Summary

Jons Jakob Berzelius medal, awarded to Ferdinand von Mueller in 1848. It features the bust of Berzelius and an angel with hand on table with a balance and surrounded by chemical equipment. The Berzelius Medal was established by the Royal Swedish Academy in memory of the famous Swedish scientist. Berzelius (1779-1848) who accurately determined more than 2000 relative atomic and molecular masses. He proposed oxygen as a reference standard for atomic masses and devised the system of chemical symbols and formulae now in use. His discoveries include the elements cerium (1804), selenium (1817), and thorium (1828).
Mint: not recorded.

Physical Description

A bronze medal (56 mm diameter) featuring a head of the Swedish chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius.

Obverse Description

Head facing right, around above, JACOBUS BERZELIUS; below in small letters, NAT. MDCCLXXIX. DEN. MDCCCXLVIII

Reverse Description

An angel standing front resting left hand on table with a balance and surrounded by chemical equipment, pours into small bowl held by seated female figure who has a snake wraped around her right arm; around above, NATURAM JUSSIT VIRES PROFERRE LATENTES; in exergue, FUNDATORUM SUPREMO LUCENS / MEDIC. SVEC. SOCIETAS in tiny letters the artist's names C.C. QUARNSTROM INV. P.H. LUNDGREN FEC.

Edge Description

Plain

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