BOHEMIA. Prag (Prague), circa 1600-1650. Cast Medal (Gold, 65 mm, 34.27 g, 12 h), so-called 'Judenmedaille' in the weight of 8 Ducats. On Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (1459-1519), and Marie de Bourgogne (1457-1482). MAXIM I:FRID:III:FIL•ELECT•ROM•IMP•ANN•MCCCC•LXXXVI: / IMPER• - CONDITOR - •IUDICI✱CAMER• Crowned and draped bust of Maximilian to right, holding scepter in his right hand and palm branch in his left. Rev. MARIA•CAR:BURG:DUC:FILIA•URIC•IMPERATOR•UXOR Crowned and draped bust of Marie de Bourgogne to left within decorated border. Bernhart 9. Heraeus 14, 10. Klein B 9. Köhler XII, front page. Montenuovo 4 var. (gilt silver). Very rare and impressive. Mounted in contemporary golden setting with loop. The usual contemporary tooling, otherwise, extremely fine.



Maximilian I’s relationship with the Jews of the Holy Roman Empire was markedly ambivalent: while he repeatedly confirmed Jewish privileges and upheld the traditional concept of imperial protection, he also yielded at times to anti-Jewish pressure and sanctioned expulsions when political or fiscal interests dictated. His policies were therefore less the expression of a consistent religious stance than of a pragmatic approach shaped by dynastic, financial, and territorial considerations.

His marriage to Mary of Burgundy in 1477, one of the most consequential dynastic unions of the late Middle Ages and celebrated on this medal, brought the rich Burgundian inheritance into the Habsburg sphere and laid the foundations for the dynasty’s spectacular rise in European politics. The present medal thus evokes a ruler whose reign combined imperial ambition, dynastic expansion, and a complex, often contradictory policy toward the Jews living under Habsburg rule. Cast to the imposing weight of eight ducats, it ranks among the most sought-after rarities of the so-called Prague 'Judenmedaillen'.