102465 | BELGIUM. Liège. Bishop van Bommel bronze Medal.

102465  |  BELGIUM. Liège. Bishop Cornelius Richard Anton van Bommel bronze Medal. Issued 1852. The Bishop's Achievements/St. Paul's Cathedral (74mm, 183.35 g, 12h). By L. & J. Wiener.

 

C R A VAN BOMMEL EPISC LEOD SS DD PRÆL DOM ET SOL PONT ASSIST LUGD BAT NAT MDCCXC OBIIT MDCCCLII LAUDIBUS CLARUS, mantled bust left, wearing zucchetto // ECCLES LIBERTAT IN CLERICIS INSTITUEND PROPUGNATOR / RELIGIOSAR FAMILIAR PIAR SODALITAT OMNIGEN BONOR OP FAUTOR, ornate perspective interior view of the choir; DE JUVENTUTE / RITE RELIGIOSEQ / INFORMANDA DE SALUTE ANIMAR / PROCURANDA INDEF SOLLICITUS in four lines in panel to left; DECORIS ECCLESIAR / CULTUSQ SS EUCH ET B V M A E / DISCIPLINÆ CLERICALIS / PROMOTOR in four lines in panel to right; in two lines in exergue, FELICI BENE MERENTIS / MEMORIÆ. Edge: Plain; thickness: 6.5mm.

 

Ross M109; van Hoydonck 98; Reinecke 145. Choice Mint State. Red-brown surfaces, with great brilliance in the fields and relief on the obverse. Far superior to other examples commonly featuring a high degree of spotting and oxidation.

 

From what is today eastern Netherlands and western Germany, the Wieners were a Jewish family of exceptional medalists, especially known for numerous numismatic works throughout the Kingdom of Belgium. Eldest brother Jacques, along with younger brothers Leopold and Charles, created some of the finest works of medallic art of the 19th century, and all are particularly noted for their work in the highly detailed and intricate work of architectural renderings. This particular piece combines their greatest skills—the exceptional, expressive, high relief portraits of Leopold and the intricate, expertly detailed architectural renderings of Jacques.

 

Upload: 17 July 2023.