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Jeremy Bentham Portrait Medallion

David d'Angers

A bronze profile medallion of Jeremy Bentham made from life by the French sculptor David d'Angers.

A life portrait medallion showing Bentham as recognised and honoured by French liberal admirers.

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Black-and-white photograph of a circular bronze medallion in profile relief showing an elderly man facing left, with a balding forehead, long hair swept back, a prominent nose, and a signature inscribed on the right edge.
David d'Angers (Eck et Durand), Jeremy Bentham medallion.

About this source

What it is

This is a bronze portrait medallion of Jeremy Bentham made from life by the French sculptor David d'Angers, cast by Eck et Durand. It shows Bentham's head in profile relief.

Why it matters

David d'Angers made portrait medallions of many notable figures of his time, and this one captures Bentham as he appeared to French admirers, reflecting his standing among French liberals who had made him an honorary citizen. The medallion is a record of how Bentham's reputation reached across national borders during his lifetime.

Look closer

  • What can you tell about Bentham's age and appearance from this profile view?
  • Why might French liberals have wanted to honour an English philosopher with a portrait medallion?
  • What does the existence of this object suggest about how widely Bentham's ideas travelled?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jeremy Bentham on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Title page of An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Text reads: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPLES OF MORALS AND LEGISLATION, printed in the year 1780 and now first published, by Jeremy Bentham, of Lincoln's Inn, Esquire. London: printed for T. Payne and Son, at the Mews Gate, MDCCLXXXIX.Book

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An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation

Jeremy Bentham · 1789 (printed 1780)

Title page of Jeremy Bentham's 'Panopticon; or, The Inspection-House' (1791), showing the title, subtitle listing penitentiary houses and schools, author 'By Jeremy Bentham, of Lincoln's Inn, Esquire', and imprint 'Dublin, Printed; London, reprinted; and sold by T. Payne, at the Mews Gate. 1791'.Book

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Panopticon; or, The Inspection-House

Jeremy Bentham · 1791 (letters written 1787)

Wooden cabinet case with gold lettering reading JEREMY BENTHAM, its doors open, containing a seated figure dressed in black coat, white cravat, grey trousers and a straw hat, with a wax head. The display is in a tiled hallway.Artifact

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Thomas Southwood Smith · 1832

Dark blue cloth book cover with a white rectangular library label on the left spine area reading Trinity College Library, with a barcode and number 31761 02710574 1 printed vertically.Book

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A Fragment on Government

Jeremy Bentham · 1776

Full-length oil portrait of an elderly man with long white hair, seated in a carved wooden armchair in a dark brown fur-trimmed robe over a white shirt. A table at left holds leather-bound books, an inkwell, papers, and a rolled document against a dark background.Painting

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Jeremy Bentham

Henry William Pickersgill · c. 1829

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