Hunt museum project

for the hunt museum project i decided to choose a coin which is called the dekadrachm of syracuse set in a gold mount with a suspension loop. The front face shows a female head surrounded by four dolphins, possibly Arethusa or Persephone. The reverse shows a chariot pulled by four horses and a charioteer. The goddess of victory Nike flies overhead to crown the charioteers head with a wreath. This coin is reputed to be one of the so-called thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas for betraying Christ. This belief comes from the Middle Ages. The gold band surrounded the coin is inscribed with: Quia precium sanguinis est [This is the price of blood]. The coin is Greek, Sicilian or Southern Italian; the mount medieval. 

i was attracted to this coin because i thought the withered effect it has was really interesting, i also liked the fact that it was casted which is a process that i enjoy doing. Although the coin had re4ligious symbolism, i wasnt too interested in this aspect, i was more focused on how the coin looked and the process it took to make it.

i wanted to take these two aspects from the coin, the withered effect and the fact that it was casted and combine them both by using bathered and embossed metal and then casting it in plaster

 an enlarged image of the coin which was in display in the hunt museum.

i started off with a large piece of metal which i then dented and bathered until it looked withered

i experimented with more pliable and flexible metals

 i experimented with different metals, for instance this was i beer can that i cut in and dented, i preferes working with light metals like this because it was easier to bent and distort. i then made a replica using the vacuum in the college.

 this was how the plaster mould turned out

 i vacuumed the larger piece of metal but the detail didnt come put as well i would of hoped. its turned out interesting at the same time

 my studio space

 i was more fascinated by the sheets of metal themselves rather then the plaster casts. i like how the light reflects off of it and looks like a skrunched up piece of paper.

 

the smaller pieces of metal were a lot easier to cast because they were easier to peel off as the metal was more flexible, this resulted in a better finished piece.

the plaster casts didnt turn out as i would of liked them to, they kept sticking to the metal and when i tried peeling them off they cracked and fell apart

Conclusion

if i was to go about doing this project i was consider the different metals that i could use and also try to make them look more withered, i would of also like to have painted a portrait on to aliminium but this would of just been another portrait replicating the coin. however i would like to do this anyway in my spare time. i enjoyed doing this project very much and it was interesting to learn about the history of the coin and to  make my own version of it.