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60mm bronze, from the start of the 20th century, A satirical, perhaps Marxist medal by the great Rudolph Bosselt. On obverse, a nude male wrestles a large bull. His eyes are closed and downcast, a stylistic peculiarity of Bosselt. To me it is suggestive of the expressions sometimes seen on saints’ and angels’ faces in gothic religious sculpture. The reverse shows an eagle perched before a building, above a text which I cannot really translate, but I think it refers to a proclivity of the powerful classes, whereby they counsel the poor to raise themselves only by bending even more to the alleged will of God.
Scott Dent (“Noomismaniac”) sold a Bz60mm Bosselt medal on eBay, 6/9/08 (#280232907599), for $431. I thought that was a lot, but on the other hand I paid at least $150 for this (equally?) rare medal and I am expecting to make a damn good profit. Scott, with characteristic lucidity, writes:
“Bosselt (1871-1938) was a medallist, sculptor and writer. He trained at the unstgewerbeschule in Frankfurt and at the Academie Julian in Paris. His work originally reflected a more French aesthetic but around the turn of the century his work, as in this piece, became more stylized. He was widely known and appreciated in his time as a gifted Jugendstil craftsman, especially as a result of his tenure at the Kunstler Kolonie in Darmstadt from 1899 to 1903 where he produced jewellery and domestic decorative and functional metalwork. He developed a close friendship with fellow worker Peter Behrens, one of the icons of modern architecture, industrial, and graphic design.”
Bosselt’s commoner medals include one for Richard Wagner and the reverse of the 1910 ANS medal for Jean Babelon. This medal is extremely fine, with a good dark brown patina. There is attractive an undertone of green to the bronze color, and the high points show a lighter color, as if serendipitously hand-rubbed, that accentuate the sinews of man and beast. There is a minor friction spot on the eagle’s wing, but this is in every respect a superb medal.
See the below links for other Nude Male medals I am currently offering on eBay. Please note that I have 50,000+ medals for sale. While most of my sales are private, I do take suggestions about what I might list on eBay, especially from those who have given me decent (but not necessarily winning) bids.
My eBay lots may be viewed in my brand-new mid-town Manhattan store. Appointments recommended.
Postage $5 insured (overseas $14 Air-Registered). Will combine postage. Sales tax for NY State residents, sorry
There is no reserve
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