Undated (1914) Grover Cleveland Memorial Plaque. Uniface. Bronze on Marble. 8.75 inches x 10 inches, and fully 1/4 inch thick. By Jules Edouard Roine. Miller ANS-22. Extremely Fine.Mounted to a thick slab of tan/green marble, 14.5 inches x 17 inches, and 1 inch thick. The slab beveled around the four sides, with mounting holes at the four corners. Below the bronze plaque the marble is inscribed, in two lines, PRESENTED BY / BAUMAN LOWE BELDEN, with traces of gilding seen in the letters. Belden was, at that time, the director of the American Numismatic Society. Some small chips are noted in the marble, mostly on the back edges. A couple of natural cracks are evident on close inspection, but they do not appear threatening. The plaque is an overall dark chocolate bronze with areas of green and chestnut. Some minor oxidation in places, but none are distracting. While the smaller versions of this plaque are seen from time to time, this large model is a great rarity. In an article in the Winter 2003 <em>ANS Magazine, Volume 2, Number 3</em>, the large Cleveland plaques are mentioned as follows: "In 1914 further casts of this plaque were made for displays at the entrance to Cleveland Road in Tamworth, New Hampshire, the Grover Cleveland Home at Caldwell, New Jersey, and a new high school in Cranford, New Jersey." According to Scott Miller, in his <em>Medallic Art of the American Numismatic Society, 1865 - 2014</em>, at least three of these large bronze works are known. The referenced high school building in Cranston, New Jersey, has since been razed, so we suspect that this piece is the one formerly housed in that building. Significantly, ANS Director Bauman Lowe Belden, who presented this example, was a resident of Cranston, New Jersey at the time these were produced.<p>The work was accomplished by Jules Edouard Roine, born in France, in Nantes, in October 1857. He first came to the United States in 1886, and worked on several commissions before returning to France in 1894 for a short time. By 1910, he was back in the United States where he exhibited numerous works at the New York International Medallic Exhibition, including a "Grover Cleveland," but it is uncertain of what variation. An extremely rare, significant, and beautifully accomplished work.<p>From the Paisley Acres Collection.
