GERMANY. Straßburg. Medal (Silver, 51 mm, 31.52 g, 12 h), in the weight of a Taler. On the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). By F. Fecher, no date (circa 1635). TRIA SVNT MIRABILIA, DEVS ET HOMO, MATER ET VIRGO, TRINVS ET VNVS Coat of arms containing the symbols of the Four Evangelists, eagle, ox, angel and lion; above, on three crowns, Christ holding scepter, God the Father holding globus cruciger and scepter, and the dove of the Holy Spirit. Rev. EGO SVM PASTOR BONVS, ET COGNOSCO OVES MEAS✱ The Good Shepherd carrying the Agnus Dei, Farmhouse and St. Thomas Church in Strasbourg in background. Engel/Lehr -. Ewig 816. Fatio 1703. Goppel -. SM 1210. Voltz -. Extremely rare and nicely toned. Minor marks, otherwise, good very fine.


This very rare medal by Friedrich Fecher (1588-1660), a die engraver from Strasbourg, was formerly attributed to Basel and consequently found its way into several important Swiss collections. Fecher was indeed a highly significant figure in Swiss medallic and numismatic art, and among his best-known creations is the celebrated so-called Glückhennentaler (Ewig 807). Forrer places his period of activity in Basel between 1629 and 1653 (Forrer II, p. 78), although more recent scholarship suggests that he did not begin working there as a medallist before around 1640 (Major, Fecher, pp. 47-59).

However, the reverse unmistakably depicts the Church of St. Thomas in Strasbourg, and the medal should therefore be regarded as a Strasbourg work. Intriguingly, the obverse, apart from a few minor differences, also appears on an alchemical medal that has so far defied attribution (see lot 1396 above).