102934 | FRANCE. Rouen. Church of St. Ouen bronze Medal.

102934  |  FRANCE. Rouen. Church of St. Ouen bronze Medal. Issued 1859. Most Remarkable Edifices of Europe series (59mm, 12h). By Jacques Wiener in Brussels and struck at the Geerts mint in Ixelles.

 

ST OUEN À ROUEN / GRAND PORTAIL ET LES 2 FLÈCHES PAR L'ARCHIT: GREGOIRE 1847–1850, exterior view of the church from the southwest // COMMENCÉE 1318 PAR L'ABBÉ JEAN ROUSSEL / ROSES DU TRANSSEPT 1439. LA NEF ACHEVÉE 1491. GRANDE ROSE DE LA FAÇADE 1515, interior view down the nave looking eastward toward the altar/apse.

 

Ross M223 (R1); van Hoydonck 171; Reinecke 44. PCGS SP-64. Extremely glossy and brilliant, with alluring brown surfaces that are seemingly a bit more attractive than the near gem designation would otherwise indicate. Compare to a somewhat inferior example in Stack's Coin Galleries (18 August 2009), lot 6127 (which sold for a total of $402.50) and a similarly-graded example in Stack's Bowers CCO (2 March 2023), lot 71220 (which sold for a total of $600).

 

A former Benedictine monastic church, the current edifice was originally built as an abbey beginning in 1318, with completion coming some two centuries later due to cessations caused by the Hundred Years' War. Standing nearly 450 feet tall, its architectural style is a mix of Gothic and Flamboyant.

 

From what is today eastern Netherlands and western Germany, the Wieners were a Jewish family of exceptional medalists, especially known for numerous numismatic works throughout the Kingdom of Belgium. Eldest brother Jacob (Jacques), along with younger brothers Leopold and Charles, created some of the finest works of medallic art of the 19th century, and all are particularly noted for their work in the highly detailed and intricate work of architectural renderings.

 

Upload: 3 February 2025.