Sculptor Petras Rimša was born on 23 November 1881. The exact date of his birth is a bit of a mystery. Juozas Rimantas, who wrote the book Petras Rimša, tells that the sculptor himself claimed that he was born on 11 November, on St. Martin’s Day, but his godparents forgot his real birthday, so he was made a little younger in the baptism records. The beginning of Rimša’s life was no longer tied to St. Martin’s, but rather St. Clement’s Day, which is celebrated on 23 November. The future sculptor’s family had more children. One of them, Juozas (1875–1970), became known as a book smuggler. Petras contributed to the development of Lithuanian culture by choosing the path of an artist — having inherited a woodcarving talent from his father, he started carving sticks as a child.
Rimša’s youth — the first decade of the 20th century — was a period of shock and change in the Russian Empire. The 1904–1905 unsuccessful war with Japan, the 1905 revolution, the establishment of the Duma — all of this slowly shook the foundations of tsarist Russia and gradually led the peoples out of the lethargy of autocracy. In Lithuania, these changes appeared most clearly in 1905, when the Great Seimas of Vilnius was convened, during which the political aspirations of the Lithuanian people were expressed.
In such an atmosphere, artists could have hardly (or even wanted to) remain mere creators, and Rimša was no exception. In 1907, together with other artists, he established the Lithuanian Art Society and organised art exhibitions. These events were apparently a phenomenon of the art world, but the history of the VI exhibition, opened on 12 May 1912, shows that the boundary between cultural and political fields was thin. One of the works presented by Rimša, laconically named “Kova/The Fight”, depicted a horseman fighting an eagle with its claws stuck in the horse’s chest. With the constant deterioration of relations between Lithuanians and Poles, the symbolism of the image was more than clear. In the event of a huge outrage in the Polish-speaking press, Rimša, a few days after the opening of the exhibition, shattered the work himself. However, this scene was destined to be reborn several more times in other environments. When Vilnius was occupied by Poland, the motif of the fight between the two nations was attractive to Lithuanian society. Therefore, the image of Vytis, striking down the eagle, was used in postcards, posters, and elsewhere. The event also marked the trajectory of Rimša’s creative path, in which patriotic, national motifs became his most important reference points, enriched from time to time with a strict satire.
Having spent the period of WWI in Russia, in 1919 Rimša returned to Lithuania. Initially, he was based in Vilnius, where he hoped to contribute to the sculpture section of the Art Division of the Commissariat for Education, having been invited by the Communist People’s Government of V. Kapsukas. That same year, he nevertheless left for Kaunas. His further life is also marked by frequent trips and longer stays abroad — from 1920 to 1923 in Berlin, and from 1923 to 1924 — regular visits to London. A crucial period of his life as a creator was from 1936 to 1938, when ten personal exhibitions were held in the United States and a catalogue was published.
His most fruitful period of creation symbolically ended with the occupations of Lithuania. In Soviet Lithuania, Rimša’s work was limited by the standards of socialist art and censorship. This is why propaganda elements could be found in post-war P. Rimša’s medals and bas-reliefs. It is not surprising that these works were not really popular. The Soviet Lithuanian authorities repeatedly assessed him as a deserving artist (or, in the jargon of the time, an “artiste”). Rimša died in Kaunas on 2 October 1961.
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Rimša considered himself a sculptor, but the most widely accessible part of his work was not so much monumental pieces (which were also highly valued and eventually became part of the national art canon, such as the sculpture “Lietuvos mokykla/Lithuanian School 1864–1904”), as the medals balancing between sculpture and numismatic art. He began to engage in the work of the latter as a mature artist who had already earned his name — his first medal, dedicated to Vilnius, was presented to the public in 1923. He himself stated in his memoirs that he succeeded in the creation of medals because he started working in this field first and did not have much competition. Indeed, compared to other artists of the inter-war period, Rimša’s contributions in this field were the most solid. In his assessment of this area of his work, the artist also said that it was here that his “style” was best revealed — ornamentation characteristic of folk art, combined with a realistic representation of the object.
In total, Rimša created 19 medals, 11 of them — until 1940. Six medals were dedicated to Vilnius.
