GERMANY. Sachsen-Gotha. Friedrich II, 1691-1732. Medal 1696 (Tin, 43 mm, 28.65 g, 6 h), against the Sabbatism. By. C. Wermuth. STATVS ECCLESIAE PRAESENTIS FLORENTISSIMVS / DIES LABORIS / IIIIII / PEIORA TEMPORA / DAN•II•40• // CARDU9. ET SPINIS FLORET / PALIURUS ACUTIS• / 1696• Mount Esau amid lightning, covered with lizards, snakes, and toads; to left, mythical beasts rising from the sea; to right, a blacksmith forging the number 666, dove with torch in its beak above. Rev. SABBATISMVS POPVLO DEI RELICTVS•HEBR•IV•9 / SABBATVM / 7 / MELIORA TEMPORA / DAN•II•40•C•VII•27• // ASPICE VENTURO LÆTEN / TURUTOMIA SECLO• / 1000 Mount Zion inscribed 'MONS ZION. / APOC•14• / OLAD•V•17•&21. / 144000.' surrounded by a great flock of sheep among lilies; on the summit, lamb to left bearing a cross banner and seven horns; in the left field, peace dove to right with olive branch in its beak. Edge inscription: TEMPUS PRASENS ESAV• / FVTVRVM IACOB•+•ESDR•VI•N•9•. Antoine-Feill, II, 3429. Brozatus 837. Goppel 3042. Kirschner 32. Merseburger 3138. Wohlfahrt 96022. Extremely rare and beautifully preserved. Tiny marks, otherwise, extremely fine.



This remarkable and extremely rare medal is distinguished not only by the complexity of its design but also by the extraordinary density of inscriptions and biblical references that amplify and explain its imagery. Wermuth incorporated no fewer than ten scriptural citations (Zechariah 4:7; Obadiah 1:14, 15, 16, 17, 21; Daniel 2:40, 44, 47; Hebrews 4:9), transforming the medal into a compact yet richly layered commentary on the religious and political controversies of its day.

Scholars have interpreted the piece in different ways. It has been described as an alchemical medallic thaler issue (cf. Goppel and Merseburger) as well as a religious satire directed against Sabbatarianism (cf. Brozatus and Kisch), a movement explicitly identified in the inscription itself. In this context, the ‘Sabbatists’ refer to the followers of Sabbatai Zevi (שַׁבְּתַי צְבִי, 1626-1676), the self-proclaimed Jewish Messiah whose claims sparked widespread excitement and expectation throughout the Jewish communities of Europe during the seventeenth century.

The medal further draws upon the imagery and symbolism of the Book of Revelation, incorporating themes associated with the end of the world, the cosmic struggle between good and evil, and the monstrous creatures that embody apocalyptic chaos. Equally significant are the symbolic numbers 666 and 144,000, representing, respectively, the forces of ultimate evil and the totality of God's faithful people - a figure that was historically understood as referring to the people of Israel and, by extension, the community of believers.

Taken as a whole, the medal belongs to the long tradition of religiously inspired apocalyptic art. Combining theological symbolism, contemporary religious polemics, and eschatological imagery, it stands as an exceptional work that vividly reflects the fears, expectations, and spiritual imagination of its age.