Václav Payer (Wenceslaus Beyer), 1488-1537, State Physician of Bohemia [obverse]

1526

Master M.P.

Associated Names
Master M.P.

Artist, German, active first quarter 16th century

This is a photograph of a metal coin or medallion with an embossed portrait. The figure depicted is in profile with stylized hair and ornate clothing against a smooth background. The border of the medallion contains inscriptions in Latin: "AETATIS SUE 38" at the top and "WENCES BEYER MAXED RATIOS ROMMVS" at the bottom. The attire shown is intricate with a design common to historical or ceremonial garments. The embossed image emphasizes realism and texture, capturing facial features and attire details. The raised relief and precise detailing suggest the coin or medallion was made to commemorate a notable figure or event.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    iron casting//Late cast?

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (diameter): 5.79 cm (2 1/4 in.)
    gross weight: 62 gr (0.137 lb.)
    axis: 12:00

  • Accession Number

    1957.14.1199.a

Associated Artworks

This is a photograph of a medallion. The medallion features a design with a skull on a tablet or pedestal in the foreground, a raised skeleton shape in the mid-ground, a figure on horseback in the background, a tree with hanging branches on the left side, swirling cloud formations in the sky, and engraved text around the edge. The composition suggests themes related to life, death, and existence.

Book, Skull, Bones, and Rider in Landscape [reverse]

Master M.P.

1526

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Gustave Dreyfus [1837-1914], Paris; his heirs; purchased with the entire Dreyfus collection 9 July 1930 by (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris); sold 31 January 1944 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[1] gift 1957 to NGA.
[1] The Duveen Brothers Records document the firm’s sixteen year pursuit and eventual acquisition of the Dreyfus collection, which included paintings, sculptures, small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes. Bequeathed as part of his estate to Dreyfus’ widow and five children (a son and four daughters), who had differing opinions about its disposition, the collection was not sold until after his widow’s death in April 1929. Duveen did not wish to separate Dreyfus’ collection of small bronzes, medals, and plaquettes, and it was sold intact to the Kress Foundation for a price that was met by installment payments every three months. (Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: reel 301, box 446, folders 3 and 4; reel 302, box 447, folders 1-6; reel 303, box 448, folders 1 and 2; reel 330, box 475, folder 4.) See also George Francis Hill’s discussion "A Note on Pedigrees" in his catalogue, The Gustave Dreyfus Collection: Renaissance Medals, Oxford, 1931: xii, which was commissioned by Duveen Brothers.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1967

  • Hill, George Francis, and Graham Pollard. Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art. London, 1967: no. 603.

2007

  • Pollard, John Graham. Renaissance Medals. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. 2 vols. Washington, 2007: 2:no. 733, repro.

Inscriptions

around circumference: WENCES[laus] BEYER MAEDI[cus] NATIO[n]E BOEMVS AETATIS SVE 38

Wikidata ID

Q63854735

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