Christoph Kress von Kressenstein,1484-1535, Patrician and Diplomat [obverse] 1526

This portrait of Christoph Kress von Kressenstein, a 16th-century diplomat, was made in silver by Matthes Gebel. The technique involved is known as striking, where a design is impressed onto a metal blank using dies and a hammer, a skilled tradition that dates back to antiquity. In this case, Gebel would have painstakingly carved the portrait in negative onto steel dies, each tiny detail of the face, hair, and lettering carefully considered. The silver would have been heated before being placed between the dies, making it more pliable. The resulting medal is an object that speaks volumes about the status of its subject. Silver, like gold, has always been synonymous with wealth, and the very act of creating a medal was a way of immortalizing Kress von Kressenstein. We might also reflect on the labor involved in extracting, refining, and minting this precious metal - all work that took place behind the scenes, making Kress von Kressenstein's likeness possible. Considered in this light, even a small object like this can tell us much about the economic structures of its time, challenging any easy separation of art and social history.