Adolf and Albertine Bachofen von Echt, 1891 1891

Anton Scharff made this bronze medal of Adolf and Albertine Bachofen von Echt in 1891. Commemorative medals like this were popular among the late 19th-century European middle class. On one side is a profile of the couple. On the other, we see a romantic landscape, dominated by a prominent tree. Here, Scharff borrows visual codes of wealth and status from painting and sculpture. Made in Austria, this medal reflects the cultural values of the time, including the celebration of marriage and family, the idealization of nature, and the social structures that allowed the wealthy to commission works of art in their honor. Institutions like the Austrian Mint, where Scharff worked, played a key role in shaping artistic production and consumption. The medal is not inherently conservative or progressive but rather reflects the social norms of its time. To fully understand this medal, we would need to research the social and economic context in which it was made, including the history of commemorative medals, the patronage system, and the cultural values of the Austrian middle class. In this way, we can reveal the meaning of art as something contingent on its social and institutional context.