Artefacts

Reference record. Athens 1896, winner's medal, silver.

Physical description

Obverse: Zeus' face holding in his hand a globe with the winged victory on it, caption (Greek): "Olympia" and name of the artist. Reverse: Acropolis site, caption (Greek): "International Olympic Games at Athens in 1896". Edge: hallmark of the Paris Mint (horn of plenty) and the caption: "ARGENT".

Created

Created: Jules Clément CHAPLAIN (12.07.1839)Created: Monnaie de Paris

Materials

silver

Colors

silver

Dimension

ø 5 x 0,45 cm, 66 g

Literature

LENNARTZ, Karl. Olympische Siege: Medaillen, Diplome, Ehrungen. Berlin : Sportverlag, cop. 2000. 474 p. ISBN 3-328-00865-9. 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. The Treasures of the Olympic Games / texts by Martha Macintosh. London: Carlton Books, 2008. The Treasures of the Olympic Games / texts by Martha Macintosh. London: Carlton Books, 2011. PHILEMON, Timoleon; COUBERTIN, Pierre de. The Olympic Games in 1896, part II.. Athens : Ch. Beck; London : H. Grevel, 1897. The Treasures of the Olympic Games / texts by Martha Macintosh. London: Carlton Books, 2016. Le Centre d'Etudes Olympiques. Les médailles des Jeux Olympiques d'été d'Athènes 1896 à Tokyo 2020. Le Centre d'Etudes Olympiques, 2019 The Olympic Studies Centre. Olympic Summer Games Medals from Athens 1896 to Tokyo 2020. The Olympic Studies Centre, 2019 ANTHERION, Dominique (Dir.). Honneurs sportifs, médailles olympiques.. Paris : Editions Pierre de Taillac, 2024

Type of item

Medals -> winner's medal

Reference number

140119

Keywords

Athens 1896, Olympic Games Athens victory Divinités grecques Laurel monument Participant

Notes

Athens 1896 Winner's medal, 1st place, silver. The Monnaie de Paris had made a speciality of prize medals, and it was this institution that was commissioned to create the prizes for the first modern Olympic Games. The artist Jules-Clément Chaplain was known and appreciated for his knowledge of ancient Greek art. In 1870, he had been commissioned with French archaeologist Albert Dumont to carry out a study of ancient vases. A silver medal was awarded for the first prize and a bronze medal for the second; there was no medal for the third ranked. In addition to the medals, the winners received an olive branch and a diploma. The official report of these Games mentioned the presentation of the medals by George I of Greece. After the reading an of ode in ancient Greek composed by Professor George Stuart Robertson of Oxford University, the King congratulated each medallist and then presented them with their prizes.