1777 (probably ca. 1860s) Benjamin Franklin American Medallion. Plaster Aftercast. 119.5 mm. 121.54 grams. After Jean-Baptiste Nini. Greenslet GM-5 var., Margolis Type 17 var. About Uncirculated. Obv: Shoulder length bust of Franklin left in his signature fur cap with the inscription .B.FRANKLIN. / .AMERICAIN. around the border. The truncation bears the name NINI, Ninis personal coat of arms, and the date 1777. The date is also repeated between the bust and the rim. Rev: blank with hole at top and enigmatic potters mark at 6 oclock. A scarce plaster aftercast painted in a pale golden glaze that varies in intensity across the surfaces. This golden coloration is deeper on the front, while the back remains only lightly glazed in a faint champagne color. Very neatly holed at the 12 oclock edge and through to the back, with a knotted loop inserted for suspension. A touch of heavier friction is noted at Franklins shoulder and at the highest point of the cap, in addition to scattered microscopic marks confined to the peripheries. Two blemishes at 11 oclock on the prominent raised ring are likely as-made and sit beneath the glaze. The back is blank, showing just the aforementioned hole and a few light prints in the glaze. However, an enigmatic potters mark is etched near the 6 oclock border, resembling the characters ".dYb." and measuring approximately 7mm x 6mm at its widest points. Plaster aftercasts have played a significant role in the larger discourse of Nini medals and first appeared on the market in the mid-19th century. The late Richard Margolis sheds light on these appearances in his authoritative 2015 reference <em>Benjamin Franklin in Terra Cotta, </em>noting the inclusion of one in the 1859 work on medallic portraits by Hippolyte Kluyskens titled <em>Des Hommes Célèbres dans les Sciences et les Arts et les Médailles</em>. Kluyskens own plaster aftercast was sold in the 1886 sale of his collection shortly after this death.Margolis also mentions a group of about 40 plaster aftercasts that "were exhibited by the marquis Albert Des Meloizes to accompany his paper on Ninis terra cotta moulds presented to the <em>Congres Archeologique de France</em>" in 1868. These were painted to resemble terra cotta and were displayed in regional art exhibitions throughout the 1870s, though they were seemingly so convincing that many collectors mistook them for original pieces in terra cotta. The present plaster example is a significant adaptation of this iconic issue by Nini and surely represents a prize to the advanced Franklin specialist. From the Richard Hoover Collection.
