Medal Awarded to Bounetheau

Henry Brintnell Bounetheau (1797-1877) was a miniatures artist based in South Carolina. Although this medal bears the inscription “Awarded to Mr. Bounetheau for the Best Miniatures on Ivory,” research has not revealed the commission or occasion behind this award medal. Bounetheau’s Self-Portrait and many of his portrait miniatures appear in the Luce Foundation Center for American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.