Of the medallists who worked during the reign of Henry VIII. we know nothing, and none of the medals bear the artists' signatures. The process employed was that of casting; but this was often done with little skill, and in consequence all the medals are highly chased. The medals of the reign of Edward VI. show no improvement in the art; but those of Mary and Philip, which are exhibited, being executed by the Italian artist Trezzo, are of far superior work. It is scarcely fair to class these among English medals, as they were executed in Madrid under the orders of Philip II., in whose service Trezzo was retained during the greater part of his life. That the works of this artist were much esteemed in his own time we learn from Vasari, who says, 'This master has no equal for portraits from life, and is an artist of the highest merit in other respects.' During the reign of Elizabeth, a great improvement is manifest in medallic art, which may be seen in the medals commemorating the defeat of the Spanish Armada, all of which, so far as it is known, were produced by native artists. There are other fine medals of this reign; but these are the work of foreign artists. Of such is the remarkable one with the portrait of Mary Queen of Scots by Primavera, and also a number of Dutch medals, among which are the splendid life-like portraits by Stephen of Holland. These medals are all cast and afterwards chased, and are certainly very fine examples of Dutch art. It is not improbable that this artist first studied at Nuremberg, which was the great school for medallists in Germany, and in which Albert Dürer himself had worked.