German States, Thuringia Tin-Alloy Medal ND (1694–1715) - Julius Caesar

9.22g. 32mm. XF/XF. Lacquered. 

From the series “Numismata omnium Romanorum mnemonica”. 

Medalier: Christian Wermuth. 

C. Wohlfahrt, Christian Wermuth ein deutscher Medailleur der Barockzeit (1992) 39. 

L. Calian - A. Alföldy Gazdac, Die Kaiser-Suite Medaillen von Christian Wermuth (2014) 128 Nr. 4. 

Scarce. 

Obv.: Laureate bust of Gaius Julius Caesar right. 

Inscription around: 

IMP CAI IVL CAESAR PONTIF MAX DICT PERP PATER PATRIAE 

(Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar, Supreme Pontiff, Perpetual Dictator, Father of the Fatherland). 

Rev.: Mythical four-legged beast with fangs, rising right from the sea, forepaws like fins, head turned back; among seven horns, a human head with turban (the third beast of the prophecy of Daniel). 

Inscription: 

MONARCHIA ROMANA // DAN VII 7 8 

(Roman Monarchy. Daniel 7:7–8). 

The “Numismata omnium Romanorum mnemonica” is one of the most ambitious and erudite medallic series of the Baroque era, conceived and executed by Christian Wermuth in Thuringia between 1694 and 1715. This monumental project comprised more than 200 portrait medals, each dedicated to a ruler of Rome, beginning with Julius Caesar and culminating with Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman emperor. The series was both a work of art and a historical didactic tool, produced at a time when classical antiquity was central to the European intellectual imagination. 

Wermuth’s medals are notable for their fusion of classical numismatic conventions with the elaborate symbolism of Baroque allegory and biblical reference. The present medal depicts Gaius Julius Caesar, the founder of the Roman Empire, on the obverse, with an exacting Latin titulature reminiscent of ancient coinage. The reverse presents a remarkable allegorical composition: the “third beast” from the Book of Daniel, interpreted as a symbol of Roman world power, with its features — seven horns, the face in a turban — referencing both biblical prophecy and contemporary theological debate about the succession of empires. 

These medals were prized by collectors, scholars, and nobility of the 18th and 19th centuries, often forming the centerpiece of antiquarian cabinets and princely Kunstkammer collections. Today, original strikes of the “Kaiser Suite” are uncommon, especially in such well-preserved condition, and remain important artifacts illustrating the intersection of numismatics, history, and early modern scholarship.