Inscription [reverse] 1556

This silver medal with inscription was made by Joachim Deschler around the mid-16th century. It presents an interesting challenge for the art historian. The text is a verse from Psalm 116, expressing feelings of distress and a plea for divine rescue. The medal was produced during the period of the Reformation. The religious and social upheavals of the 16th century led to new forms of personal devotion and the need for portable religious objects such as this. In societies with low literacy, visual codes were used to communicate complex religious ideas. The choice of Gothic script is no accident; it evokes the authority of scripture. To fully understand this medal, one might research the circulation of devotional objects in Reformation Germany or investigate how Psalms were understood and used in different religious communities. Approaching this medal from a socio-historical point of view emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between art and society.