For the death of Johannes Hevelius

Jan Heweliusz [Johannes Hevelius] (1611-1687) became famous for his epoch-making achievements in the study of planets and astronomical phenomena, which he described in twenty-one books and thirty articles. Financial independence, which was necessary to carry out his scientific work, was ensured by taking over the family brewing craft from his ancestors, running a printing house, performing lucrative functions in the municipal authorities of Gdańsk, as well as by the support of domestic and foreign royal patronage, which was already the result of his recognition. It is worth adding that in 1664 Jan Heweliusz was elected the first ever foreign member of the prestigious Royal Society founded in 1660 in London.

The circumstance of the death of the eminent astronomer provided an opportunity to commemorate him in literary and medal-making works. The latter resulted in two medals created in 1687 by the Stockholm artist Arfvid Karlsteen (†1718) and the Gdańsk citizen Jan Höhn the Younger (†1693) - the best medallist of the time in the Commonwealth. He continued the artistic tradition started in Gdańsk by Samuel Ammon (†1622) from Switzerland and developed by Sebastian Dadler (†1657) and his father Jan Höhn (†1664) from Strasbourg. This was facilitated by the economic situation of the port city, which attracted prominent representatives of various nationalities and gave them the opportunity to develop their artistic and scientific work.

The depiction of Jan Heweliusz on the discussed medal is similar to the copperplate engraving by Lambert Vischer according to the portrait of Andreas Stech from 1668. On its other side there is a several-lines Latin inscription, describing the astronomer's life and merits - translated after count Edward Raczyński: “Jan Heweliusz, a citizen of Gdańsk, a councillor in the old city, a favourite of Kings and Princes, himself the first among astronomers, to the glory and admiration of the age, homeland, the world, born on the 28th of January 1611, supported the Commonwealth (Gdańsk) with his advice, perfected science with his excellent works, shining with merit in those days, extended the honour of his name to posterity, died on the very day of his birth in 1687”.

Tomasz Markiewicz