European Medals from 1513 to 1788
Netherlands, The Dutch Republic. Engagement Medal (Silver, 72mm, 49.97 g 1), cast with an engraved inscription on the reverse, by an unknown artist, in the style of Hans Jamnitzer, and sometimes attributed to Paulus van Vianen, c. 1650. Scene of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac: on the right, Isaac, bound, kneeling to right on a pile of wood with a vessel filled with burning incense to right; behind him, Abraham standing facing, turned slightly to left, holding Isaac’s head with his left hand and a saber in his upraised right, and tuning his head upwards towards an angel, in clouds, motioning Abraham to desist; around, wooded area with trees and bushes, and with, to right, a ram caught in a thicket and, to left, a donkey between two boys. Rev. KATRINA.IS.MŸN / NAEM.EN.TIETEL. IS.WEL= / VAEREN.DIET.GEF.ICK.V.MŸN / LIEF.OP.DAT. WŸ.T.SAMEN.PARE= / EN.T.SAMEN. WOORDEN.EEN.DOOR / GOODES.SEGEN.VOOL.DIT.GVNT / ONS.GODT.DE.HEER. MŸN.LIEF.HEN= / DERICKVS.KROOL. GEHORSAEMT= / DAN. V.ODT.ALS.ABRAHAM.HE= / EFT. GEDAEN.SOOSVLT.GŸ / DEBELOOFTE.VANDEN / HEER. ONT.FAEN= (= Katrina is my first name, Welvaeren is my last, which I will give up for love so that we can live together with God’s blessing, for all of this granted by God I will obey my love Hendrick Krool, then like Abraham, you will receive what the Lord has promised ). Bemolt 81 ( this piece ). Cf. Weber 278 ( the prototype of the obverse, by Jamnitzer or an artist in his circle ) and 279 ( a Dutch version, ascribed to Paulus van Vianen ). Unique . Has been holed and very carefully plugged, otherwise , about extremely fine. Ex Schulman 232, 9 March 1959, 1038. This is both a very attractive engagement medal, and a rather enigmatic one. When it was auctioned it was ascribed to Paulus van Vianen (1570-1614) and dated to c. 1575-1650. This was presumably based on the fact that Paulus, a well-known and important silversmith, was the artist who produced a plaque of similar size that bore the same scene of Abraham and Isaac (Weber 279). However that plaque is actually very different in many of its details, while the present piece is much closer stylistically to the plaquette (Weber 278) with the scene of Abraham and Isaac that is ascribed to the Nuremberg goldsmith Hans Jamnitzer (1538-1603). In any case, if Bemolt is correct in dating this unique piece to c. 1650, any firm attribution to Paulus van Vianen seems very unlikely.