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David Cornell, Coin Designer

Started by <k>, October 05, 2012, 12:08:52 AM

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<k>


DAVID CORNELL


David Cornell is an English artist and sculptor. He was born in London in 1935. As a young man he studied at the Central School of Art, London, and at the Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, USA, and he later joined the Royal Marines (42 Commando, to be precise). In his subsequent career he worked at the Royal Mint (UK) and the Franklin Mint, engraving and eventually designing coins. He now works as a freelance artist.

David's best known coin design is probably the UK five pound coin of 1999, issued to commemorate the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

 
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#1
I recently corresponded with David Cornell by email, and he kindly answered some questions about his work and career.


Q. First of all, could I get a better outline of your career by asking you what were your start and end years with each numismatic institution: The Royal Mint and the Franklin Mint. I believe you spent more than one period at the Royal Mint?

A. Royal Mint: 1964-68.  Franklin Mint (USA):1968-70.   John Pinches: 1970-72.   Franklin Mint (UK): 1972-85.

In 1964 I won a National selection process to be appointed engraver at the Royal Mint - quite an honour. I previously had been working as a seal engraver, engraving company and official seals and honours, military badges etc. Whilst at the Royal Mint, when the decision was made to relocate to Wales, I applied for a position at the Bank of England to engrave bank notes and the new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Meanwhile I was approached by the Franklin Mint and offered a job in the States, which I accepted and immigrated. During the immigration application period, I was also offered the position at the Bank of England but decided to take the more adventurous job. For personal reasons, I reluctantly returned to the UK, where my post at the Royal Mint was kept open for me.

Shortly afterwards, the Franklin Mint acquired John Pinches, and I was offered the position of Director of Art, which I accepted. The name "John Pinches" was eventually changed to "Franklin Mint UK". The Franklin Mint went on to set up offices in Italy, France, Germany, Mexico, Japan, the Netherlands and Australia. I then became International Director of Art and was also made a board Director. I had responsibility to produce the art for those countries, working with many artists in those countries. I also had a teaching studio, where I taught 25 artists in the UK, some of which went on to become notable medallic sculptors, including John Bergdahl, who was previously a very talented line engraver, and John Lobban who was an excellent illustrator and who later became my studio manager.
 
Franklin Mint diversified into other products, which I contributed to: figurines, tankards, etc. Franklin Mint was then bought out by Warner Brothers and then later by the Resnicks, who had little interest in the coin/medal side of the business. Redundancies were made and eventually I was left doing sculpture. After two years I was also made redundant, and the art department was closed and all the minting shut down. I continued to freelance for Franklin Mint and retained a studio there for a year before setting up a studio at my home, where I sculpted many porcelain figures, life-size bronzes, etc., before returning to coins and medals. I did many for the Royal Mint eventually doing more official portraits of the Royal Family than anyone else. My coins were commissioned by MDM, Birmingham Mint, Spinks, Westminster Collections, STEFM, and my coins were minted at the Mayer Mint (Germany), Berlin Mint (Germany), Bulgarian Mint, Canadian Mint, Tower Mint, Royal Mint, Pobjoy Mint, Australian Mint, Dutch Mint and Japanese Mint.


Q. Did you ever have any involvement with Spink (London), who sometimes commissioned coins, or with the Birmingham Mint (UK)?

A. I freelanced for Spinks, who used the Royal Mint to mint their coins. I was never employed by the Birmingham Mint, but I did do some freelance work for them designing silver stamps.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Q. In your role at Franklin Mint, did you also design coins, and if so, were there any official commemorative coins or standard circulation coins among them? I know the FM's designs circulated in Trinidad in the 1970s and 1980s, and they still do in Papua New Guinea.

A. At Franklin Mint my role as Director of Art included designing many sets of medals, official commemorative coins, and the QEII Coronation 20th anniversary commemorative coin for the Cook Islands.

Q. What were your dreams as a child and as a student? Whom did you admire? Who inspired you?

A. As a child during and after the war, I wanted to be a Commando, which I later achieved, serving in 42 Commando, Royal Marines. I really would have liked to be a plastic surgeon, as I was fascinated by seeing the work being done for facial injuries at the Royal Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. I naively believed then that I could do a better job! I believe now that I could have been very good and have all the qualities. Because of my circumstances and having little education due to being bombed out of my home several times and schools being closed, it was not possible. My other career choice was photography, and I did have an opportunity to work with  Pathé News, but again I could not afford to relocate to accept the job.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

Q. Did you ever have an interest in coins before you started engraving and then designing them? If so, who were your favourite numismatic artists, and who would they be nowadays?

