Verovering van Temesvar

About this artwork

diameter 4.4 cm x weight 29.57 gr

Art Historical Context

This striking circular medal, just 4.4 centimetres across, presents two carefully composed sides in metal. On the obverse, a profile portrait of Emperor Charles VI appears in high relief, his curling hair crowned with a laurel wreath and his shoulders draped with a bow-tied cloak, surrounded by a Latin inscription naming him Holy Roman Emperor. The reverse displays a detailed plan of fortifications and waterways, encircled by further Latin lettering that records the liberation of Transylvania and the occupation of Temesvar on 12 October 1716. Created by Georg Wilhelm Vestner in 1716 and now preserved in the Rijksmuseum, the medal commemorates a decisive moment in the Austro-Turkish War. Its precise striking technique captures both the imperial likeness and the strategic map with remarkable clarity, allowing viewers to hold a small but weighty record of that campaign. Such medals were distributed to mark military successes and to circulate images of imperial authority across Europe.

About the Artist

Georg Wilhelm Vestner · 1677–1740

German, Schweinfurth 1677–1740 Nuremberg