France - 1966 Homage to Medicine Medal by De Jaeger
Offered is a massive and impressive 100mm, 592g medal, designed by renowned sculptor Albert De Jaeger, and struck by the Monnaie de Paris in bronze with antiqued silver finish. This piece features Hippocrates on the obverse, as well as a heart between two protective hands surrounded by snakes on the reverse, with the whole design struck in dramatic high-relief. Numbered 98 of 500, this is one of only 100 pieces stuck with antiqued silver finish, with the other 400 being burnished bronze. A further 50 examples were struck (numbered with roman numerals I-L) in 1970 bearing a gilt finish.
Interestingly, this piece represents the first realization of what would later become the Prix Galien medal - a prize awarded annually (since 1970) within the Pharmaceutical industry, and considered among those in the industry to be on par with the Nobel Prizes in terms of prestige. The current form of the medal sees Hippocrates replaced with Galen, and revised inscriptions around the outer edge.
For his part, De Jaeger (1908-92) is remembered for also designing the Weizsman Institute medal, medals for prominent figures such as Pope Pius XII (in 1937 at the Villa Medicis), Pope Jean-Paul I, Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, distinguished military leaders including Marshals Leclerc, Koenig, Montgomery, Marshall and Joukov, artists, literary figures and prominent personalities such as Sacha Guitry, Marcel Proust, Henri de Montherlant, Paul Haris, as well as several Nobel Prize laureates, the Empress of Iran SA Farah Diba, Princess Grace of Monaco. This is not to mention his contributions to the architectural landscape of France.
All in all, a stunning piece which is certain to be of interest to general collectors, appreciators of art, and medical thematic collectors alike. These rarely come up for sale, making this an opportunity not to be missed!
Sources:
Emmanuel Bénézit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Tome 6, 1976, p. 19.
“Le Prix Galien de la Recherche Pharmaceutique a Eté Décerné à la Rifampicine,” Le Monde, 17 December, 1970, retrieved May 19, 2021.
Pierre Julien, “Numismatique Pharmaceutique et Médicale,” Revue d'Histoire de la Pharmacie, Vol. 210, 1971, p. 463.
Offered is a massive and impressive 100mm, 592g medal, designed by renowned sculptor Albert De Jaeger, and struck by the Monnaie de Paris in bronze with antiqued silver finish. This piece features Hippocrates on the obverse, as well as a heart between two protective hands surrounded by snakes on the reverse, with the whole design struck in dramatic high-relief. Numbered 98 of 500, this is one of only 100 pieces stuck with antiqued silver finish, with the other 400 being burnished bronze. A further 50 examples were struck (numbered with roman numerals I-L) in 1970 bearing a gilt finish.
Interestingly, this piece represents the first realization of what would later become the Prix Galien medal - a prize awarded annually (since 1970) within the Pharmaceutical industry, and considered among those in the industry to be on par with the Nobel Prizes in terms of prestige. The current form of the medal sees Hippocrates replaced with Galen, and revised inscriptions around the outer edge.
For his part, De Jaeger (1908-92) is remembered for also designing the Weizsman Institute medal, medals for prominent figures such as Pope Pius XII (in 1937 at the Villa Medicis), Pope Jean-Paul I, Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, distinguished military leaders including Marshals Leclerc, Koenig, Montgomery, Marshall and Joukov, artists, literary figures and prominent personalities such as Sacha Guitry, Marcel Proust, Henri de Montherlant, Paul Haris, as well as several Nobel Prize laureates, the Empress of Iran SA Farah Diba, Princess Grace of Monaco. This is not to mention his contributions to the architectural landscape of France.
All in all, a stunning piece which is certain to be of interest to general collectors, appreciators of art, and medical thematic collectors alike. These rarely come up for sale, making this an opportunity not to be missed!
Sources:
Emmanuel Bénézit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Tome 6, 1976, p. 19.
“Le Prix Galien de la Recherche Pharmaceutique a Eté Décerné à la Rifampicine,” Le Monde, 17 December, 1970, retrieved May 19, 2021.
Pierre Julien, “Numismatique Pharmaceutique et Médicale,” Revue d'Histoire de la Pharmacie, Vol. 210, 1971, p. 463.
Offered is a massive and impressive 100mm, 592g medal, designed by renowned sculptor Albert De Jaeger, and struck by the Monnaie de Paris in bronze with antiqued silver finish. This piece features Hippocrates on the obverse, as well as a heart between two protective hands surrounded by snakes on the reverse, with the whole design struck in dramatic high-relief. Numbered 98 of 500, this is one of only 100 pieces stuck with antiqued silver finish, with the other 400 being burnished bronze. A further 50 examples were struck (numbered with roman numerals I-L) in 1970 bearing a gilt finish.
Interestingly, this piece represents the first realization of what would later become the Prix Galien medal - a prize awarded annually (since 1970) within the Pharmaceutical industry, and considered among those in the industry to be on par with the Nobel Prizes in terms of prestige. The current form of the medal sees Hippocrates replaced with Galen, and revised inscriptions around the outer edge.
For his part, De Jaeger (1908-92) is remembered for also designing the Weizsman Institute medal, medals for prominent figures such as Pope Pius XII (in 1937 at the Villa Medicis), Pope Jean-Paul I, Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, distinguished military leaders including Marshals Leclerc, Koenig, Montgomery, Marshall and Joukov, artists, literary figures and prominent personalities such as Sacha Guitry, Marcel Proust, Henri de Montherlant, Paul Haris, as well as several Nobel Prize laureates, the Empress of Iran SA Farah Diba, Princess Grace of Monaco. This is not to mention his contributions to the architectural landscape of France.
All in all, a stunning piece which is certain to be of interest to general collectors, appreciators of art, and medical thematic collectors alike. These rarely come up for sale, making this an opportunity not to be missed!
Sources:
Emmanuel Bénézit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, Tome 6, 1976, p. 19.
“Le Prix Galien de la Recherche Pharmaceutique a Eté Décerné à la Rifampicine,” Le Monde, 17 December, 1970, retrieved May 19, 2021.
Pierre Julien, “Numismatique Pharmaceutique et Médicale,” Revue d'Histoire de la Pharmacie, Vol. 210, 1971, p. 463.