Portrait Question 0

[Queen_Coin_Star]

Who drew/sculpted the original portrait of Charles III & IV that appear on the Spanish Reales? I read Jeronimo Antonio Gil was the head engraver at the Mexican mint and that he produced special medals commemorating the coronation of Charles III, death of Charles III, and coronation of Charles IV, but who created the bust images featured on the reales?

 

[jgenn]

At this time, the designs on the coins would have all come from the mint in Madrid, and sent to each secondary mint, engraved on a matrix block, ensuring consistency across the Spanish Empire.  For Charles III, the head engraver was Tomás Francisco Prieto.  For Charles IV, it would have been Prieto's successor.

Edit to add: The rare exception was during the transition between Charles IV and Ferdinand VII, when the war with France disrupted the matrix block creation and distribution. Starting in 1808, local engravers produced fantasy/imaginary portraits in Mexico City, Lima and Santiago that were issued until the standard portrait was provided a few years later.

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by jgenn

[Abuelo's Collection]

Pedro González de Sepúlveda was the successor of Prieto as Chief Engraver in Madrid.