King Leopold II visited Ghent on September 5, 1881, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Royal Dynasty. That same day, he also inaugurated the new harbor expansion. To mark the occasion, the city had a medal struck, which was presented to all dignitaries and participating associations. The medal was designed by the Ghent medalist Victor Lemaire and depicts the Maiden of Ghent. It served for a long time as the official city medal. It was first used during this inauguration, and the city council later used it frequently for various events, inaugurations, and to honor meritorious individuals.
| Artist |
Victor Lemaire
|
|---|---|
| Title | Medal for the Inauguration of the Expansion of the Harbour in Ghent |
| Date | 1881 |
| Period | 19th century |
| Location | Ghent TGN |
| Medium and support | founding (metal or glass working) AAT |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | signatures (names): LEMAIRE |
| text on the reverse: STAD GENT / ---- / LEOPOLD II / HULDIGT / DE ZEEVAART-INRICHTINGEN / IN / ----- / 5 SEPTEMBER / 1881; 50ste VERJARING DER STICHTING VAN HET KONINKLIJK STAMHUIS | |
| Collection | medals AAT |
| Inventory number | 2025-LB |
| Acquisition credit | unknown |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/2025-LB |
| IIIF Manifest |
https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/12034/manifest.json
https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/12035/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300189808
figures (representations)
AAT
300055865 Symbolism (artistic concept) AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11HH(VIRGIN OF GHENT)
female saints (VIRGIN OF GHENT)
Iconclass
25F23(LION) beasts of prey, predatory animals: lion Iconclass 31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass 31AA the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa) - AA - female human figure Iconclass 31D13 adolescent, young woman, maiden Iconclass 44B191 crown (symbol of sovereignty) Iconclass 46B4941 merchant shipping, shipping trade Iconclass 46C223 harbour Iconclass 61E(GHENT) names of cities and villages (GHENT) Iconclass |
| School / Style | historicism (theory) AAT |
|
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