102940 | SPAIN. Córdoba. Mosque/Cathedral of Our Lady bronze Medal.

102940  |  SPAIN. Córdoba. Mosque/Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption 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.

 

Interior view of the cathedral from the southwest looking northeast; in five lines in exergue, MEZQUITA ERIGIDA 786 / POR ABD-EL-RAHMAN / CONVERTIDA EN IGLESIA / POR FERNANDO III / 1236. // Interior view of the former mosque with the three arches of the maqsura and the mihrab in the far distance; in two lines in exergue, CATEDRAL / DE CORDOBA.

 

Ross M220 (R2); van Hoydonck 167; cf. Reinecke 59 (no date on rev.). PCGS SP-64. Glossy red-brown surfaces, with a great deal of luster radiating throughout. One of Wiener's more powerful and enticing types, and no doubt a premium-quality example with respect to others of the same grade level. Compare to an inferior example in Stack's Coin Galleries (10 September 2008), lot 1656 (which sold for a total of $1,035[!]).

 

With a groundbreaking at the end of the 8th century, the edifice that would become the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption began its life as a mosque, being constructed on the orders of Abd al-Rahman I, the founder of the Umayyad dynasty in the Iberian Peninsula. After 450 years, the house of worship fell into Christian hands in 1236 following the Reconquista. It continued to undergo modifications, with some of the more recent restorations leading to new discoveries about the Islamic-era elements and architecture. As such, it was highly influential in its earlier life in the architectural style throughout the Muslim world of the Mediterranean.

 

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: 1 November 2024.