Historical and Art Medals

Italy, 1903. Italy. Death of Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903), a large cast bronze lozenge-shaped plaque signed H. St. Lerche, Roma, 1903, bust left, reverse legend, 120 x 100mm. High relief and powerful style, extremely fine and extremely rare

The artist H. St. Lerche seems virtually unknown; it is believed that less than 30 cast plaques and medals by him are extant. Of these, 3 are portrait medals struck to commemorate the death of Pope Leo XIII, and a further medal, undated, commemorates the death of Ibsen in 1905. Nevertheless, the unity of style shown in this group of medals suggests that they were cast in Rome sometime between 1900 and 1910, perhaps each one being unique. Even if St. Lerche himself remains an unknown figure, the imagination and talent he hadfor medallic sculpture is apparent