Q & A

S.T. from Red Deer, Alberta writes:

My husband has a medal that has been handed down in his family. This is its story:

We start with King Frederick the Great of Germany, who was born in 1743, and died 1786. Crown Prince Frederick came to the throne when he was 28 years old. He was a Protestant and was kind to all but the Jews. He hated German art and German books. He detested the German language and spoke and wrote French fluently.

For some unknown reason King Frederick was thrown into prison and a guard, of Thiem descent, helped him escape. For this he received a bravery medal. It is about the size of a fifty cent piece with fancy filigree gold border. The center is heavy raised glass, (now cracked) with a colored head portrait of King Frederick. At one time it also had a ribbon on it. This medal was to stay in possession of the eldest male Thiem. When he died it was to pass on to the next eldest.

My husband now has this medal. We have no idea if this is a real medal or of any value, or even if the story has any credibility.

We asked Ross Wilson to respond:

The photo certainly helps but without seeing it there are still some questions I have - size, markings etc - but I do have a good idea of what it is. To begin with it’s not a medal. It is in fact a 'MINIATURE'.

Before the advent of photography wealthy people would commission a miniature portraitist to paint their portrait, usually on ivory, and have it mounted in a glazed frame that could hung on a portable mount (usually a 'wire' frame with a hook from where the frame could be hung, hence the circular suspension on the top of the frame.) These miniatures would be given (usually) to a loved one, in particular if one was going away on a voyage, or in the case of a soldier or sailor, to war. Admiral Lord Nelson had a miniature of his mistress, Emma Hamilton, which hung in his cabin on board HMS Victory, before the battle of Trafalgar.

Due to the expense of having one commissioned they were, generally the purview of the wealthy and were most popular during the 18th and 19th century. Today they are highly collectable and depending on the artist, very expensive.

The subject miniature is very interesting as although the portrait of Frederick the Great is somewhat 'cartoonish', it is definitely a likeness of the great soldier, wearing the uniform he is generally depicted in.

Without seeing the actual piece I cannot say if it is painted on ivory, but given the quality of the portrait I doubt it.
I do not think it would have been especially commissioned for Mr Thiem but would have been one of a type produced for presentation to valued individuals for services rendered. It was a personal gift, highly valued by the recipient. Today we would associate it with a framed, inscribed photograph presented, for example, by the Royal Family.

It is very interesting and if I were asked to appraise it for insurance purposes I would have it insured for a minimum of $1500.00.

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