The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has purchased an extremely rare Virginia Indian peace medal produced by order of Governor Thomas Jefferson in 1780. The medal will be exhibited in the introductory gallery of the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum beginning March 28.
Matchless in the history of relations between the independent Commonwealth of Virginia and the region’s native tribes, the “Happy While United” peace medal was cast in bronze by Robert Scot †later chief engraver at the US Mint †in Williamsburg or Richmond while Jefferson was governor.
Commemorating an unidentified Revolutionary-era alliance between native tribes and the Commonwealth, silver medals were presented to important tribal members, while bronze versions were cast for non-native recipients. None of the 12 silver medals originally produced survive as they were likely traded in for later presidential Indian peace medals or buried with the native recipients upon their deaths.
“The Virginia Indian Peace Medal is a priceless addition to the Colonial Williamsburg collection,” said Erik Goldstein, curator of numismatics and mechanical arts. “It is an integral part of Virginia history that acknowledges and honors the Native American allies of Virginia’s infant revolutionary government.”
At nearly 3 inches in diameter and more than 2½ ounces in weight, the medal is based on designs by noted artist Pierre Eugene du Simitiere and New York silversmith Daniel Christian Feuter. A bronze medal, identical to the one acquired by Colonial Williamsburg, was recorded as a gift from Isaac Zane of the Marlboro Iron Works †a patriot munitions factory in Frederick County during the American Revolution †to du Simitiere prior to May 1781.
The medal uses one the earliest versions of the fledgling Commonwealth’s official seal †the goddess Virtue standing triumphant over a fallen tyrant †most certainly meant to represent King George III †surrounded by the inscription “Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”
The reverse side of the medal incorporates a scene from an earlier medal made in New York during the 1760s and depicts a European American and a Native American seated on a bench sharing a “peace pipe.” To the right is a tree, shading the two figures and behind them is a waterfront scene with three vessels under sail. The over-arching inscription reads “Happy While United” with “1780” below the scene.
Entrance to Colonial Williamsburg Art Museums is through the Public Hospital of 1773 at 326 West Francis Street. For information, 757-220-7724 or www.history.org .
