Cathedral of Toledo thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Cathedral of Toledo

Medal
1869-1870 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a bronze medal made by Jacques Wiener in Belgium in about 1869-70. The obverse of the medal represents the Cathedral of Toledo and the reverse shows the interior of the cathedral.

The engraver Jacques Wiener became famous for engraving important European buildings with a great attention to detail.
Jacob Wiener (1815-1899), who signed his medals as Jacques Wiener, was the eldest of three brothers - the others were Leopold (1823-1891) and Charles (1832-1888) - of the Wiener family, a Jewish-Flemish family of artists and engravers. He studied in Paris, then settled in Brussels.
In 1845 he started engraving medals depicting the exterior and interior of monuments with a great attention to detail, something which hasn't previously been attempted. The first series was a group of ten medals depicting famous Belgian churches. Then he made a series of medals representing important monuments of Europe, like cathedrals, churches and mosques as well as other civic Belgian buildings including for example all Belgian prisons and some town halls. By 1872 unfortunately due to his portrayals in such fine small-scale detail he had almost lost his eye sight and had to stop producing medals.



Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCathedral of Toledo (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze medal
Brief description
Medal, bronze, of the Cathedral of Toledo, by Jacques Wiener, Belgium, 1869-1870
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 6.03cm
Object history
Bought from Messrs. Wiener & co, Brussels, per M. Van der Cruysse.
Subject depicted
Summary
This is a bronze medal made by Jacques Wiener in Belgium in about 1869-70. The obverse of the medal represents the Cathedral of Toledo and the reverse shows the interior of the cathedral.

The engraver Jacques Wiener became famous for engraving important European buildings with a great attention to detail.
Jacob Wiener (1815-1899), who signed his medals as Jacques Wiener, was the eldest of three brothers - the others were Leopold (1823-1891) and Charles (1832-1888) - of the Wiener family, a Jewish-Flemish family of artists and engravers. He studied in Paris, then settled in Brussels.
In 1845 he started engraving medals depicting the exterior and interior of monuments with a great attention to detail, something which hasn't previously been attempted. The first series was a group of ten medals depicting famous Belgian churches. Then he made a series of medals representing important monuments of Europe, like cathedrals, churches and mosques as well as other civic Belgian buildings including for example all Belgian prisons and some town halls. By 1872 unfortunately due to his portrayals in such fine small-scale detail he had almost lost his eye sight and had to stop producing medals.

Bibliographic reference
List of Objects in the Art Division, South Kensington, Acquired During the Year 1870, Arranged According to the Dates of Acquisition. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., p. 58
Collection
Accession number
656-1870

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Record createdAugust 29, 2008
Record URL
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