BOVY, HUGUES (Swiss). Son of Marc Louis Bovy, Hugues Bovy, one of the foremost Swiss Medallists of modern times, was born at Geneva on the 20th May 1841, and died in July 1903 ; he was trained under the engraver Jacques Rochat-Châtelain, the painter Barthélemy Menn, a man of learning and real genius, the sculptor Dorciére, and Antoine Bovy, his uncle, by whose art he was greatly influenced. In ,1872, he succeeded Dorciére as Professor of modelling at the École des Beaux-Arts of Geneva. H. Bovy's work, which is very extensive, relates almost entirely to Switzerland, and especially to Geneva ; it compares favourably with that of Antoine Bovy. I shall content myself with mentioning the principal medals executed by this Genevese artist : 1864. Major Matteson, a young officer killed during the War of Secession (only ten specimens struck) ; — Abraham Lincoln, 60 mill, a much admired piece; — John Calvin, the reformer (a reduction of the large medal executed by Ant. Bovy in 1835); — 1865. Antoine Bovy; — 1866. Melpomene (a medal which obtained the first prize at the Competition in medal-engraving opened by the Art Society of Geneva, in 1866); — General U. S. Grant, three-quarter face, 60 mill. ; — Golden wedding celebration of Stutz du Chapeau-rouge; — J. Rossini; — Dante Alghieri; — L. van Beethoven, facing portrait; — General Grant, profile; — Christening medal " hoc erat in votis" Dufour-Vernes (all these were executed between 1866 and 1870); — 1870. Prince Bismarck, facing portrait, 60 mill. ; — 1872. Merle d'Aubigné, historian of the Reformation; — Bellot, Genevese jurisconsult, profile portrait, after the bust by Dorciére, 60 mill, (executed for the University of Geneva) ; — Francois Diday, Genevese painter (commissioned by the city of Geneva) ; — Commemorative medal of the Utilisation of the motive powers of the Rhône (the obv. was cut by H. Bovy, from the designs of the sculptor Leyssalle; the R. was engraved by Ch. Richard); — 1879. Agénor de Gasparin ; — Leo XIII.; — 1880. St. Gothard Tunnel (this medal was commissioned by the Swiss Federal Government for distribution to the workmen who were employed in the construction of the tunnel) ; — 1887. Official medal of the Federal Rifle Meeting F?te at Geneva, R by Richard (from the designs of Lossier) ; — Commemoration of the Chauvet Bequest (medal struck for the city of Geneva) ; — 1888. Official medal of the Bernese Cantonal Rifle Meeting at Interlaken; — 1889. Enlarged copy of Schenk's medal for the " Confrérie des Vignerons" at Vevey ; — 1898. Official medal for the Federal Rifle Meeting at Frauenfeld; — Bakery Exhibition at Lausanne; — Official medal of the Cantonal Rifle Meeting at Soleure (obv. from the design by the painter Vigier, R from the design by Prof. Jenny); — Water brought from the Dent de Broc to Gruyéres (scarce medal offered to M. Emile Balland); — Ernest Naville (illustrated) ; — 1891. Official medal of the Cantonal Rifle Meeting of Vaud, at Morges ; — Official medal of the Cantonal Rifle Meeting of Aargau, at Bremgarten ; — Official medal of the Cantonal Rifle Meeting of St. Gall, at Ebnat-Kappel (executed from the designs by M. Stauffacher); — Official presentation watch for the Cantonal Rifle Meeting of Berne, at Burgdorf; — Official medal of the Cantonal Rifle Meeting of Zurich, at Winterthur (from the designs by Prof. Wildermuth) ; — 1892, Official medal of the Rifle Meeting of the City of Zurich "Schützen Gesellschaft "; — The Lake of Geneva frozen (from the designs by M. J. Mayor) ; — Carl Vogt, professor of anatomy, &c. at the Geneva University (illustrated); — 1893. Official medal of the Cantonal Rifle Meeting at Zurich (obv. executed from the group, William Tell and his son by the sculptor Richard Kissling); — Official medal of the Rifle Meeting of the Society " L'Arquebuse et la Navigation" at Geneva (2 var.); — Gustave Revilliod (medal commissioned by the city of Geneva to commemorate the Revilliod bequest) ; — Silver