A Forgotten Polish and American Medallion from 1854 in the Collection of Ludwik Gocel

The essay will focus on a mid-nineteenth century medallion from the vast collection of Polish bibliophile Ludwik Gocel (1889–1966). Made in 1854 in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., it depicts a prominent nineteenth century American, Judge Charles Mason (1804–1882), and is a valuable token of the U.S. history. It was designed and completed by Polish distinguished medalist, Henryk Dmochowski (in the U.S. known as Henry Dmochowski Saunders; b. 1810–d. 1863) who can be called a “soldier-artist,” since he participated in three Polish uprisings. Expelled from partitioned Poland, in 1851 he came to America where he was offered the chance to work as a sculptor. This essay’s main aim is to describe the fate of the medallion, apparently almost unknown in both America and Poland, with special emphasis on the role of Ludwik Gocel in its preservation. This rare piece of art has never been included in Polish or American art publications in the field of sculpture.