Medallion with portraits of Saxon Elector John George I and his wife

In a setting decorated with diamonds and pearls, the oval medallion is one of three Saxon jewels with which Duke Francis I was buried. In the posthumous portrait of the Pomeranian sovereign from the collection of Merseburg Cathedral, three impressive chains with pendants are visible on the Duke's chest. Two of them are badges of honour of Saxon electors, while in the third one, one can see the image of Johann George I, ruler of Saxony, between 1611 and 1656. The medallion contained two miniatures painted on the copper plate and placed under convex plates of rock crystal. On the medallion's reverse, there was a portrait of the Saxon sovereign's second wife - Magdalena Sybil of Brandenburg. It is indicated by the coats of arms of Saxony and Brandenburg placed on the chain buckle. Unfortunately, the oil paintings were damaged by the conditions in the crypt. Francis I received the valuable portrait medallion as a gift from his brother-in-law in 1616 when he visited the Dresden court with his wife, Sophie. From an account preserved in the Dresden archives, it is known that its author was the local goldsmith, Christian Dürr. Medallions with images of kings and dukes were common court gifts. They were presented to the family and friends of rulers and constituted an expression of kindness to people connected with the court. Shown on portraits or placed in a tomb, they were a demonstration of dynastic and political connections.

Monika Frankowska-Makała