William A. Speck collection of Goetheana : medals and medallions
Scope and Contents
This collection was featured in the lead article, with a supplemental loose plate, in the second issue of The Yale University Library Gazette (I:2, October 1926). In this essay, entitled “The Goethe Medals and Medallions in Yale University Library,” Speck states that the collection includes all but one of the Goethe medals modeled from life. He then tells the story of one of the rarest items in the collection, the discarded jubilee medal of 1826. The Swiss medalist Henri François Brandt (1789-1845), who spent most of his professional life in Berlin, was commissioned by Duke Carl August of Saxe-Weimar to create a medal commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Goethe’s residency in Weimar. The obverse showed Goethe in profile, the reverse Carl August and his wife Luise. But the duke was dissatisfied with this first strike, disliking his own portrait and the horn-like curls the artist gave to Luise. A new medal was made, in which the offending curls were deleted and Goethe became slimmer. Both versions are included in the collection.
The collection contents list notes the depictions on the obverse/reverse of each item, the material from which it is made, the creator of the medal, and any notes.
Dates
- 1740-1934
Creator
- Speck, William A. (William Alfred), 1864-1928 (Collector)
Language of Materials
Conditions Governing Access
Conditions Governing Use
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Arrangement
Extent
6 Linear Feet (23 boxes)
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
William A. Speck (1864-1928)
Custodial History
Processing Information
- Authors -- Germany -- 18th century
- Authors -- Germany -- 19th century
- Authors, German
- Coins (money)
- German literature -- 18th century
- German literature -- 19th century
- Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832
- Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832 -- Portraits
- Medallions (medals)
- Medals
- Plaques (flat objects)
- Reliefs (sculptures)
- Schiller, Friedrich, 1759-1805
- Schiller, Friedrich, 1759-1805 -- Portraits
- Souvenirs
- Speck, William A. (William Alfred), 1864-1928
Creator
- Speck, William A. (William Alfred), 1864-1928 (Collector)
- Title
- Guide to the William A. Speck Collection of Goetheana: Medals and Medallions
- Author
- by Christa Sammons
- Date
- 2010
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository
Location
121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Opening Hours
Access Information
The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.