Impression Die St. George Medallion (Small, Back)

This medallion depicts the Greek goddess Athena in a more domestic setting, highlighting her role as the goddess of the arts and strategy. She sits on a throne beneath an olive tree and holds an olive branch. She is unarmored except for her characteristic helm. At her feet are symbols of the arts: a lyre, a painter's palette and brush, a mallet or hammer, and a compass (the drawing tool). In the distance is the city which takes her name, Athens. This medallion was probably a mid-19th century award medal from the École Polytechnique, an engineering school. Hub comes from Paris, France.

This 18th-century Parisian jewelry hub likely made medallions for children's First Communions. The medal depicts an angel, likely the Archangel Michael who is known as the Angel of the Eucharist, among lilies that are symbolic of purity. He prays to a glowing chalice which holds an abbreviation for the Holy Spirit. A less likely interpretation is that the medal could depict the Archangel Gabriel, most commonly associated with lilies and sometimes associated with the Holy Grail.

This medallion depicts the legend of Saint George slaying the dragon. He is mostly nude except for a cloak or chlamys and a helmet, and he carries a sword. He rides atop a horse that tramples the infamous dragon into ocean waves. This medallion is the front half of JVP-SH523, "St. George Medallion (Small, Back)" and is the smaller version of the famous Saint George Slays the Dragon medallion, both sold separately.