Frederick II, King of Prussia (b. 1712; r. 1740–86)

This medal was made to mark the death of Frederick the Great, an exceptional military strategist under whose rule Prussia became Europe's foremost military power. A champion of Enlightenment ideals, the monarch had a penchant for French culture and entertained such figures as Voltaire at Sanssouci, his summer palace in Potsdam. The reverse celebrates both aspects of his persona, with contemporary and classical military articles placed to the right of the urn and items to its left celebrating Frederick's intellectual pursuits (including what is probably his first book, Oeuvres du Philosophe de Sans Souci). The number XIII circumscribed by the wreath may refer to the number of Prussian victories during the Seven Years' War.

Source: Scher, Stephen K., et al. The Scher Collection of Commemorative Medals. New York and London, 2019.