Artefacts

Munich 1972, winner's medal, silver, attributed to Bradford COOPER (AUS) for 400-meter freestlyle swimming.

Physical description

Medal with a belly strap. Obverse: representation of a woman, allegory of Glory, holding a laurel wreath in her right hand and a palm branch in her left hand. She is sitting on steps that have bas-reliefs representing a chariot with horses. To her right is an amphora. In the background there is a two-storey building with arcades. Caption: "XX. / Olympiad / Munich / 1972". Reverse: Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus and Leda, patrons of sports competitions and friendship, represented by two naked young men. Engraver's hallmark (?) under the twins, resembling a rune. Edge: caption on both sides of the belly: « Schwimmen 400m Freistil Herren {} Cooper Bradford».

Created

Created: Bayerisches Hauptmünzamt Created: Giuseppe CASSIOLI Created: Gerhard MARCKS (18.02.1889)

Used

Used: Bradford Paul COOPER

Materials

silver

Colors

silver

Dimension

ø 6.7 x 7.9 x 0.7 cm, 150 g

Literature

LENNARTZ, Karl. Olympische Siege: Medaillen, Diplome, Ehrungen. Berlin : Sportverlag, cop. 2000. 474 p. ISBN 3-328-00865-9. Témoins d'une certaine image des Jeux / Evoking an Image of the Games. Lausanne : Musée Olympique, 2003. 148 p. ISBN 92-9160-074-1. GREENSFELDER, Jim. VORONTSOV, Oleg. LALLY, Jim.. Olympic Medals, A Reference Guide. Saratoga : GVL Enterprises, 1998. GADOURY, Victor, Médailles et Monnaies Olympiques, Monaco : Editions Victor Gadoury, 1996. 555 p. ISBN 2-906602-10-8. Die Spiele : the Official Report of the Organizing Committtee for the Games of the XXth Olympiad Munich 1972, vol. I. Munich : Prosport, cop. 1974.

Type of item

Medals -> winner's medal

Reference number

948

Keywords

Munich 1972, Olympic Games Antiquity Male Swimming/400m freestyle Laurel victory Mythologie friendship fighting

Notes

The engraving on the backs of the winners’ medals was by sculptor Gerhard Marck (1889-1981). It represents Castor and Pollux (The Heavenly Twins), brothers of Helen and children of Zeus and Leda. His nude, elongated silhouettes are sculpted in a brotherly and friendly pose. This representation is characteristic of this work. The former member of the Werkbund taught at the Weimar Bauhaus from its opening in 1919 until it was closed down in 1924 and had to be relocated to Dessau. Marck declined to follow Gropuis and his students, preferring to teach at the School of Decorative Arts in Burg Giebichenstein.