Bespotting van de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, naar aanleiding van het Concilie van Trente 1545

This small medal, approximately 3 cm in diameter, was created by Friedrich Hagenauer as a satirical commentary on the Roman Catholic Church following the Council of Trent. The medal's circular form, suggestive of a coin, presents imagery designed to undermine the Church's authority. Notice the incised lines and the shallow relief, a stark simplicity that amplifies the medal’s message. The imagery of clerical figures and possibly animalistic forms embodies the artist's critique. Hagenauer masterfully employs the limited space to create a composition rife with symbolic tension. The portraits appear rigid, their outlines sharply defined. The decision to work with a circular format is significant, evoking notions of totality and containment. However, here, that form is subverted, filled with images that challenge the established doctrines. The artist's strategic manipulation of form and imagery effectively critiques the religious conventions of his time. The medal challenges fixed meanings and engages with new ways of thinking about power and representation.