Academy of Ancient Music 1750

This bronze medal of the Academy of Ancient Music was created by Richard Yeo in 1740s England. The Academy was founded in London in 1726, and its mission was to promote the study and performance of older classical music. This medal represents the Academy's aims through the classical allegory of a well-dressed man crowning Apollo, the god of music, with a wreath. You can see how musical performance is being elevated to the status of high art through its association with antiquity. But this medal is not just an aesthetic object. As an official representation of the Academy, it also acts as a record of the institution's values, ambitions, and its place within London's musical scene. To fully understand this medal, we could turn to archives of the Academy's concerts, member lists, and publications. These resources can tell us more about the social and institutional context in which the Academy operated. In this way, the history of art provides insights into the broader social and cultural life of the period.