Page 111 - The Lugdunum Auction 24

A masterpiece of German Renaissance medallic art by
Hans Reinhart the Elder (1510-1581)

This impressive silver medal was crafted in Leipzig
(Germany), in 1544, for Maurice, Duke of Saxony,
by the renowned medallist Hans Reinhart the Elder.
Its impressive and majestic obverse iconography has
given it its name: The Trinity medal.
And without any contest this medal is considered the
greatest masterpiece of German Renaissance medal-
lic art. But for us this medal is more than an artistic
masterpiece, it is also an impressive and touching
testimony, cast in silver, of a desperate attempt to
prevent a major disaster: the brutal splitting of the
Christian faith, which would for centuries almost
decimate the Holy Roman Empire.
It was minted during a time, when this part of the
Holy Roman Empire was shaken by a deep religi-
ous questioning. Almost 30 years earlier, on 31st of
October 1517, Martin Luther had nailed its famous
Ninety-five Theses on the doors of the All-Saints’ Maurice, Duke of Saxony (1541-1453)
Church in the nearby city of Wittenberg.
Marking by doing so the begin of the splitting of the Christian faith. Maurice of Saxony had not been
spared by this questioning, as he soon found himself split between the old and the new faith: on a perso-
nal aspect, he had recently converted to the new faith, alongside his father, while having been raised as a
Catholic.
As the ruler of Saxony, he was torn between his will to remain loyal to Charles V, the Catholic emperor
of the Holy Roman Empire and his support of the newly founded Schmalkaldic League, a military
alliance created to defend the rights of the Protestants.

Of the greatest rarity

What’s really incredible is that this specimen is
one of only 15 specimens thought to have
survived the passing of time, of which 10 are
located in museums.
In other words, and to the best of our knowledge,
the remaining specimens available on the market,
this one included, can be counted on just one hand.
The prestige of the institutions that have the
chance to own such a masterpiece illustrate the
importance of the Trinity medal: among them are
the famous German coin cabinets of Berlin,
Dresden, Gotha, Munich and Weimar, not to
mention the coin cabinet of Vienna, the American
Numismatic Society in New York and the British
Museum in London.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)

111