Overlijden van Cornelis Richard Anton van Bommel, bisschop van Luik, 1852 1852

This bronze medal, commemorating the death of Cornelis Richard Anton van Bommel, Bishop of Liège, was created in 1852 by Leopold Wiener. Its materiality is key to understanding its purpose and context. The choice of bronze, a relatively inexpensive metal, allowed for the mass production of this memento. The medal was likely made using a casting process, where molten bronze was poured into a mold, a technique that enables the creation of multiple identical copies. One side shows a profile portrait of the Bishop, while the other depicts the interior of a cathedral. The intricate details of the architectural rendering demonstrate Wiener's skill as a medalist, but also the possibilities of industrial production. Medals like this one occupied a space between fine art and industrial design, circulating widely and shaping public memory. This kind of object is a testament to the social and political forces at play in 19th-century Europe, and how these were mediated through everyday objects.