Medallion (container)
A medallion is a piece of jewelry that is worn as a pendant on a chain or brooch , which can be opened and which holds a miniature portrait, a photo or other souvenir, such as B. a lock of hair can accommodate. Medallions were and are designed in a variety of shapes, they can be round, oval or heart-shaped, etc. Most of them are made of precious metals, often they are enamelled or enamelled with precious or semi-precious stones or enamel inlays and pearls.
history
The medallion as a type of jewelry developed from the pictorial coin that was worn on a chain. Even in ancient times, coins and medals with high artistic standards were minted. An early medal was z. B. produced under Antoninus Pius (138–161 AD) for the 900th anniversary of the founding of Rome. Pure portrait coins have been found since the Roman Empire, the so-called Kontorniaten ( ital. Contorno "Rand"). This is a type of medal, usually the size of a sesterce and with a border. They have existed since the 3rd century AD. They depict profiles of emperors, poets and philosophers, as well as allegorical depictions of gods and heroes .
In the Middle Ages, the medallion initially had a purely religious meaning. In the 13th century they were worn a lot as so-called phylacteries , reliquary containers intended to be hung on. At this time, both the cult of relics and goldsmithing were in full bloom. These phylacteries were accordingly decorated with all the techniques available at the time; they came in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Medallions with religious miniature paintings can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries. The front face could also be sculptured, the back was often engraved. They served as private items . The medallion took on its earliest secular form in the 15th century, when it was used as a mirror box for the hand mirror carried in the pocket or on the belt. It consisted of a flat capsule, the front of which showed all kinds of figurative jewelry, while the back had a shallow recess for the mirror, which at the time consisted of polished metal or glass backed with foil. The mirror medallions worn on the belt had a hook or eye for hanging a chain. They were usually made of box or ivory , more rarely of gold or silver. The main theme of her picture decorations was the glorification of the ministry . Castles, scenic motifs and trees were also common, as did biblical depictions with a secular character.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the importance of the medallion decreased temporarily, in the 19th century it increased again: in the Biedermeier period, small, flat boxes in various shapes with playful details were very popular. These medallions were worn on short or long chains, with pictures or other cult items being placed inside the box. The religious meaning took a back seat to the private. Biedermeier medallions were not only made from precious metals, but also from ivory, boxwood and the like. a. Materials made.
Due to industrialization and the associated emergence of jewelry factories, the medallion became accessible to broad sections of the population from the end of the 19th century. In the most important German jewelery centers Pforzheim, Idar-Oberstein and Schwäbisch Gmünd, large editions of medallions could be produced cheaply and quickly. During the Art Nouveau period z. B. the Pforzheimer jewelry manufacturers Rodi & Wienenberger and Victor Mayer around 1905 contemporary medallions in new shapes.
In the 20th century, the medallion gained special importance due to the two world wars in order to be able to carry photographs and locks of hair from missing relatives on the heart. In the post-war period, medallions also played an important role as mourning jewelry , simply round or oval and enamelled in black. Medallions in this form were widespread until the 1950s.
In the 1970s and 1980s, medallions made a fashion comeback.
swell
literature
- Falk, Fritz: Art Nouveau jewelry from Pforzheim . Stuttgart 2008, p. 256f (medallions by Victor Mayer), p. 292f (medallions by Rodi & Wienenberger)
- Art. “Kontorniaten” in: Lexikon der Kunst, Digitale Bibliothek Volume 43, p. 16407 (cf. LdK Vol. 3, p. 849 ff.), Leipzig 2003
- Art. Medaillon in: Lexikon der Kunst, Digitale Bibliothek Volume 43: Lexikon der Kunst, p. 20558 (see LdK Vol. 4, p. 641 ff.), Leipzig 2003
- Herbert Mohr-Mayer: Of golden eggs and other treasures . Heidelberg u. a. 2010, p. 101 (medallions 1975), p. 114 (medallions in the Fabergé style, 1980s)
Web links
- Article “Medaillon” in: jewelry dictionary by Prof. Leopold Rössler. Retrieved June 20, 2013 .
- Reconstruction of the Art Nouveau medallion by Victor Mayer: Flyer of the DTMB. Retrieved June 20, 2013 .
- Alexander Schnütgen: Article “Ivory Medallion of the XV. Jahrh. Als Spiegelkapsel ”in: Zeitschrift für christliche Kunst 1891. Retrieved on June 20, 2013 .
