Saxony. Friedrich August I (1694-1733). Silver Klippe Taler, 1697. Crowned monogram FAC in sprays with 1 THAL below, arms in four corners. Rev. Hand from cloud (Heaven) holding wreath over Hercules standing on cloud (Dav 7654; KM 686; Schnee 989). In NGC holder graded AU 58, attractively toned with underlying luster. Value $1,200 - UP
The Hercules reverse type of this klippe thaler was originally used for thalers struck by Johann Georg II to commemorate the Peace of Nijmigen that formally ended the Holy Roman Empire's involvement in the Franco-Dutch War in 1679). However, in 1697, when the present piece was produced for Friedrich August I it may have been intended to allude to the recently concluded Treaty of Ryswik, which brought an end to the War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697) fought between Louis XIV of France and a coalition composed of the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Portugal, England, Scotland, the Dutch Republic, Sweden, and Savoy. Under the terms of the treaty, Friedrich August I, the candidate preferred by Emperor Leopold I, was named King of the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania (an elected title). The reverse type depicting the Greco-Roman hero Hercules crowned by the manus Dei (hand of God) is an allegory for the elevation of the Elector of Saxony to his new royal dignity. Friedrich August I was renowned for his great fortitude and was variously known to contemporaries as "August the Strong," "the Iron Hand," and "the Saxon Hercules." The Elector of Saxony frequently enjoyed amazing the members of his court with feats of strength. One particularly (in)famous example is the occasion when he personally joined his nobles in an animal-tossing contest. Some 647 foxes, 533 hares, 34 badgers, and 21 wildcats were killed during the festivities in which they were flung from large slings. Friedrich August I impressed the crowd when he held the end of his sling with only one finger while the other had to be held by two of the strongest courtiers. Also, like Hercules, the Elector of Saxony fathered a prodigious number of illegitimate children. Hence, the image of a crowned Hercules would have immediately invited comparison with the newly crowned King of Poland-Lithuania in Saxony.