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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1700

Wax Model of Elector Georg Ludwig

Raimund Faltz · c. 1700

A wax relief model made around 1700 for a medal, showing Georg Ludwig of Hanover, later King George I, in profile.

This wax model, made before George's British reign, was used to design a medal portrait of him as Elector of Hanover.

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Framed circular wax relief portrait in profile, facing left, of a man with long curled wig and armored bust with draped cloak, set against a dark background within a black wooden frame with a twisted gold rope border.
Raimund Faltz, Wax model of Elector Georg Ludwig, c. 1700. Bode-Museum, Berlin.

About this source

What it is

This circular wax relief was made by sculptor Raimund Faltz around 1700 as a model for a medal. It shows Georg Ludwig, Elector of Hanover, in profile, wearing a long curled wig and armoured bust with a draped cloak. It is held in the Bode-Museum in Berlin.

Why it matters

This wax model shows an early stage in how portrait medals were designed, before George became King of Great Britain. It is a rare physical trace of the working process behind the images that spread his likeness across Europe, created years before his British reign began.

Look closer

  • Why might an artist first create a wax model before making a medal in metal?
  • What details of dress and pose does the sculptor use to show rank and power?
  • What does this object tell us about Georg Ludwig's life before he became king of Britain?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of George I on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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