Johann Willem van Saksen-Gotha, wegens het overleven van zijn schipbreuk 1702

Christian Wermuth created this silver medal, commemorating Johann Willem van Saksen-Gotha’s survival from a shipwreck. During the baroque era, when Wermuth was working, medals were often commissioned by or for the elite to commemorate personal or historical events. Here, Wermuth uses the symbolic language of his time to represent this brush with death. On one side, we see a portrait of Johann Willem, his status evident in his armor and elaborate wig. On the other side, a dramatic scene unfolds: a ship is wrecked amidst stormy seas, but in the foreground, a small group huddles on a rock, having survived the disaster. The medal doesn’t just celebrate survival; it reinforces a narrative of divine favor and resilience, both important aspects of baroque notions of identity and power. It reminds us that even personal narratives were often shaped by the broader cultural and political currents of the time.