George Berkeley

George Berkeley, 9th Lord and 1st Earl of Berkeley (1627-1698), French cast pewter complimentary medal, 1666, by Jean-Baptiste Dufour, armoured bust right, mantle around, hair long, rev., tree with, on branches, shield of arms and lion supporters, crown below and coronet above, REGIBVS ATAVIS - VIRTVTE NON VI, 50.5mm (MI 513/156; BMC [Jones] - ; BDM I, 642). Very fine and extremely rare.

Berkely was educated at Christ Church, Oxford, and succeeded his father in 1658. During the reign of Charles II he was a member of the Committee of the East India Company, a founding Fellow of the Royal Society, Governor of the Levant Company, Master of Trinity House and in 1678 a Privy Counsellor. No specific reason has been found for this medal. The British Museum have a specimen in silver and MI records no further examples.

Provenance: Bt. eBay, January, 2005.