Coin Showcase: Quarter Thaler of Johann Georg II, Saxony

Germany, Electorate of Saxony (Albertinian Line), Elector Johann Georg II (1656-1680AD), Silver Quarter Thaler (7.23g, 31.5mm), 1661 CR, Dresden mint. Obverse: Bare Headed half-length Bust of Elector Johann Georg II facing to the right, donning Elector’s robes consisting of ermine-trimmed cloak with ruff and holding electoral sword in right hand which rests upon his shoulder, rope border and legend surrounds, “IOHAN· GEORG· II· D˙G· DUX· SAX· IUL· CLIV. ET· M·”. Reverse: Shield of Arms of the Electorate of Saxony with the addition of the 8-cross of the Duchy of Cleves, Mintmaster’s initials “C R” (Constantin Rothe) below, rope border and legend surrounds, “SAC· ROM· IMP. ARCHIMARS· ET· ELECT·”. KM-449.

Obverse:

Johann Georg II, son of Johann George I, Elector of Saxony, and Magdalene Sybille of Prussia, was the Elector of Saxony from 1656 to 1680 and belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin, a famous dynasty of German rulers of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.

This silver quarter Thaler, struck in 1661 at Dresden under mintmaster Constantin Rothe, portrays the Elector in archetypical Holy Roman form – his half length bust is bare-headed rather then crowned, and he is adorned in the Elector’s robes consisting of an ermine-trimmed cloak and ruff.

At the time, Kings and Princes of the Roman Catholic Church donned ermine-trimmed cloaks as the ermine, a short-tailed weasel, was a symbol rich in meaning and depth. For most of the calendar year, the ermine’s fur is a pure white, symbolic for moral purity, whilst during the hot summer months its colouration becomes brown, which is thought of as an analogy for Christ’s rebirth. Further to this, it is said that the ermine would rather surrender before ever defiling its white coat, a sentiment noted as early as 200 AD by the works of Claudius Aelianus, ‘De Natura Animalium’, which echoed the noble phrase “Malo Mori Quam Foedari”, “Death rather than Dishonour”.

Further to his clothing, Johann Georg II is portrayed holding the Elector’s sword, a symbol of his position frequently portrayed on the portraiture of the Albertinian Electors. Although more of a political symbol, the sword adds a militaristic power to the bust befitting of a monarch of the time – an interesting element when considering that the Elector’s primary interests were not in politics, but in music and art. During his rule, Dresden was made the musical centre of Germany and was a constant scene of musical and other festivals, and in 1664 the building of the first opera house, the Opernhaus am Taschenberg, began.

An inner roped border and the obverse legend surrounds the bust, beginning with the initial-mark of a Globus Cruciger, a Christian symbol of authority, followed by abbreviated Latin heralding the Elector: “IOHAN· GEORG· II· D˙G· DUX· SAX· IUL· CLIV. ET· M·”. The Obverse Latin legend in full reads “Iōannēs Geōrgius Secundus, Deī Grātiā, Dux Saxōniae, Iuliaci, Clīviae et Montium”, translating in English to “John George the Second, by the Grace of God, Duke of Saxony, Jülich, Cleves and Berg”.

As the coin was struck in 1661, many of the late Latin words used on coins during this period were derived from Latin-derived languages such as old English, old French, old High German etc., and this is evident here. For example, “Saxōniae”, translated in English as Saxony, is the supposed genitive form of the late Latin word Saxonia, derived from the classical Latin Saxō, meaning a person from the Germanic Tribal community of Saxons, whilst the word “Berg”, for the Duchy of Berg in Westphalia, originates from the German/Norwegian word meaning Mountain – the Latin word chosen here was “Montium”, the third-declension genitive plural of the Latin word “mōns” which also translates to “Mountain”.

Reverse:

In typical numismatic fashion of the early-modern period, the reverse features imposing heraldry. On this example, the Coat of Arms of the Elector Johann Georg II is displayed within an ornate mantle, an adjusted Coat of Arms of the Electorate of Saxony with the addition of the 8-cross shield of the Duchy of Cleves. Threefold:

• The Shield of Arms of the Arch-Marshall of the Holy Roman Empire is divided half horizontally with two swords in the form of a saltire – if presented in colour, the shield is party per fess sable and argent with two swords in saltire gules (two red swords arranged in the form of a saltire, on a black and white field)
• The Shield of Arms of Saxony is divided by stripes with band of a stylized trefoil leaves, the Crancelin – if presented in colour, the shield is with black-yellow imperial-coloured stripes with a green Crancelin. The Crancelin, or ‘crown of rue’, is a heraldic charge unique to the shield of Saxony, said to originate in the 12^th century AD.
• The Shield of Arms of the Duchy of Cleves bears a centre ornament with eight decorated rays, a heraldic charge called an escarbuncle. If presented in colour, the shield is Gules, an escutcheon argent, with escarbuncle (central ornament with eight decorated rays over a red shield with an inner shield of silver).

An inner roped border and the reverse legend surrounds the Coat of Arms, beginning with the initial-mark of an Acorn, a symbol of independence and an often-used charge in heraldry, and the date 1661, followed by abbreviated Latin which continues from the Obverse: “SAC· ROM· IMP. ARCHIMARS· ET· ELECT·”. The Reverse Latin legend in full reads “Sacrī Romani Imperiī Archīmarescallus et Elector”, translating in English as “Imperial Arch-Marshal and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire”.