The heraldic animal of money: Eule by Raimund Schmelter
Raimund Schmelter’s “Eule” is pared down to a few clear surfaces – abstracted entirely to the essence of the form. The smooth planes, flowing into one another, give the bird an alert, almost human presence despite its geometric rigour: the slightly tilted head and the watchful gaze make the figure look as though it had been frozen in the very moment of observing.
An owl in silver is more than just an appealing animal motif – it creates a fine conceptual link between silver and money. The silver coins of ancient Greece, the tetradrachms of Athens, already showed the head of Athena on the obverse and an owl, the goddess’s symbolic animal, on the reverse. Because of this motif the coins were popularly known simply as “owls” – one of the oldest and best-known silver currencies of antiquity, named after the very animal that has been cast anew here in modern form.
Cast in 2009 as a solid silver cast from 4.5 kg of pure fine silver and standing 14.5 cm tall, the “Eule” is one of the more accessible yet equally expressive works in the Schmelter programme at BullionArt. Each of the 30 signed and numbered pieces combines classical animal sculpture with one of the oldest symbols of silver as a store of value.
Please note: the silver price is subject to market fluctuations; the final sale price depends on the prevailing price of fine silver and will be quoted on request.
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