Cathedral of Magdeburg and interior
Medal
19th century (made)
19th century (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is a bronze medal made by Jacques Wiener, in Belgium in the 19th century. The obverse of this medal represents the Cathedral of Magdeburg 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.
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 | |
Title | Cathedral of Magdeburg and interior (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Bronze |
Brief description | Medal, bronze, the Cathedral of Magdeburg and interior, by Jacques Wiener, Belgium, 19th century |
Dimensions |
|
Object history | Bought in 1867. |
Production | Modern Belgian |
Place depicted | |
Summary | This is a bronze medal made by Jacques Wiener, in Belgium in the 19th century. The obverse of this medal represents the Cathedral of Magdeburg 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 | Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1867. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 13 |
Collection | |
Accession number | 53-1867 |
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Record created | June 23, 2009 |
Record URL |
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