Folks, Most of you who know Leopold Wiener know him for his architectural and cathedral medal work. He, along with Bianchi, were masters of their craft. I recently ran across a Leopold Wiener medal however that is not architectural in nature. It is a large medal commemorating a Dutch Art Festival in 1861. It hasn't arrived yet, it's inbound from Europe. I was awe struck with the design of this one. Talk about HIGH RELIEF . . . . ! I'll get an angled view of it when it arrives. It measures 60mm in diameter. No idea how much it weighs. I am totally excited to have won this one. It's whimsical detail is amazing. I wish I knew to whom it was given / made for and why it was crafted. If you ask me, Wiener's architectural medals pale in comparison to this. Here is where Leopold's vision and imagination shine. Description per the seller. Enjoy! 1861 Belgian Art Festival Angel / Muse / Bull / Welcome Bronze Medal by Leopold Wiener The motto above the bull reads, "Antwerp's Art Festival." Around the bull reads, "WT Jonsten gathers" Below is, "18,19,20 Harvest 1861" I'm thinking that "harvest" might also be translated as "August" which would date the event. "August August, of course, is traditionally the beginning of the 'oogst' and the harvest months. The original medieval Dutch name of August was not 'augustus' but 'arenmaent' which means 'harvest month." Z
Just going from photos until it arrives, but the detail in this is amazing. Check out the hinges in the door to the right of the figures on the obverse, the grout lines in the castle, the eyes of the bull, even the toes . . . . . Here is a smaller Wiener medal I found and secured. Needless to say, I never got one of these when I was a kid . . . Z
Yep, it looks Catholic as well. Reminds me of my childhood going to catechism every Saturday morning. The Nuns and the Monsignor were brutal!
