Medal of Lieutenant Stephen Cassin 1800 - 1830

Editor: This is the Medal of Lieutenant Stephen Cassin, created between 1800 and 1830 by Moritz Fürst. It's a bronze relief, a portrait in profile. The tone feels very official and stiff, almost… performative. What’s your interpretation? Curator: Indeed. Consider this piece within the context of its time. Neoclassicism, evident in its style, served as the visual language of power, legitimizing emerging national identities, especially within military contexts. This medal is not simply a portrait; it's a carefully constructed narrative of heroism and civic virtue. How does the Latin inscription add to this narrative? Editor: It says "STEF. CASSIN TICONDEROGA PRAEFECT. QUAE REGIO IN TERRIS NOST. NON PLENA LAB.", so it probably highlights his command and implies he helped defend America, something about the region and how the earth wasn’t free from toil. So the medal tells of how he led his region? Curator: Precisely. These medals, often commissioned by institutions or governments, functioned as tools of nation-building, reinforcing hierarchies and solidifying collective memory. Fürst created a powerful statement that both celebrated an individual but moreover also gave political importance to sacrifice. Consider the recipients of such honors: who were they, and whose stories were omitted? Editor: So the medal isn't just art; it’s an artifact that represents a very particular narrative of the time, with focus, especially when looking back, needed on stories it purposefully did not tell. Thanks! Curator: It encourages us to question whose stories get memorialized and how those narratives shape our understanding of the past and present. Keep questioning.