Gnadenpfennig
ca. 1620 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Medals of sovereigns mounted in gold, called Gnadenpfennige in German, were traditionally presented by the rulers as a token of their appreciation and trust. They appeared in the 1560s in Tyrol and Bavaria, and spread very quickly to all the German kingdoms. The fashion for them faded in the first quarter of the 17th century. They were worn by both men and women on long gold chains.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Enamelled gold and hung with pearls |
| Brief description | Enamelled gold medal (Gnadenpfennig) set with a medal of Albrecht VI of Bavaria (1584-1666) after a wax portrait by Alessandro Abondio, hung with pearls. The medal as well as the setting probably executed by Christian Ulrich Eberl, Germany (Munich), about 1620 |
| Physical description | Enamelled gold and set with a medal of Albrecht VI of Bavaria (1584-1666) after a wax portrait by Alessandro Abondio, hung with pearls. The medal as well as the setting probably executed by Christian Ulrich Eberl |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | ex Tross Collection, Paris |
| Historical context | Medals of sovereigns mounted in gold, called Gnadenpfennige in German, were traditionally presented by the rulers as a token of their appreciation and trust. They appeared in the 1560s in Tyrol and Bavaria, and spread very quickly to all the German kingdoms. The fashion for them faded in the first quarter of the 17th century. They were worn by both men and women on long gold chains. See the portrait of a woman from the Hamburger family wearing a Gnadenpfennig with a medal of Friedrich III von Holstein-Gottorp, on a chain around her neck, artist unknown, 1621 (Weimar, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Schloss). |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Medals of sovereigns mounted in gold, called Gnadenpfennige in German, were traditionally presented by the rulers as a token of their appreciation and trust. They appeared in the 1560s in Tyrol and Bavaria, and spread very quickly to all the German kingdoms. The fashion for them faded in the first quarter of the 17th century. They were worn by both men and women on long gold chains. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 69-1867 |
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| Record created | July 24, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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