Presentation medal (Gnadenpfennig) of Maximilian, Archduke of Austria (1558–1620)

Alessandro Abondio Italian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 520

This presentation medal was designed by an imperial artist for the Habsburg Archduke Maximilian III of Austria, brother of Archduke Albert VII. On its reverse is Maximilian III’s motto and the image of an ancient Roman army camp. The very same camp architecture can be found on the Otho dish, where it provides the setting for Otho’s noble suicide. Both the dish and the medal were inspired by an image published in Du Choul’s antiquarian treatise. Correspondences such as these suggest that whatever the origin of the Silver Caesars, they were likely designed with Habsburg iconography in mind.

Presentation medal (Gnadenpfennig) of Maximilian, Archduke of Austria (1558–1620), Alessandro Abondio (Italian, ca. 1570–1648), Gold, partly enameled; pearl, Austrian, probably Vienna

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Presentation medal (Gnadenpfennig) of Maximilian, Archduke of Austria (1558–1620), Alessandro Abondio (Italian, ca. 1570–1648), Gold, partly enameled; pearl, Austrian, probably Vienna
Presentation medal (Gnadenpfennig) of Maximilian, Archduke of Austria (1558–1620), Alessandro Abondio (Italian, ca. 1570–1648), Gold, partly enameled; pearl, Austrian, probably Vienna

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.