The Most Beautiful: Judaic Medals Selected by Mel Wacks

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10To bring this list up to date, here is a medal that hasn’t been issued yet. This tribute to Jerusalem and the three monotheistic faiths was designed by Chinese medalist and architect Long Hu, with a little input by myself, and with the sculptural genius of Eugene Daub and Jim Licaretz. It is a sculptural tour de force of this ancient city and other important sites in and near the Holy Land. More information are available below. Photo courtesy of Long Hu.Top 10.
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09The Jewish-American Hall of Fame also commissioned and/or distributed about three dozen special commemorative medals from 1981 through 2019, of which the Marc Chagall Centennial medal by Marika Somogyi is certainly one of the most beautiful. The medal features a self-portrait of the imaginative artist, along with images from his paintings – including an embracing couple floating through a space in the medal.Top 9.
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08I helped create the Maccabee Mint in 1972. We only issued two medals, but the first (Besheret = Genesis) is one of the most beautiful medals ever made. It was sculpted by Brian Watkins; I don’t know if he ever created another medal. The Genesis medal features the first word in the Bible “Bereshet” (“In the beginning”). The exceptional design depicts the transformation of the formless earth into the waters and firmament – with the waters spilling over the edge onto the other side. The formless earth is highly polished, in contrast to the patina on the rest of the medal. On the edge is stamped “Medallic Art Co.”Top 8.
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07In 1969, I launched the Jewish-American Hall of Fame series of medals, and this has become my life’s work. You can read my book at https://nnp.wustl.edu/library/book/556056. The innovative trapezoidal shape was created by Victor Ries, and we have been fortunate to obtain the creative services of leading medalists such as Eugene Daub, who has designed over a dozen commemoratives in the series. I love all of these medals, but I must admit that among my favorite is Albert Einstein by Prof. Robert Russin (1970). The Einstein portrait is in high relief, bringing to life this brilliant scientist who was also a humanitarian – and comfortably fitting in this unique shape. Photos courtesy of the Jewish-American Hall of Fame (www.amuseum.org/jahf).Top 7.
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06Thérèse Dufresne (1937-2010) created more than 50 art medals for Monnaie de Medaille from 1964 to 2000. Her monumental (135mm) view of Jerusalem and the Valley of the Kings makes these ancient buildings sway as if they were in a Disney movie. The extremely high relief is thrilling to touch. A smaller (81mm) version is still available from the Paris Mint’s website. Photo courtesy of Monnaie de Paris.Top 6.
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05I was fortunate in being able to visit the Canadian medalist Dora de Pédey-Hunt (1913-2008) in her home, when my wife and I purchased several medals. Dora’s Adam and Eve 70mm medal (1965) has maintained a central position in our home ever since. As Dora writes in her book “Medal’s”: “The medal always intrigues me. I find it equaling exciting to make one or to own one … Clasp it in your fist, let your warmth enter the cold metal and then take it to the window. Watch it: the light hits some edges, hidden crevices appear, there are some mounds you had not even seen before. Feel the tension of the surface. There is life underneath. It is not a cold piece of metal anymore: trees grow here, bodies leap high, faces emerge.”Top 5.
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04Made by Jewish artist Ben Shahn (1898-1969), born in Lithuania and later emigrated to the USA. He dedicated himself to the drawing of the alphabet and in the medal’s design includes the entire Hebrew alphabet, enclosed within a circle surrounding the Hebrew “aleph” which is placed in the center. Interestingly, the Hebrew alphabet bears no relation to the raison d’etre for the medal – the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Israel State Airline “El Al” – represented by a stylized dove and the Hebrew inscription: “Bring back my sons from far and my daughters from the end of the earth” ( Isaiah 43:6). Issued in 1969 by the Israel Coins and Medals Corporation.Top 4.
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03Boris Schatz (1866-1932) was a Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who settled in Palestine and founded the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in 1906. He created numerous large bas reliefs and medals depicting scenes of Jewish life and famous Jewish personalities. This 1940 medal’s inscription is: “Plug a big shofar to our freedom.” The blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn) is a ritual performed by Jews on Rosh Hashanah (New Year).Top 3.
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02In a series of 50 medals, entitled “Medals of the Most Remarkable Edifices of Europe,” Jacques Wiener (1815-1899) portrayed the exterior and interior of monuments with a degree of precision of details that had not yet been attempted. This bronze medal commemorates the dedication of the Glockengasse Synagogue in Cologne on August 29, 1861. Architect Ernst Zwirner’s Moorish design is an early example of a style adopted by many synagogues built in Central Europe in the mid-19th century. This majestic synagogue was destroyed by the Nazis during Kristallnacht on November 9, 1938. The site is now occupied by the Cologne Opera. Photos courtesy of http://www.historicalartmedals.comTop 2.
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01The Renaissance medal was originally thought to portray a celebrated member (1510-1568) of a Marrano family who was one of the richest women in the world, owner of a fleet of ships and the Mendes Bank, the second largest bank in the world. She fled Lisbon after the death of her husband and eventually settled in Constantinople, as did her niece, who had the same name. The younger Gracia Nasi is now believed to be portrayed on this medal, possibly created on the occasion of her marriage. The inscription on this very rare medal is: Gratzia (or Gracia) Nasi in Hebrew along with the Latin inscription A[nno] Æ[tatis] XVIII (Grazia Nasi, in her eighteenth year), and an incised “P” for the sculptor Pastorino de’ Pastorini.Top 1.

For the past five decades it has been my pleasure to coordinate the production of over 50 medals for the Jewish-American Hall of Fame. I have worked closely with the medalists to create commemoratives of historical significance and of the highest artistry. I am also on the board of the American Medallic Sculpture Association, and chair the committee that chooses the American Medal of the Year. So I am thinking often about medal designs. But, I have never before thought about my favorites – so here it goes (in chronological order).

As I had to give some more details on the last medal that could not be included in the caption, more more about it here:

Within the Star of David’s six points are the Citadel (Tower of David) in Jerusalem, the ancient city of Akko, Petra of Jordan, the St. Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai Peninsula, and Old Jaffa. In the center, behind the cross, there is an inscription over the Western Wall: “HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT IT IS WHEN BROTHERS DWELL IN UNITY. PS. 133:1” The ceiling of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, in the center of the reverse, is surrounded by arches containing six representative religious buildings in the holy land: the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Church of St Mary Magdalene, the Dome of the Rock, the Baha’i Shrine and Gardens in Haifa, the Dormition Abbey, and the Ramban Synagogue near the Hurva Square. Around the rim is the inscription “Jerusalem and the Holy Land” in Hebrew and Arabia, and the outstretched wings of doves of peace. These will be issued in 2021 in bronze (2.6” and 6.1”) and copper-nickel (3.5”). You can view a 3-D computer mock-up online.

Founding the Jewish-American Hall of Fame in 1969, Mel Wacks also started what today is probably the longest-running series of art medals in the world, but certainly in the USA, as our record article states.

This is the Jewish-American Hall of Fame.

You can contact Mel Wacks via e-mail if you have questions on Judaic-themed medals.