Mosque of St. Sophia, Constantinople thumbnail 1
Not on display

Mosque of St. Sophia, Constantinople

Medal
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.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMosque 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
  • Diameter: 6cm
  • Width: 0.6cm
Dims taken by Scp Oct 05
Marks and inscriptions
(signed)
Gallery label
(1987-2006)
'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.
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
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1862. 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. 14
  • Tucker, J. L. "Jacques Wiener: An Update". In: The Medal, no. 25, autumn 1994, pp. 61-67
Collection
Accession number
7985-1862

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Record createdMay 31, 2000
Record URL
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