Queen Christina (1626–1689), or the “Minerva of the North,” as she was known, was famous for her inquisitive intellect, her political acumen, and her abdication of the Swedish throne in 1654 to convert to Catholicism, then banned in the Protestant nation. Similar to Louis XIV’s uniform series, Queen Christina wanted 118 medals to record her life. However, only 37 medal designs were produced. Like Louis XIV, Queen Christina’s utilized the sun as her emblem. On the reverse of this medal, perhaps with a teasing reference to Louis XIV, or “The Sun King,” her sun outshines all the others. Her brilliance, as suggested in the medal inscription, is “neither false nor borrowed.”
Object Description
106 QUEEN CHRISTINA OF SWEDEN (1626-89)
Obv. Bust to right. Around, REGINA CHRISTINA; in hair, G F
Rev. Sun with face, streaming rays. Around, NEC FALSO NEC ALIENO
Bronze, struck, 40 mm.
Bibl.: De Bildt, pp. 61-63, figs. 33-34, p. 139, no. 23; Rasmusson, p. 314; Pollard, Udine, p. 153.
