Mary Gillick, née Tutin (1881-1965), is probably best remembered for the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on UK coins from the beginning of her reign until decimalisation in 1971. This book focuses on her career as a sculptor and medallist - a career that had begun at Nottingham School of Art and the Royal College of Art and had already spanned more than fifty years when she experienced the sudden burst of national fame that came with the royal commission. Gillick's work combines the influence of early Italian Renaissance medals with an appreciation of modernism and shows a readiness to adapt as she responded to changes in the art market. Her experience also adds to the debate on the impact on women of marriages between artists (she was married to sculptor Ernest Gillick from 1905, until his death in 1951) and the choices open to women sculptors of her time. This is the very first study of such an iconic British artist to be published, and is sure to attract the attention of both numismatists and anyone interested in the history of British art alike.

Philip was Keeper of Coins and Medals at the British Museum from 2010 to 2020, having worked in that department from 1979, principally as curator of medals. On his retirement in 2020 he was made an Honorary Research Fellow. His many books and articles include the British Museum exhibition catalogue Artistic circles: the medal in Britain 1880-1918 (1992), the major collection catalogue Italian medals, c.1530-1600, in British public collections (2003), and more recently Hard at work: the diary of Leonard Wyon 1853-1867 (2014). For many years he has been editor of The Medal, the journal of the British Art Medal Society, and was president of that society from 2008 to 2018. Since 2012 he has been president of the Fédération Internationale de la Médaille d'Art (FIDEM). He is currently working on books on coin- and medal-designers Mary Gillick (1881-1965) and Frank Bowcher (1864-1938).