wedding of M. Demole-Ador (from the designs by M. Lossier) ; — Postal Jubilee, from the designs by Prof. H. J. Burger of Zurich); — Portrait jeton of Hedlinger (distributed to members of the Swiss Numismatic Society); — 1894. Centenary of the Great Fire at Chaux-de-Fonds ; — 1895. Official medal of the Rifle Meeting of the Society " L'Arquebuse et la Navigation"; — Inauguration of the new Shooting Stand at St. Georges, Geneva (from the designs by M. Francis Beauverd) ; — Medal offered to Mr Barton, English Consul at Geneva on the occasion of his gift to the city of the Victoria Hall ; — 1895. The Folloppe prize medal ; section of literature af the Lausanne University (executed from the scheme by M. Lugeon, sculptor at Lausanne); — 1896, Official Rifle Meeting medal, Swiss Village, at the Swiss National Exhibition of Geneva ; — Award medal for the exhibitors at the Swiss National Exhibition, Geneva (R. by G. Hantz); — Portrait jeton of Jean Dassier (distributed to members of the Swiss Numismatic Society); — 1897. Commemoration of the bequest to the government of Soleure by Herr & Frau Allemandi; — Theodore Turettini, President of the Swiss National Exhibition, Geneva, &c. By the same artist are also : Fifth centenary of the Battle of Sempach, 1886 ; — Intercantonal Rifle Meeting at Lucerne, 1886; — Concours Galland, 1890; — Bonivard, 1883; — Michel Chauvet, 1884; — The Velo-Club of Geneva, 1884; — French Swiss Society for the protection of animals ; — Léonce Augrand, 1882; — Jubilee of B. Reber, pharmaceutical-chemist, at Geneva, 1883, and about sixty Portrait-medallions, of which a number represent professors at the Geneva University, and are exhibited in the meeting-room of the Sénat académique; amongst them : Dr J. Reverdin; — J. A. Rochat; — P. Chaix ; — Emile Plantamour; — C. Vogt; — E. Ritter; — P. Vaucher; — Prof. Humbert; — Pasteur II. Oltramare; — Bachofen ; — E. Balland ; — D. Colladon ; — A. Baud-Bovy; — Giraud-Teulon ; — Warthmann; — Müller; — Philippe Plantamour, 1899; — Cantonal Genevese Rifle Meeting, 1902 (from models by Mlles Cécile Roch and Alice Bally), &c. Prof. H. Bovy has also executed, in commission for the city of Geneva, the busts in bronze of James Fazy, Francois Diday, Edmond Boissier, Barthélemy Menn, Daniel Colladon, and for the Theatre of that city, marble busts of Rossini, and Goethe. Besides, he is the sculptor of a bust in white marble of Hugo de Senger (Conservatoire de Musique of Geneva), 1894 ; bronze bust of Alphonse de Candolle (Geneva University), 1897; Do Charles Glardon (Cercle des Artistes), 1891 ; Do Merle d'Aubigné and Agénor de Gasparin (Salle de la Reformation) ; 1892, Do Comte and Comtesse Agénor de Gasparin (for the Countess). Poole and W. Tobler-Meyer give a medal of the Federal F?te at Davos, 1836, as engraved by H. Bovy; but it is evident that the initials H. B. on this piece stand for another artist. “Pendant trente et un ans, Hugues Bovy fut á l'École des Beaux- Arts de Geneve le plus consciencieux, le plus assidu, le plus excellent des professeurs, ouvrant l'intelligence de ses eleves a l'art, respectant leur individualité en la dirigeant, suggérant sans les imposer ses préceptes, respecté et chéri de tous ses éléves. Tous, sans distinction de tendances et de temperament artistique, étaient unanimes a louer ce maître, d'un grand talent et d'un grand coeur, dont l'excessive modestie et la timidité parfois déconcertante semblait s'excuser des services qu'il rendait et du bien qu'il semait sur sa route. Sous cette douceur et cette bonté, il y avait d'ailleurs une fermeté de vouloir, une rectitude de jugement, un bon sens foncier qui faisaient de ce pur artiste, de cet idéaliste détache de la vie réelle, le plus s?r des guides et le plus précieux des conseillers " (La Suisse, 6. Aug. 1903). Bibliography. — Information privately communicated. — Bulletin and Revue de la Société suisse de Numismatique, 1884-1904. — C. Brun, Schweizerisches Künster- Lexikon.
