In Honor of the 50th Birthday of the Poet and Novelist, P.K. Rosegger
1893
Medium
Gilt bronze
Dimensions
Diameter: 2 in. (51 mm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
Austrian
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Baron Bachofen von Echt, 1896, through S. Oettinger
Accession Number
96.12.9, .10
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1893, Austrian sculptor Anton Scharff this exquisite gilt bronze medal to celebrate the 50th birthday Peter K. Rosegger a beloved poet and novelist renowned for his vivid depictions of rural Austrian life. Titled *In Honor of the th Birthday of the Poet Novelist, P.K. Rosegger*, the 2-inch (51 mm) diameter plaquette exemplifies the Renaissance-inspired revival of medal-making in 19th-century Europe, portraiture with symbolic homage. Its tags—featuring profiles of men and—suggest a classical composition, likely portraying Rosegger alongside allegorical female figures representing inspiration...
About the Artist
Anton Scharff · 1845–1903
Anton Scharff (1845–1903) was one of the foremost medallists and engravers of nineteenth-century Austria, whose precision, formal elegance, and prolific output earned him an international reputation. Born in Vienna, he received his training at the Imperial Mint and the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, absorbing the rigorous technical traditions of Central European medal-making while also engaging with...