The popularity of this type of artwork by Rimša was partly due to a rather banal reason — there were many of them. Since some were designed to mark various occasions, their issues could reach thousands of pieces. These widespread medals were usually small, 25, 35, or 60 mm in diameter, designed to be pinned in clothing or worn around the neck. Their design accurately reflected the moods of Lithuanian society at the time, and collecting them became a peculiar expression of patriotism.
However, not all of Rimša’s medals were easy-to-wear patriotic art. The sculptor cast and produced by electroplating technique works of a larger diameter, and these were much rarer. Such table medals and medallions had diameters ranging from 100 to 340 mm. They (with the exception of the medal dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Vytautas the Great’s death) were not intended for trade, but the sculptor produced them as “author’s editions.” The Money Museum of the Bank of Lithuania holds six of the 100 mm table medals to mark various occasions.
• Medal “The Great Seimas of Vilnius in 1905.” LBPM GEK 16170. 1925. Bronze, diameter 100 mm, weight 366 g.
The obverse of the medal depicts Gediminas Castle and the Cathedral against a background of the rays of the sun. The reverse — a girl dressed in the national costume, holding the pole of a Vytis flag in her right hand, and on the left leaning on the sign of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union. At her feet is a lion, symbolising victory. Initials on the edge of the medal — PR.
From the medals stored in the museum, the medal for the Great Seimas of Vilnius was created the earliest. Its client is indicated on the reverse — the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union. Under their agreement with Rimša, the Union was given the right to produce an unlimited number of medals. Initially, it was decided to make the medals in France, but the manufacturer changed to the Swiss company Huguenin Frères & Co. A total of 150 units silver and 2,000 pcs bronze medals, 60 mm diameter, and 11,000 pcs bronze medals with a diameter of 25 mm are known to have been produced. Both medal issues and the contract with the artist unequivocally testify that the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union planned to distribute the medals on the widest possible scale.
Information on the 100 mm diameter medals is lacking. It is not clear how many of them could have been produced, but we know that the sculptor had such a medal at his home.
• Medal “Unija/Kova” [Union/Fight]. LBPM GEK 16169. 1926. Bronze, diameter 100 mm, weight 399 g.
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The obverse. In the centre — the inscription QVI / HABITAT IN / COELIS IRRI / DEBIT EOS 15 SA 65. On the left side of the inscription — the coat of arms of Poland , the White Eagle, on the right — the Lithuanian Vytis. Above the inscription are two hands clasping each other, and a mask with a crown is on top. Out of it flows the inscription WOLNI Z WOLNYMI ROWNI Z ROWNYMI in Polish. Dog and cat figures are depicted at the bottom. Below is the inscription UNIJA. The reverse. A horseman fighting an eagle. At the bottom, the inscription KOVA. Initials on the edge of the medal — PR.
There is no shortage of political messages and satire in the design of the medal. First of all, an excerpt from the Holy Book, used on “satirical” three-groat coins minted in 1565. The belief is that it was intended to express the attitude of ruler Sigismund Augustus to the discording representatives of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The friendship of the eternal enemies — the cat and the dog — also attracts attention. The image of the mask with the crown and the inscription “Laisvi su laisvais, lygūs su lygiais” [Free with the free, equals with equals] extending from it implies that the ideals declared during the union were false. The reverse depicts KOVA — a direct successor to the 1912 Lithuanian art exhibition.
This medal was produced by Rimša himself, who said there were dozens of such medals that only he would give away.
• Medal “To mark the establishment of the ecclesiastical province of Lithuania.” LBPM GEK 16168. 1927. Bronze, diameter 100 mm, weight 497 g.
The obverse. Portraits of Pope Innocent IV (1243–1254) and Pius IX (1922–1939), founders of the ecclesiastical provinces of Lithuania, in the background of the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica. Surrounded by the Latin inscription – INNOCENTIUS IV/ PIUS XI/ Servite Domino in laetitia.
The reverse. Portraits of the first bishop of Lithuania, Kristijonas (d. 1271?) and Kaunas Archbishop Juozapas Skvireckas (1873–1959). Surrounded by Lithuanian inscriptions — VYSKUPAS KRISTIJONAS / ARKIVYSKUPAS JUOZAPAS / Iš priešų rankų išsiliuosavę / drąsiau tarnausime Jam. [We will serve Him more bravely free from the hands of enemies].
