Israel - “Cameo of Love” - State Medal 1992 - Silver .999, 60g (1.93 oz ASW), 50 mm

Israel - “Cameo of Love” - State Medal 1992 - Silver .999, 60g (1.93 oz ASW), 50 mm A beautiful Israeli State medal designed by renowned artist Yosl Bergner, one of the most important figures in twentieth-century Israeli art. The medal combines modern artistic expression with Bergner’s symbolic world of clowns, conveying themes of love, longing, tenderness, and trust. The title “Cameo of Love” reflects the emotional duality characteristic of Bergner’s work - innocence alongside melancholy, dream alongside reality. The clown’s large expressive eyes evoke both yearning and hope. Yosl Bergner was born in Vienna in 1920, grew up in Warsaw, and emigrated to Australia at age 17, escaping the fate of much of Polish Jewry during the Holocaust. After artistic studies and years of work in Australia, Paris, and Canada, he immigrated to Israel and became one of the country’s leading artists. In 1980 he was awarded the Israel Prize for painting. Obverse: Color lithographic image after a work by Yosl Bergner depicting a clown holding flowers. Around the rim appear the inscriptions: “קמיע לאהבה” and “CAMEO OF LOVE”. Below the artwork appears the artist’s signature. Reverse: Relief depiction of a clown riding a wooden horse, characteristic of Bergner’s symbolic artistic language. The artist’s signature appears below in English.