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Medallist: Hans Reinhart the Elder, 1510-1581
for Moritz, Duke of Saxony, 1541-1553
Large silver cast medal 1544. (Ø 103 mm; 257 gr). PROPTER SCELVS POPVLI MEI PERCVSSI EVM ESAIAE LIII.
The obverse bears the representation of the Trinity, known in German as ‘the Gnadenstuhl’. God the Father is seated on a richly ornamented throne holding orb and sceptre. Before him, the crucifix surmounted by the dove of the Holy Spirit, Angels and cherubs are surrounding the throne. On the reverse, two standing angels hold a large tablet bearing the famous Athanasian Creed as a long inscription.
Extremely rare. Choice extremely fine
Lot 88 / estimation 75’000/ hammer price CHF 120’000
Reference: Habich II, S. 283, n°1962 (dieses Exemplar).
Provenance: Sammlung Dr. Engelhardt, Auktion J. und A. Eberstein, Dresden (Deutschland), 29. Oktober 1888, Los n°242.
Sammlung Hermann Vogel, Auktion Leo Hamburger, Frankfurt a.M. (Deutschland), 4. November 1924, Los n°177.
Auktion Sotheby’s, London (Grossbritanien), 8. Juli 1997, Los n°70.
Artistic merit, historical importance, and symbolic power: rarely does a medal unite in its core all these characteristics. And even rarely does a medal succeed in capturing the spirit of its time, but when it does, as it is the case here, a medal becomes a true masterpiece. And this medal for sure is a true masterpiece.
Our video presents the characteristics of this medal, like its iconography, its rarity, its historical and numismatic importance as well as its artistic merit.
It was crafted in Leipzig (Germany), in 1544, for Maurice, Duke of Saxony, by the renowned medalist Hans Reinhart the Elder. It is its impressive obverse iconography that has given it its name: The Trinity medal.
This medal is considered without any contest the greatest masterpiece of German Renaissance medallic art. But for us it is more than an artistic masterpiece, it is also an impressive and touching testimony, cast in silver, of a desperate attempt to prevent a major disaster: the splitting of the Christian faith, which will for centuries decimate the Holy Roman Empire.
On the obverse, you can see the representation of the Trinity, known in German as the Gnadenstuhl. God the Father is seated on a richly ornamented throne holding orb and scepter. Before him, the crucifix surmounted by the dove of the Holy Spirit, Angels and cherubs are surrounding the throne.
On the reverse, two standing angels hold a large tablet bearing the famous Athanasian Creed as a long inscription.
What’s really incredible is that this specimen is one of only 15 specimens (estimated) to have survived the passing of time, 10 of which are located in Museums.
The prestige of the institutions that have the chance to own such a masterpiece illustrate the importance of the Trinity medal. Among them are the German coin cabinets of Berlin, Dresden, Gotha, Munich and Weimar, not to mention the coin cabinet of Vienna, the American Numismatic Society in New York and the British Museum in London.
As we have already mentioned, this medal was produced in 1544 in Leipzig (Germany) for Maurice, Duke of Saxony, during a time, when this part of the Holy Roman Empire was shaken by a deep religious questioning.
Almost 30 years earlier, on the 31st of October 1517, Martin Luther had nailed its famous Ninety-five Theses on the doors of the All-Saints’ Church in the nearby city of Wittenberg, marking by doing so the begin of the splitting of the Christian faith.
Maurice of Saxony, was himself split between the old and the new faith:
on a personal aspect, he had recently converted to the new faith, along his father, while having been raised as a Catholic. As the ruler of Saxony, he was torn between his will to remain loyal to Charles V, the Catholic Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and his support of the newly founded Schmalkalic League, a military alliance created to defend the rights of the Protestants.
This medal was used as a very high value diplomatic present, using the power of beauty and art, in a desperate attempt to safeguard peace and prevent one of the first religious wars between Protestants and Catholics in Central Europe.
Its intention was to plead for the unity of Christendom by reminding both parties, Catholics and protestants of their common believe in the Trinity and the Athanasian Creed.
This medal is also a true masterpiece of medallic art, being the largest German Renaissance silver medal ever crafted. Here, Hans Reinhart has not only mastered the typical high relief for which German Renaissance medals are known, he went even one unconventional step further, making this medal a real tour de force.
By soldering miniature three-dimensional sculptures onto the medal, like God the Father’s beard, the crucifix or the dove of the Holy Spirit, he succeeded in exceling medallic art in such a way, that the Trinity medals can be seen as real three-dimensional sculptures.
Although inspired by Lucas Cranach, Hans Reinhart has nevertheless made the Trinity medal his own masterpiece. While numerous iconographical elements used by the artist on this medal can directly be linked to the Renaissance, like the typical decoration of the throne and the symmetrical disposition of the scene, the richness and splendour of the attributes of God the father and the general impression of opulence, almost place it at the forefront of the coming mannerism or early Baroque art. Making the Trinity medal an important milestone in the thrilling history of medallic art.
Cranach’s painting of The Holy Trinity, now at the Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig (Germany), perfectly illustrates this idea: there you can see, as on the Trinity medal, God the father with a flourishing beard, wearing richly ornamented clothes and a crown, as well as the Christ, the Holy Spirit and winged cherub’s heads in the sky.
Considered as one of the most – if not the most – important German painters of its time, Cranach the Elder was not only a real inspiration to Reinhart, but also one of his acquaintances. And it is not impossible to imagine that Cranach might even have been somehow involved in the conception of this medal.
The history of this medal as a collectable item can be traced back more than 200 years. And it comes as no surprise that it reveals an exceptional and prestigious history of ownership.
It was once part of the collection of Dr. August Moritz Engelhardt, a famous legal consultant and notary in Dresden (Germany), court councillor and chief financial officer for Princess Amelie of Saxony. Sold on 29th October 1888, in a Julius and Albert Erbstein’s auction in Dresden, this medal was the highlight of this very complete and impressive sale.
Its fortunate buyer was privy councillor Hermann Vogel, an important industrialist in Chemnitz (Germany). He spent not less than 2’500 Gold Mark, representing almost 900 grams of fine gold, to become the new owner of this very piece. The medal, alongside his collection, described at the time as the most important collection of artistic medals in Germany, and even in Europe, was then sold on 4th of November 1924, 6 years after the death of Hermann Vogel, in an impressive Leo Hamburger Auction in Frankfurt am Main.
One further testimony of the importance of this very specimen, comes the fact that it has been illustrated in the most important catalogue raisonné about German Renaissance medals ever produced:
The large and beautifully illustrated work of Georg Habich: Die deutschen Schaumünzen des XVI. Jahrhunderts,
published in 4 volumes between 1929 and 1934 and presenting more than 334 plates of German Renaissance medals.
Having been chosen by Habich himself, with the purpose to illustrate the greatest masterpiece of German Renaissance medallic art in his publication, confirms once more the exceptional characteristics of this medal.
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