103104 | AUSTRIA. Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall bronze Medal.

103104  |  AUSTRIA. Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall bronze Medal. Issued 1847. Commemorating the researcher in Asian studies and the first president of the Academy of Sciences in Vienna (52mm, 76.67 g, 12h). By Carl Radnitzky in Vienna.

 

JOSEPH FREIHERR von HAMMER PURGSTALL, bare head left // One of the two Colossi of Memnon facing; around, ornate decorative border with twelve oval medallions containing signs of the Egyptian zodiac and "IST DER MORGEN NICHT NAH? CORAN S.XI.v.80." ("is not the morning near?" –adapted from the Quran, XI:80). Edge: Plain.

 

Attila 1847-01-br; Wurzbach 3554; Unger 4141; Niggl 850. Gem Mint State. Rich red-brown surfaces, with enticing brilliance and exceptional intricacy.

 

One of the most accomplished Near Eastern scholars of his day, Hammer wrote extensively on numerous subjects and published translations of authors from their original Arabic, Persian, and Turkish language. He supported the foundation of the  Academy of Sciences in Vienna, serving as its first president from 1847-1849. An Austrian society founded in 1959 even bears his name in honor of his accomplishments: Österreichische Orient-Gesellschaft Hammer-Purgstall. In a nod to his Near East linguistic accomplishments, the religious verse cited upon the reverse of this medal is adapted from the Quran, as opposed to the Bible, which is the standard for such quotes on Western European medals of the era.

 

Upload: 5 May 2025.