artist.shtml medals edward-ryneal-grove

Artist Name

birth1912 in Martinsburg, WVPicture of E.R. Grove
death11/19/2002 in Chatsworth, FL
parents
education
awards Lindsey Morris Prize for best bas-relief (1967)
J. Sanford Saltus Medal for Medallic Art (1985)

Edward R. Grove joined the Bureau of Engraving, Washington DC in 1936. For the next eleven years he would work there as an engraver. Nine of his steel engravings appeared on U.S. postal issues. He designed the 1954 U.S. Air 4-cent stamp which was later reissued as a 5-cent stamp.

In 1947 he moved his family to Philadelphia where he worked as a portrait and vignette engraver for the Security Banknote Company. There he engraved almost 200 of the stamps of Cuba, Iran, Haiti, Panama, Bolivia, Paraguay and the Philippines, as well as vignetes for the currencies of Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and Sudan.

In 1962 he returned to the Federal Service after Chief Mint Engraver Gilroy Roberts persuaded him to accept a vacant position as Mint engraver at the United States Mint in Philadelphia. His work there included the gold Congressional Medal presented to Bob Hope by President Kennedy, as well as the obverse of the West Virginia Centennial Medallion and the reverse of the 1964 Annual Assay Commission medal. Grove was very proud of the Hope medal since it was the last one to be presented by President Kennedy before his assassination.

He left the Mint on August 24 1965 to pursue a free-lance career. Four days later he was in Malta on behalf of the American chapter of the Knights of Malta. The Order of St. John of Jerusalem had commissioned him to do a set of four commemorative coins. Following the completion of the set Grove was made a chevalier of the order and and became its official sculptor-engraver.

In the medallic field he is probably best known for his work on Presidential Art Medals' World War II series of medals and two Society of Medalists medals. All of his medals exhibit a love of detail and beautiful lettering that hint strongly at his strong background in engraving.

Edward R Grove was married to Jean Donner Grove, a famous sculptor in her own right. The couple had two sons who inherited the artistic talent from their parents. Edward Grove died in 2002 in Chatsworth, FL.

You can click medals to switch between obverse and reverse sides.

  • The Alphabet 1973
    by Edward Ryneal Grove
    SOM-88.1
    Golden bronze with tan patina
    SOM-88.2
    Silver

    This medal was chosen as the 88th issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series.

    The obverse bears a star-like abstract design with letters from a variety of alphabets across. In the center of the star, THE / ALPHA / BET. The reverse bears a montage of the twenty-six roman letters; below, ERG © 1973.

    This medal was displayed at the 1975 congress of the Federation international de la medaille d'art in Krakow, Poland and won critical acclaim for its bold design. In the medal's brochure Grove quotes Frederic W. Goudy, the dean of American designers, as calling the development of the alphabet "the most fruitful of all achievements of the human intellect."

    The medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company in a reported mintage of 1,625 in bronze and 125 in silver.

    SOM-88.1
    Bronze
    73.0mm (2.87in)
    Golden bronze with tan patina
    THE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS 88TH ISSUE - OCTOBER 1973 EDWARD GROVE, SC.(C)
    MEDALLIC ART CO.N.Y. BRONZE
    SOM-88.2
    Silver
    73.0mm (2.87in)
    THE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS 88TH ISSUE - OCTOBER 1973 EDWARD GROVE, SC.(C)
    MEDALLIC ART CO.N.Y. .999+ PURE SILVER
  • 50th Anniversary Second-Place Special Issue 1980
    by Edward Ryneal Grove
    SOMSP-5.1

    This medal was the runner-up in the competition for the 50th Anniversary issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series.

    The obverse bears a montage of mountains, rain drops, eagle, snail, fish, monarch butterfly, murex shell, blooming iris, oak leaf, elk, rainbow, and snowflake. Below, signed ERG / 80. The reverse bears the names of the 101 SOM sculptors up to that time, forming ten concentric circles plus JOVINE alone on an eleventh. Over this, square inscription, THE FIFTIETH / ANNIVERSARY / OF THE SOCIETY /OF MEDALISTS, with dates 1930 / 1980 at center.

    Grove attempted to symbolize the nature in its smallest and largest manifestations in geology and through weather, plants, and animals. Drawing on his strengh as a highly skilled engraver, he decided to honor all SOM sculptors by name on the medal's reverse. In somewhat of an understatement, he stated that the task "was difficult and demanding, but it was also a rewarding experience; I felt not only closer to my fellow-sculptors... but also realized that we had all become part of the history of medallic art in America."

    The medal measures 73mm in diameter and was struck by the Medallic Art Company in a reported mintage of 500 in bronze and an unknown number in silver.

    SOMSP-5.1
    Bronze
    73.0mm (2.87in)
    THE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS - 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE - 1980 - EDWARD GROVE, SC.
    SOMSP-5.2
    Silver
    73.0mm (2.87in)
    THE SOCIETY OF MEDALISTS - 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE - 1980 - EDWARD GROVE, SC.
  • U.S. Air 4-cent stamp

    U.S. Air 4-cent Stamp (1954)

    One of the nine U.S. stamps engraved by E.R. Grove.

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Books & Articles

American Art Medals, 1909-1995 by David Thomason Alexander
David T. Alexander's book can be purchased at the above link. Highly recommended for anyone interested in SOM. I am deeply indebted to him for all the information I used to document the SOM medals on this site.

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