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A silver medal depicting Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800) Birmingham, Dated AH 1211/ AD 1796-7 image 1
A silver medal depicting Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800) Birmingham, Dated AH 1211/ AD 1796-7 image 2
Lot 160

A silver medal depicting Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800)
Birmingham, Dated AH 1211/ AD 1796-7

22 May 2025, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £5,120 inc. premium

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A silver medal depicting Major General Claude Martin (1735-1800)
Birmingham, Dated AH 1211/ AD 1796-7

circular, depicting the uniformed bust of General Martin facing right, above the legend LABORE ET CONSTANTIA, signed MCKENZIE F. below bust, the reverse with inscriptions in nastaliq
42 mm diam.; 29.1 g.

Footnotes

Inscriptions: Sharaf al-Dawlah Sayf al-Mulk Imtiyaz Khan General Claude Martin Bahadur Shahamat Jang 1211 (1796-7).

Claude Martin, born in France, sought his fame and fortune abroad and joined the French East India Company, serving under Dupleix among others. Upon the French loss of Pondicherry, Martin accepted a role with the Bengal Army of the victorious British East India Company, rising to the rank of Major-General before his retirement. In his will, he provided for the founding of public establishments, including an educational institution in Calcutta and in Lyon, the city of his birth. He also bequeathed Constantia Palace to be converted into an academy for English education, all of which led to the foundation of the academic institutions known as the La Martinière College.

Additional information