101541 | SPAIN, GERMANY & FRANCE. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra bronze Medal.

101541  |  SPAIN, GERMANY & FRANCE. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra bronze Medal. Dated 1821 (but issued circa 1826-1844). Series Numismatica Universalis Virorum Illustrium (41mm, 38.00 g, 12h). By Gayrard & Durand in München.

 

MICHAEL CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, bust left, wearing ruffled collar / NATUS / COMPLUTI / IN HISPANIA / AN M D XLVII / OBIIT / AN M DC XVI in six lines. Edge: MONACHII.

 

VQ 14228. Mint State. Rich brown surfaces, with some underlying brilliance; a few scattered spots are noted for completeness.

 

This piece is from the "Virorum Illustrium" (famous men) series, which presented numerous contemporary and historical male figures in medallic form, along with a brief biography on each reverse. Cervantes is most known for his monumental work, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, which followed the title character Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza. The magnum opus is considered one of the foundations of Western literature and the first modern novel.

 

Many of Durand's earlier issues were struck at the Paris mint, though their policy of maintaining a monopoly over the striking of medals in France caused him to look elsewhere. In order to retain creative and commercial control, he had the mint in München strike some issues between 1826-1844, with the edges of these issues reading "MONACHII" (of München).