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a close up of a metal plaque with a cross on it
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609 - TRINITY MEDAL The Trinity Medal, a masterpiece by the medall…
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Estimate €8,000
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Description
TRINITY MEDAL The Trinity Medal, a masterpiece by the medallist Hans Rheinart (1510–1581), is regarded as a pinnacle of German Renaissance medal art. However, it poses problems due to its great complexity, both in terms of the manufacturing technique and the number of known varieties. Its production combines the art of the medallist with that of the goldsmith. Each specimen is therefore virtually unique, making chronological classification exceptionally difficult. Let us begin with a description of this particular specimen. Obverse: God the Father, holding a sceptre and a globe bearing a cross, seated on an ornate throne flanked by two pilasters. Before him, the dove of the Holy Spirit rests on the crossbar of the crucifix. In the field, two large angels with clasped hands and eight heads of winged cherubs. In a circular legend: ‘PROPTER SCELVS POPVLI MEI/ PERCVSSI EVM ESAIAE LIII’ (he was struck down because of the iniquity of my people. Isaiah 53). Reverse: Within a shield held by two angels, a Latin inscription in 22 lines to the glory of the Trinity, one God in three persons. Circular legend: ‘REGNANTE MAVRITIO D: G: DVCE SAXONIALE GOSSVM HVNC LIPSIAE HR CVDEBAT ANO MDXLIIII MENSE IANV’. As our report cites several bibliographical references, it seems useful to list the works consulted here first: - GH: Georg Habich, ‘Die deutschen Schaümunzen des XVI. Jahrhunderts’. Munich, 1929. Volume 2, Part 1, p.L. CC VII, CC VIII and CC IX. - WS: Wolfgang Steguwet, ‘Die Driefaltigkeits-medaille von Hans Reinhart d.Ä. (c. 1510–1581)’. *Munzen Revue* 12, 2012, pp. 141–147. - F: Forrer, L. ‘Biographical Dictionary of Medallists’. Vol. I–VIII; 1904–1913. - S S1: Stephen Scher, ‘Currency of Fame’, New York, 1994, no. 127 - S S2: Stephen Scher, ‘The Scher Collection’. - MJ: Marjorie Trusted, ‘German Renaissance Medals. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum’, Gloucester, 1990, no. 149. - VP 1 Munich: Hirsch, Löbbecke Collection, 26 November 1908, no. 566. - VP 2 Geneva: Lugdumum, 12 December 2024, no. 88. Previously in London. Sotheby’s, 8 July 1990, no. 70. Previously in Frankfurt. Hans Mueller Lebanon Collection, 4 November 1924. - VP 3 Frankfurt. Cahn, Hans Mueller Lebanon Collection, 7 September 1925, no. 97. - VP 4: Vienna. Hampel, 24 September 1920, lot 382. - VP 5 London. Morton Eden, Gaines Collection, 8 December 2005, lot 42. VP 6: Osnabrück. Kunker Auction 422, March 2025 Whilst Forrer considered in 1905 that there were only seven or eight specimens of interest, Professor Steguwet’s authoritative article (WS) lists, as of 2012, some fifteen examples of medals bearing the date 1544 alone, including those in the museums of Geneva, Berlin, London, Munich, Vienna, Fridenstein, Dresden, Coburg and New York (A.N.S.). The main varieties of these specimens have been listed as far as possible, i.e. indicating the presence or absence of available data. (list available on request). Apart from the diameter and weight, the most significant variations concern the height of the figure of Christ, which is either small (26 to 27.5 mm) or large (around 42 mm), and the presence or absence of the signature ‘H.R.’ However, numerous other differences can be noted, such as the gilding of the silver, the angle of the sceptre, and the coat of arms on the reverse, which may even be replaced by ‘I.H.S.’! (VP 4), etc. So how does this particular specimen compare with those mentioned? Its diameter (103 mm) is excellent, as is that of the majority of specimens, with the exception of the one in New York (101 mm). Its weight is low. However, the weight of the others varies enormously (from 259 to almost 330 g) without any correlation with the size of the figure of Christ (for example, the Dresden specimen has a large figure of Christ and weighs 259 g, whilst the Fridenstein specimen weighs 273 g for a small figure of Christ). This low weight is likely due to the thinness of the blank, which may itself have caused the tiny hole visible on the obverse to the left of the crown of God and on the reverse, above the letter O in the second line of the text.Furthermore, it appears to be unsigned (like the one in the A.N.S. collection), but traces of possible erosion are visible around the base of the cross. Ultimately, this specimen appears very similar, despite the difference in weight, to the one in VP 5. François Planet, curator of the Medal Collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, has agreed to examine it and to authorise the publication of his conclusions; we thank him most sincerely. François Planet considers that the Gaines specimen and our own “were cast from the same moulds and, above all, were finished by the same goldsmith”. As for the chronology, he notes, ‘it is impossible to say which of the two specimens predates the other, but there is absolutely no doubt that they are contemporaries’. Finally, he regards the thinness of the blank as a positive factor: ‘the thinness of the blank in the fields smoothed during the re-engraving of your specimen is, in my view, further proof of its authenticity’. Taking all these factors into account, the technical details are as follows: Trinity Medal. 16th-century silver cast (103 mm and 246 g) by Hans Reinhart or his workshop. Condition: (small hole in the blank, impact damage and marks on the edge)
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Auction time 10/16/2026 at 1:00 PM
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