A. Once I accepted that my future lay in the art field, I admired the work of W. Wyon and Pistrucci and the portraits of J. Wedgwood. Today I admire the work of John Bergdahl and the late John Lobban, both of whom I taught - not that it was difficult to convert their considerable talents in their previous professions.

Q. I divide coins into 3 groups: standard circulation coins; commemorative circulation coins (e.g. your NHS 50 pence); and non-circulating (collector only) commemorative coins. Can you remember the first coin(s) that you designed in each group? I'm wondering about the period of time between your engraving coins and when you started designing them.

A. The first coins I engraved were at the Royal Mint in the mid-1960s and would have been for The Republic of Panama (Balbao), or the Iraq 10 Fils (issued 1967). My first design was at the Franklin Mint: the Cook Islands 2 Dollars QEII coronation commemorative (1972). I would consider the UK National Health Service 50 pence commemorative circulation coin (1998) and the recent Olympics Judo 50 pence piece that I did to be standard circulation coins.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#4

UK five pound Diana Memorial coin, 1999.


Q. Probably your best known design was your Diana memorial for the five pound coin of 1999. In my opinion it is also your masterwork, as it captures her perfectly, but the prominent life and death dates also clearly indicate the tragedy of a young life lost. How did you approach such a sensitive work, and how much leeway were you given in your artistic treatment of the subject?

A. My original design for the Diana Memorial coin, showing a portrait with roses and a candle, was rejected as too sentimental, but I thought it absolutely captured the public feeling and would have been very popular. However, the selection committee preferred my portrait, which was not just a copy from a photograph but a study from many images and one personal meeting with Princess Diana. So I was asked to remove all but the portrait and just add the dates.


I am very grateful to David for kindly giving his permission to display his original design, a work of great historical significance, here on the forum.




An image of David Cornell's plaster model of his original design.

 
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#5

Medal portrait of Marc Chagall, by David Cornell


Q. If there is one image of your non-numismatic work that you would like me to display, which should it be, and why?

A. Difficult. Painting: my portrait of Princess Anne with horse - the eyes of the portrait follow you around the room, whichever angle you look at it, just like the Mona Lisa. "David Jack (Racehorse)" - this was my first horse painting and I still think it is the best. Sculpture: my Conan Doyle statue is at the Crowborough crossroads, where both Conan Doyle and I lived years ago. "Fishing Boy" was done from life and is of my four year old son. Medal: Marc Chagall (3 inch bronze), as I was fortunate enough to work with him on a project. The reverse of the medal includes one of his designs.


I finished by thanking David for his answers and commented that his career brought to mind the terms "Renaissance Man" and "The Sword and the Chrysanthemum".
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#6
There now follows a gallery of images of David Cornell's coin designs.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#7


UK, 5 pounds (gold), 2010.  Restoration of the Monarchy, 1660 (Charles II).

This coin was also issued in a cupro-nickel version.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#8


UK, 50 pence, 1998.  Fiftieth anniversary of the National Health Service.

Notice the artist's initials beneath the denomination: DC.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#9

UK 50 pence Olympics commemorative of 2011, depicting judo. David himself practised the sport in his earlier years. Formerly David worked for the Royal Mint, but this time his design was chosen as a result of a competition that the Royal Mint opened to the public.

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#10


Here is another of David's sports-themed designs: a gold 250 dollar gold coin of the Bahamas.

The coin honoured its Olympic gold medallists of the year 2000.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#11


David was also responsible for the design of the Bahamas' Millennium gold $2500 coin, which was issued in the year 2000.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#12



Here is the first coin that David ever designed: the Cook Islands $2 coin of 1973.

The coin celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

You can see David's initials below the Queen's hand - the one holding the orb.

The coin was minted and issued by the Franklin Mint.

Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#13


David has designed many coins featuring British royalty.

Ascension issued this 50 pence coin in memory of the Queen Mother, who died in 2002 at the age of 101.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.

<k>

#14


Back in the year 2000, Bermuda issued a one dollar coin celebrating the Queen Mother's centenary.

It also sported a design by David and recalled the coronation of her husband, King George VI, in 1937.
Visit the website of The Royal Mint Museum.

See: The Royal Mint Museum.