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
Source: Biographical dictionary of medallists; coin, gem, and seal-engravers, mint-masters, ancient and modern, with references to their works B.C. 500-A.D. 1900; compiled by L. Forrer, London 1904
BLOC, CONRAD VAN
BLOC, CONRAD VAN (Dutch). This Medallist of uncommon talent was of Dutch origin. His works date from 1575 to 1602. It is not known where he was born, nor where he resided. He excelled in portraiture, and some of his medals of Philip II. are very much admired. So early as 1577 he had produced seven different portraitpieces of William of Orange, and of the Prince's consort, Charlotte of Bourbon. There exist other portrait-medallions by him, notably the following : of the Count Palatine John Casimi...
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BLOC, CONRAD VAN (Dutch). This Medallist of uncommon talent was of Dutch origin. His works date from 1575 to 1602. It is not known where he was born, nor where he resided. He excelled in portraiture, and some of his medals of Philip II. are very much admired. So early as 1577 he had produced seven different portraitpieces of William of Orange, and of the Prince's consort, Charlotte of Bourbon. There exist other portrait-medallions by him, notably the following : of the Count Palatine John Casimi...
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BLONDEAU, PIERRE
BLONDEAU, PIERRE (French). Coin-engraver and Medallist of Paris ; inventor of a machine for striking coins and medals. At the request of the Parliament he came to England in Sept. 1649, and in 1656, he obtained a pension of ? 100 a year. He soon afterwards returned to France, to come back at the Restoration, when Charles II. confirmed his grant. He was appointed Provost of the moneyers and engineers at the London Mint to carry out his improvements, which office he held from the 14th, Charles II....
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BLONDEAU, PIERRE (French). Coin-engraver and Medallist of Paris ; inventor of a machine for striking coins and medals. At the request of the Parliament he came to England in Sept. 1649, and in 1656, he obtained a pension of ? 100 a year. He soon afterwards returned to France, to come back at the Restoration, when Charles II. confirmed his grant. He was appointed Provost of the moneyers and engineers at the London Mint to carry out his improvements, which office he held from the 14th, Charles II....
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BLUM, JOHANN
BLUM, JOHANN (Germ.). Medallist, residing at Bremen, where he worked from 1631 to 1660. The Houses of Saxony, Brunswick and Orange employed him largely, and for them he cut a number of commemorative medals. One on the Marriage of William II., Prince of Orange, and Princess Mary, 1641, is interesting to English collectors; two varieties are known. His work bears some resemblance to that of Sebastian Dadler. Among his best medals I would not omit : Portrait of the Swedish General Banner; — Gustavu...
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BLUM, JOHANN (Germ.). Medallist, residing at Bremen, where he worked from 1631 to 1660. The Houses of Saxony, Brunswick and Orange employed him largely, and for them he cut a number of commemorative medals. One on the Marriage of William II., Prince of Orange, and Princess Mary, 1641, is interesting to English collectors; two varieties are known. His work bears some resemblance to that of Sebastian Dadler. Among his best medals I would not omit : Portrait of the Swedish General Banner; — Gustavu...
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BOEHM, JOSEF DANIEL
BOEHM, JOSEF DANIEL (Austr.). Medallist and Mint-engraver of Vienna, during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. He was born in 1794; studied under Pichler and at Rome under Canova and Thorwaldsen. For a number of years he filled the office of Director of the Vienna Mint. Among Boehm's principal medallic works and coin-dies are : Josepha Fodor, Viennese actress, 1825; — Archduke Charles Louis, 1843; — Dedication of the new cathedral at Erlau, 1837; — Enthronization of Ferdinand Maria, ...
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BOEHM, JOSEF DANIEL (Austr.). Medallist and Mint-engraver of Vienna, during the second quarter of the nineteenth century. He was born in 1794; studied under Pichler and at Rome under Canova and Thorwaldsen. For a number of years he filled the office of Director of the Vienna Mint. Among Boehm's principal medallic works and coin-dies are : Josepha Fodor, Viennese actress, 1825; — Archduke Charles Louis, 1843; — Dedication of the new cathedral at Erlau, 1837; — Enthronization of Ferdinand Maria, ...
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