Bank of Greece (PT 04545), once in the collection of Panos Tezedakis. Good very fine.

From the Dimitri Loulakakis collection (with his hand written ticket) ex NGSA 2-3 December 2008, 687 and Münzen und Medaillen (DE) 19, 16 May 2006, 1558.

The suspension as well as the collar were probably added to the medal after it was struck. The position of the engraver’s name so close to the edge could not make sense if the edge and the suspension were part of the dies. In the Princeton University collection, there is an example of this medal in bronze without the suspension.

Howard Douglas served as the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands between 29 April 1835 and 8 June 1841. It has been suggested that this medal was awarded in 1841 by the Lord High Commissioner in person, upon his departure from Corfu, to citizens who were distinguished for their contribution to the artistic life of the British protectorate.