102240 | GERMANY. New Century silver Medal.

102240  |  GERMANY. New Century silver Medal. Issued 1901 (35mm, 17.35 g, 12h). By C. Starck & O. Oertel in Berlin.

 

ANNO 1900 ANNO / 1901, facing sphinx / ZUR JAHRHUNDERTS – WENDE, Hora, in sheer, full-length drapery, standing slightly left, extinguishing one torch and holding another upright. Edge: Plain.

 

Strothotte 1900-7; cf. Marienburg 7159; cf. Heidemann 855; GPH 5083 PCGS SP-62. Light argent surfaces, with a central matte nature surrounded by a ring of mirrored brilliance and subtle pastel toning. A much rarer, smaller sized variant of the type commonly encountered in 38mm diameter.

 

Offering great Neoclassical artistry, this piece was created for the dawn of the 20th century, seemingly featuring a mythological allegory for the passage of time, Hora. Here, she is depicted in a very sheer drapery, her apparent nakedness revealing the exploits of the previous century, yet her clothing at least obfuscating the events of the new century. Though given to 1900, the appearance of 1901 on the obverse would lead one to believe that this type, in fact, celebrates the departing 1900 and the arriving 1901, whereas the larger-sized version of the design does seem to point more toward a celebration of 1900.

 

Upload: 2 January 2023.

 

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