Art competitions were part of the Olympic Games from 1912 to 1948. In 1928, the Dutch Olympics held an art exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, from 12 June to 12 August, which displayed 1,150 works of art from 18 different countries. Painting was one of the several categories in the Art section, which also included Architecture, Sculpture, Music, and Literature.
The Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals were designed by Johannes Cornelis Wienecke (1872-1945) and made by Gerritsen & van Kempen. A souvenir medal was presented to all officials, including this Bronze Medal awarded to Sir William Orpen for his assistance as a member of the International Jury for Painting.
The medal shows on one side, nude male & female athletes on a podium holding a flaming torch. Underneath, the podium has the head of Medusa (square box), and below that, is a set of scales and laurel branches.
On the reverse is the figure of the Greek Goddess – Nike over the Marathon Tower and the Olympic stadium (the first ever Olympic flame was lit on top of the Marathon Tower in 1928). Below that, is the shield of Amsterdam between two hemispheres and the date 1928.
The script along the edge reads IXe OLYMPIADE AMSTERDAM.
Bronze Medal Size: 56×3 mm. Weight: 59 grams. Other medal designs were used for different sports.
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Letter to Sir William Orpen from the Nederlandsch Olympisch Comite – Secretary General – G van Rossem, dated 14th March 1929.
