The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 40, October 3, 2004, Article 8

CATALOG DATA FOR THOMAS MEDAL IN BOIS DURCI

  Dick Johnson writes: "In answer to Philip Mernick?s inquiry
  (from London) of the George Thomas Medal in last week?s
  E-Sylum: You didn?t give the artist?s first name of the medal
  you have ? it was Alfred Borrel (1836-1927) -- because
  after the U.S. Civil War Tiffany & Co in New York City had
  several medals made for them in Paris. Alfred?s father Valentin
  Maurice Borrel (1804-1882) engraved the more famous medal
  of Cyrus W. Field for Laying the Atlantic Telegraph Cable
  Medal of 1867.

  The medal you have was ordered by the State of Tennessee
  for award (in gold) to George Henry Thomas (1816-1870)
  American Army Commander. He was nicknamed "The Rock
  of Chickamuga" for his defense of his position in the September
  1863 Civil War battle. One tough general!

  A medal similar to what you have may have been exhibited in
  the Paris 1867 Expo, however Tiffany did not exhibit it later at
  the 1901 Buffalo Pan-American Expo in the Tiffany Pavilion
  in the Manufacturing and Liberal Arts Building. The Cyrus
  Field Medal, however, was exhibited among this most
  extensive medal exhibit Tiffany ever mounted.  Incidentally all
  the medals in this exhibit were goldplated. When I cataloged
  the firm?s medal collection in 1972, some of these goldplated
  medals were still intact. I even have some of the lesser ones
  in my Tiffany collection. The more famous ones had all since
  departed prior to my inspection.

  Dies for your Thomas medal were indeed made at the Paris
  Mint in the 77mm size. A diestruck reverse cliché was sold
  14 December 1991 by H. Joseph Levine in his 51st Presidential
  Coin & Antique auction (lot 553). The same dies COULD
  have, indeed, been used to make the bois durci wood medal
  you have.

  Your data on bois durci is essentially correct. It is a wood
  paste made of hardwood sawdust to which albumin was
  added that is pressed, dried and molded under heat (imagine
  a waffle iron with steam heat!). The source of the albumin
  was animal (or human!) blood, with most sources stating ox
  blood mostly employed. The original color was a rich
  blood-red, however with time the composition darkened,
  turning first to red mahogany, then brown, and finally to black.

  If your piece is solid ebony black it is now stable and believed
  to remain so in the future.  It is believed the originator of this
  process was a French artisan, Charles Lepage, in the 1850s
  (for whom LePage glue is named after). When these pieces
  are cataloged they are often mistakenly called gutta percha,
  vulcanite or even Bakelite. The term is French and means, of
  course, hardened wood. Other objects were made of bois
  durci in exotic detail, include buttons, brooches, combs, even
  snuff boxes and picture frames.

  You did spell Chickanauga correctly. It is in northwest Georgia
  here in the American colonies. It was the 1863 field of battle
  during the Civil War and is now the site of the Chickamauga
  and Chattanooga National Park.

  This internet article verifies and expands on my notes:
  Complete Article
  Here is a web site on bois durci: bois durci

  Scroll down and click on Plaques A - L and see two
  Lincoln plaques made of this material.  Or. click on
  Plaques M -Z and see two George Washington plaques.

  I auctioned several bois durci plaques in the past. They are
  similar to each other, with the same background and lettering
  all alike.   I much prefer cast bronze plaques, or galvano
  casts of copper (or silver!) from models by different talented
  bas-relief artists.  I consigned several dozen casts and
  galvanos in Joe Levine's Presidential Coin & Antique auction
  last December, and have more coming up in his next auction
  for those interested in displayable medallic art."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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