Ancient, British and World Coins. Tokens, Tickets and Passes. Historical and Art Medals. British and World Paper Money.

Czechoslovakia, Vrba, or Willow Tree, 1897, a very large uniface cast bronze Art Nouveau plaque by Prof. S. Sucharda, male youth standing by the trunk of a willow tree, his right hand supporting a branch and his left hand covers his face, VRBA Z KYTICE K.J. ERBENA below; in cartouche at bottom, half-length naked female lies asleep, 597 x 163mm (Mádl pl.xvi; BM Acq. 1978-82, pl.24, 17; BDM V, 713; Jones, Art of the Medal, 348; ANS Exh. Cat. 1910, p.328, 2 [incorrectly dated 1904]; Paris Exh. Cat. 1973, 770). Vigorously modelled, a small casting fault behind youth’s knee, otherwise extremely fine with superb brown patina, extremely rare; with integral loop at top for suspension (£600-800)

Illustrated on plates in back of catalogue.

Pro. Stanislas Sucharda (1866-1916), the first great sculptor-medallist who studied and worked in Prague; further details of his style and work are given by Jones, p.133. Karel Mádl, in his work Stanislas Sucharda, published in Prague in 1912, states that a similar-sized plaque of 540mm was modelled as a prize for the Umelecké Besedy (the Artists’ Guild) of Prague