The Royal Society Rumford Medals of Sir John Leslie (1766-1832)

The Royal Society Rumford Medals of Sir John Leslie (1766-1832), Scottish mathematician and natural philosopher: the medal in gold, 76 mm, a flaming crucible set upon a tripod, 'NOSCERE QUAE VIS ET CAUSSA', exergue engraved 'Mr JOHN LESLIE MDCCCV', rev. 'PRAEMIUM OPTIME MERENTI EX INSTITUTO BENJ A RUMFORD S.R.I. COMITIS ADJUDICATUM A REG. SOC. LOND.' within a wreath, cased (E 878), nearly extremely fine and very scarce; another, in silver, exergue similarly engraved, cased, nearly extremely fine; and a third example in copper gilt, being a facsimile (electrotype?) of the first, wear to gilding, otherwise extremely fine. [3]

Uncle to James Leslie and great uncle to Alexander (see lots 61 and 62) Sir John Leslie was educated at St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities. He published numerous learned works, and contributed to the Encyclopedia Britannica. He was made a Rumford Medallist by the Royal Society in 1804 for his experiments on heat as published in his work "An Experimental Enquiry into the Nature and Propagation of Heat". He was only the second recipient of this honour, after Benjamin Count Rumford himself (1800). He was knighted in 1832.