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Emblem of the Swiss Confederation

Medal
ca. 1547 (made)
Artist/Maker
Stampfer, Hans Jakob (maker)
Place of origin
Switzerland (made)

This is a silver gilt emblem of the Swiss Confederation made by Hans Jakob Stampfer in Switzerland. This was a commemorative medal made for Princess Claude of France. A gold version of this medal was given in 1547 to Princess Claude of France, the daughter of Henry II, as a christening gift by the Swiss Confederation. The date of this medal is therefore likely to be around 1547.

Stampfer was a Swiss die-cutter, medallist and goldsmith born in Zurich, who worked for the Mint in that city. He produced portrait-medals, seals, commemorative coins, not only for Zurich but also for other Swiss cities and German patrons, such as the Archbishop of Salzburg.

Object details

Categories
Coins & Medals
Politics
Object type
Medal
TitleEmblem of the Swiss Confederation (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silver gilt
Brief description
Medal, silver gilt, Emblem of the Swiss Confederation, by Jakob Stampfer, Germany, about 1547
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 7.9cm
  • Weight: 73.9g
Marks and inscriptions
Object history
Provenance: Soulanges. M. Jules Soulanges formed a large collection of decorative art mainly between 1830 and 1840. It was exhibited in Marlborough House, London, sponsored by a group of subscribers in 1856. Several objects were purchased by the then Department of Science and Art between 1859 and 1865.
Subjects depicted
Hands
Scroll
Escutcheon (Coat of Arms)
Cross
Angel
Summary
This is a silver gilt emblem of the Swiss Confederation made by Hans Jakob Stampfer in Switzerland. This was a commemorative medal made for Princess Claude of France. A gold version of this medal was given in 1547 to Princess Claude of France, the daughter of Henry II, as a christening gift by the Swiss Confederation. The date of this medal is therefore likely to be around 1547.

Stampfer was a Swiss die-cutter, medallist and goldsmith born in Zurich, who worked for the Mint in that city. He produced portrait-medals, seals, commemorative coins, not only for Zurich but also for other Swiss cities and German patrons, such as the Archbishop of Salzburg.
Bibliographic references
  • Trusted, Marjorie. German Renaissance Medals. Victoria & Albert Museum, 1990, p. 108
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1865. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 37
  • Robinson, John Charles. Catalogue of the Soulages Collection. London: Chapman & Hall, 1856, p. 142
  • Habich, Georg. Die deutschen Schaumünzen des XVI. Jahrhunderts herausgegeben mit Unterstützung der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Notgemeinschaft der deutschen Wissenschaft Auftrag des Deutschen Vereins für Kunstwissenschaft. München: Bruckmann, 1929-1934, I, I. p. 127, no. 868, pl. CVIII, 10
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
673-1865

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Record createdMarch 3, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O94319/emblem-of-the-swiss-confederation-medal-stampfer-hans-jakob/
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