Medal Commemorating the Death of Peter the Great
Лицевая и оборотная стороны. 1725
- Silver. D-43.8. Total weight: 32.72 g.
- Мед.А-520
For the day of the burial of Peter the Great, plans were made to produce 1160 gold and 900 silver funeral medals of different weights, sizes, and metals. The original dies of the medal were carved by the Danish medallist Anton Schultz, who had come from St Petersburg. The medal summarizes Peter’s accomplishments: the creation of the empire, gaining access to the sea, the emergence of the fleet and the victorious army, the development of sciences and arts. The legend on the reverse side quoted a line from the Funeral Sermon on Peter the Great by Theophan Prokopovich, which reads: “SEE HOW GREAT IS THE ONE WHO HAS LEFT YOU.” There were not enough medals for all the people who wanted them. The worn out original dies were renewed multiple times in the 18th and 19th centuries.