The production of these medals was curated by the Catholic Actions Centre, which signed an agreement with Rimša on 4 February 1927 to create it. The production of the medals was entrusted to the Swiss company Huguenin Frères & Co, which was to produce a total of 1,500 bronze, 100 silver, and 5 gold medals. All of them had to be 60 mm in diameter. At the end of 1927, the medals were presented to Lithuania and Rimša himself was critical of them. Some variants (the chocolate shade and golden bronze) he refused to recognise, demanding his name be scraped off.
The 100 mm diameter medals are not mentioned in the contract, so it is likely that it was Rimša’s own author’s edition. How many of them could have been produced is currently unknown.
- Medal “The 5th Anniversary of the Klaipėda Uprising.” LBPM GEK 16167. 1928. Silver, diameter 100 mm, mass 399 g.
The obverse. On the edges are two armed, trumpet-blowing riflemen. In the centre — a scene where a Lithuanian woman presents a sword to a soldier. In the background of the figures — a fragment of a stylised panorama of Klaipėda city. On the sides — the coats of arms of Lithuania and Klaipėda. The scene is surrounded by the inscription KAS MŪSŲ – KOVA ĮGYSIM [What is ours, we will win in battle]. In the lower part is the inscription I 9/KLAIPĖDA/1923, which is divided in half by a sword. The sun’s rays are in the background. The lower part is surrounded by oak leaf wreaths.
The reverse. On the sides, two girls holding hands — symbolising Lithuania Minor and Lithuania proper. In the centre is a scene where a Lithuanian girl presents a wreath to a horseman. In the background of the figures — a fragment of a stylised panorama of Klaipėda city. The scene is surrounded by the inscription KAS IŠKOVOTA – MYLĖT MOKĖSIM [We will know how to love that which we win]. In the lower part is the inscription I 9/KLAIPĖDA/1923, which is divided in half by a sword. The sun’s rays are in the background. The lower part is surrounded by wreaths of rue. Along the edge — the initials PR.
The medal commemorating Klaipėda region coming back to Lithuania also appeared on the initiative of the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union. In 1927, an impressive quantity of 10,000 pcs was produced in the variants of 35 and 60 mm diameter of this medal.
And the number of larger medals, such as this one kept in the Money Museum, remains a mystery. Even more so, according to today’s data, the silver medal of this size is completely unknown.
Commemorative medal for the 500th anniversary of the death of Vytautas the Great. LBPM GEK 14033 and LBPM GEK 16171. 1930. Bronze, diameter 100 mm.
The obverse. A portrait of Vytautas the Great in an outdoor scene. Behind him — a fragment of the Battle of Grünewald. On the edge — the inscription VYTAUTAS DIDYSIS/1430–1930.
The reverse. Map showing the boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania during the reign of Vytautas the Great. On the edges — the inscription VYTAUTO DIDŽIOJO LAIKŲ LIETUVA [Lithuania during the reign of Vytautas the Great].
The medal was commissioned from Rimša by the Chief Vytautas Magnus Committee in 1930, the medal’s issue was later taken over by the Vytautas Magnus Committee. Its production, like several other of Rimša’s medals, was entrusted to the Swiss company Huguenin Frères & Co. One of the medals stored in the Money Museum is stored in the firm’s original box.
This medal is undoubtedly one of the most popular works by Rimša. To commemorate the anniversary, the medallion created by the sculptor was transported through various locations in Lithuania. Its edition was the largest of all medals — more than 13,000 were issued 25 mm in diameter, 5.5 thousand — 35 mm in diameter, and 2,015 — 60 mm in diameter. It is almost certain that the 100 mm edition of medals was probably much larger than other Rimša works of this type. According to publicly available data, 111 pieces of such double-sided medals were produced.
Literature:
• Vidmantas Jankauskas, „Satyra–akibrokštas–auka–vėliava–feniksas. Vienos skulptūros istorija“ // Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis, 45, 2007, p. 37–54
• Giedrė Jankevičiūtė, „Apie Petro Rimšos medalius“ // Krantai, 1993 sausis, vasaris, kovas, p. 59–65.
• Juozas Rimantas, Petras Rimša pasakoja, Vilnius, 1964.
• Vincas Ruzas, Petro Rimšos kūrinių kolekcija Edmundo Armoškos rinkiniuose, Vilnius, 2005.
• „Petras Rimša“ // Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija. Prieiga internetu: https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/petras-rimsa/.
