Plate LXXXV Free Cities and Swiss Confederation Medals, Wahlen, 1844

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This is an original antique wood engraving, colored by hand with watercolor, showing six medals and crosses. At the top … Read more This is an original antique wood engraving, colored by hand with watercolor, showing six medals and crosses. At the top left (3) is a silver medal with three oval shields under oak leaves, a key, a double-headed eagle and a castle: the arms of bremen, lübeck and hamburg. At the top right (4) is a silver medal with a crowned eagle bearing an f on its breast and a small cross on each wing. In the middle row (5) is a dark green cross edged in gold on a striped ribbon, and (6) a gold cross with a castle in its center. At the foot (2) is a dark medal with a white shield and cross, on a white ribbon marked with a red cross, and (1) a silver medal with a shield and cross. The running head reads "villes libres." (free cities) and "ccnfedération suisse." (swiss confederation; printed with c for o and the first e unaccented), and the plate number "lxxxv." medal 1 is lettered "schweizerische eidgenossenschaft. Mdcccxv." (swiss confederation, 1815) and medal 2 "treue und ehre." (loyalty and honor). Medal 3 carries the blackletter motto "gott wat mit uns" (god was with us). Medal 4 is lettered "gott sprgh es webde light undes ward light", the block cutter's spelling of gott sprach es werde licht und es ward licht (god said, let there be light, and there was light). Cross 5 reads "deutsch land" (germany) and 1814. The plate comes from ordres de chevalerie et marques d'honneur (orders of chivalry and marks of honor), published by auguste wahlen and issued in brussels in 1844 by the librairie historique-artistique, rue de schaerbeek, 12. Its half title reads histoire, costumes, décorations de tous les ordres de chevalerie, et marques d'honneur. Auguste wahlen was the pen name of the belgian writer jean-françois-nicolas loumyer (1801 to 1875), and the title page lists his own knighthoods in orders of prussia, sweden, spain, portugal, turkey, hanover, greece, the roman states, saxe-coburg and brazil. The varied metals and ribbons make this a lively plate to frame. Condition: light wear to the top left, bottom right and top right corners. Age toning, darker at the edges; handling soiling along the edges and scattered foxing in the margins. Printed image clean. This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed. See less