Author Topic: PAX VOBISCUM  (Read 2306 times)

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  • Esseö, Elisabeth (Erzsébet) von.  1921. 

    PAX・VOBISCVM・A・D・1921 (Peace be with you - AD 1921).  Cast bronze, verdigris patina, 73.3 mm, 91 g.  Fast grußfrish (near as-cast).  Very rare.

    Obverse: From a radiating rupture, subterranean serpent rears head and neck, curving to right and flicking forked tongue; title legend upper edge; along the lower edge, letters E -U- R - O - P - A spaced between fissure cracks; artist's monogram, encircled ligatured ƎE at center, below snake's neck. 

    Reverse: Death as togate skeleton stands against wall of urban street corner, strumming mandolin, his iconic scythe resting next to him, while in adjacent street phalanx of troops armed with spears and cannon resists the attack of an unarmed mob; artist's monogram right center edge.

    Cf:  Huszár, Lajos, and Béla Procopius. 1932. Medaillen- und Plakettenkunst in Ungarn, p. 201: 1944.

    The year date alone without month and/or day makes uncertain any specific incident that inspired this medal, but in 1921 there were riots in Munich (where the artist worked) and Vienna, as well as civil strife in other European cities.
PAX VOBISCUM
« on: January 11, 2020, 04:32:51 PM »

Esseö, Elisabeth (Erzsébet) von.  1921. 

PAX・VOBISCVM・A・D・1921 (Peace be with you - AD 1921).  Cast bronze, verdigris patina, 73.3 mm, 91 g.  Fast grußfrish (near as-cast).  Very rare.

Obverse: From a radiating rupture, subterranean serpent rears head and neck, curving to right and flicking forked tongue; title legend upper edge; along the lower edge, letters E -U- R - O - P - A spaced between fissure cracks; artist's monogram, encircled ligatured ƎE at center, below snake's neck. 

Reverse: Death as togate skeleton stands against wall of urban street corner, strumming mandolin, his iconic scythe resting next to him, while in adjacent street phalanx of troops armed with spears and cannon resists the attack of an unarmed mob; artist's monogram right center edge.

Cf:  Huszár, Lajos, and Béla Procopius. 1932. Medaillen- und Plakettenkunst in Ungarn, p. 201: 1944.

The year date alone without month and/or day makes uncertain any specific incident that inspired this medal, but in 1921 there were riots in Munich (where the artist worked) and Vienna, as well as civil strife in other European cities.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2020, 10:00:18 PM by Haarmann »