Mosque of St. Sophia, Constantinople
Medal
1864 (struck)
1864 (struck)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This medal representing interior views of the Mosque Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul) is made by Jacques Wiener in ca. 1850 - 1862.
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.
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 | |
| Title | Mosque of St. Sophia, Constantinople (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Bronze, struck |
| Brief description | Medal, bronze, representing the Mosque St. Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul), by Jacques Wiener, Belgium, ca. 1850-1862 |
| Physical description | This medal depicts on the obverse the interior of the Mosque St. Sophia at Constantinople and on the reverse another interior view. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | (signed) |
| Gallery label | 'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900'
This is one of a series of medals depicting great monuments of Europe. Wiener's portrayals of the exteriors and interiors of buildings in such fine small-scale detail led to his going blind in later life.(1987-2006) |
| Object history | This is one of a series of medals depicting great monuments of Europe. Bought, 7s in 1862. |
| Historical context | Wiener's portrayals of the exteriors and interiors of buildings in fine small-scale detail led to his going blind in later life. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This medal representing interior views of the Mosque Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul) is made by Jacques Wiener in ca. 1850 - 1862. 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 references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 7985-1862 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | May 31, 2000 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
