102705 | GREAT BRITAIN. Charles Hutton bronze Medal.

102705  |  GREAT BRITAIN. Charles Hutton bronze Medal. Issued 1822/3. Commemorating the 85th birthday of the mathematician and surveyor (44mm, 40.35 g, 12h). By B. & T. Wyon.

 

CAROLUS HUTTON, LL.D. R.S.S. ÆT. LXXXV, bust left // FULMINA BELLI / PONDUSQ. TERRÆ / ÆSTIMATA (he determined the thunders of war [cannon fire] and the weight of the terrestrial sphere), emblems of two philosophical discoveries of Hutton—density (weight) of the Earth and exact force or strength of gunpowder: level, with weight attached to left end and Earth attached to right; scale from which hangs a cannon. Edge: Plain.

 

BHM 1158. Choice Mint State. Glossy brown surfaces.

 

A professor of mathematics for the Royal Military Academy, Charles Hutton is most famous for his calculations that determined the density of the Earth, though he also was instrumental in determining the strength of gunpowder during explosions. This commemorative medal, commissioned due to an excess of proceeds generated from the commissioning of a marble bust in his honor, took these two accomplishments into its reverse design, with the medal itself was only ready by the time of his funeral.

 

Upload: 15 February 2024.

 

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