Plaster cast of the New Year's card with a view of the Monastery St. Geron in Cologne.

New Year’s Card

Possibly modeled by Carl Christian Cramer, After a drawing by Georg Osterwald, Royal Prussian Iron Foundry, Sayn

1840

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Oval blue jasper medallion with white relief profile portrait of Alexander the great (356-323 BC). Alexander was a Greek soldier, son of Philip of Macedon, born in Pella, and educated by Aristotle. At an early age he showed military talent of a high order, crossing the Hellespont in 334 to defeat a Persian army led by Darius. He consolidated this victory by occupying Palestine, marching thence to Egypt where he was hailed as a deliverer from Persian tyranny. He founded Alexandria in 331 B.C., and again defeated Darius in the same year. By 329 he had reached the river of Jaxartes, and in 328 subdued the whole of Sogdiana. In 326 he attempted the conquest of India, establishing Greek colonies in the Punjab, and bringing Greek influence to the art in the East, Returning to Babylon he began to plan for further conquests, but was taken ill after a banquet and died eleven days later. His body deposited in Alexandria in a soldiers coffin.
Oval dark blue jasper cameo with white relief of a Zephyr, with white circles around border and a polished edge
Oval blue jasper medallion with white relief of Cupid burning a butterfly. In Greek mythology the butterfly is said to represent the human soul and as such the burning of the butterfly represents the destructive powers of love.
Bust in profile left.