Medals

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The portrait medal is one of the most important artistic inventions of the Renaissance and an essential part of the history of portraiture in Western art. This art form flourished across Europe from the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries, during which time the making, form, and function of medals varied widely. As tokens of identity, medals evoke an individual’s characteristics. The likeness of the subject is displayed on the front (the obverse) of the medal, and associated imagery and text, such as a heraldic device, personal allegory, emblem, or narrative scene, can typically be found on the back (the reverse).

The Scher Collection is the most significant collection of medals in private hands, and a large portion of it has been generously donated to the Frick by Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher, who, in 2024, also established The Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Center for the Study of Commemorative Medals at The Frick Collection.

  • medal depicting man in profile with large hat

    The Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Center for the Study of Commemorative Medals

    Established in 2024, The Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Center for the Study of Commemorative Medals at The Frick Collection serves as an institutional platform dedicated to the study and advancement of medal studies. It prioritizes an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating perspectives from art history, history, conservation, iconography, sociology, heraldry, the history of collecting, and propaganda studies.

    Moving beyond a strictly numismatic focus, the center emphasizes the study of medals as sculptural objects, exploring their artistic, historical, and cultural significance. Through training in connoisseurship, scientific analysis, and conservation techniques, the center aims to equip the next generation of scholars with the tools necessary to advance research and preserve these artifacts for future study.

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In The Galleries

The Scher Collection is the most significant collection of medals in private hands, and a large portion of it has been generously donated to the Frick by Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher. Rotated selections of masterpieces from their collection are displayed in a room on the second floor of the Frick mansion, which celebrates their gift.

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Works in the Collection

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Medals: the Making Process

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Past Exhibitions Featuring Medals

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