Guillaume Martin - Catherine de’ Medici (1519–1589) ; Heinrich Moshage - Hitler; Unknown - Girolamo Savonarola
The daughters of Roman imperial coins, medals have always been a medium for portraiture, but they are a much newer medium, introduced just 500 years ago during the Renaissance. The artist most known as the inventor of the medal is Pisanello, who created medals in the image of Roman coins for emperors of his time. The primary function of medals was vastly different than coins. They had no monetary purpose but were always directly connected with the representation of individuals and the documentation of significant events. A popular way of creating medals was through the casting single slide process, a similar technique to the casting of bronze sculpture. With this process, medals could have intricate details and still be easily reproduced.
In the early years of the medium, medals were a form of status symbol. The first subjects to be represented on medals were princes and other nobles, those born royal or brought into courtly circles through deeds of land. Catherine de' Medici, the Queen of France, and her family were commemorated in this way. Other times, medals were used to circulate messages or document significant periods of history, as in this medal of Girolamo Savonarola. The Florentine public had differing opinions on the preacher, who spread messages of hate throughout the city for a period of time. On his medal, Savonarola is paired with a sword of vengeance, referring to one of his prophecies.
Medals also had propagandistic value. In Germany, the wealthy Hapsburg family saw the importance of medals to spread propaganda because of their ability to be reproduced and their small portable size. Using medals, positive messages of Hapsburg leadership could be spread to solidify the family’s place as leaders of the German empire. This tradition was carried on in Germany through the twentieth century, as evidenced through Moshage’s medal of Hitler. Many German artists were known to create medals that commemorated German historical events and depicted their perspective of the twentieth century. Hitler was a popular theme for the medium of medals before, during, and after his rise to power. The story expressed through the study of these medal portraits gives a German account of the ruthless leader’s rule.
Medals reflected the period in which they were created and serve as markers of the past. They inform present and future generations about significant figures and events that shaped nations. Medals act as a way for viewers to see the past through the eyes of those who lived in the past.
Sydney Krassen