Lot 634
GERMANY, THE FALL OF MAN AND THE CRUCIFIXION:-
A 16th century cast medal, by Hans Reinhart the Elder (d.1581), of Leipzig, signed with monogram on reverse, dedicated to Johann Friedrich I, Duke of Saxony (1503-1554), Adam and Eve stand amongst animals to either side of the Tree of Knowledge, she reaching for the apple, rev. The Crucifixion, with Gestas and Dismas to left and right, in the background a church, a contemporary cast, the medal probably once gilt with hints remaining, the Creation of Eve is depicted in small detail beyond Adam on the obverse, whilst behind Eve is the Expulsion from Paradise; 6.65 cms diameter; 1.91oz
Literature:
G. Habich: Die Deutschen Shaumunzen des XVI Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1929-34, vol II, 1, no.1968
The Salton Collection: Renaissance and Baroque Medals and Plaquettes, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine, 1969, no. 95.
G. Bekker: Europaische Plaketten und Medaillen vom 15. bis zum 18.Jahrhundert, the Grassimuseums, Leipzig, 1996, 361-362
