Alexander Csoma de Kőrös Lajos Berán

A precise, accurate and – perhaps as a result – rather vacant portrait on the obverse of Lajos Berán’s medal, in accordance with the traditions of medal making, reflects the known depiction of Alexander Csoma de Kőrös. However, it is the reverse that can really be regarded as the chief side. While the rendering of the hair and the regularly shaped letters intensify the graphic character of the obverse despite their three-dimensional quality, the reverse is one of Berán’s most pictorial compositions. A naked male figure symbolising science is sitting in the foreground. His posture almost unnoticeably aligns him with the shape of the medal superbly. A torii gate, which stands at Japanese Shinto shrines, unfolds incredibly finely from the background, rendering the perspective. In all probability, this motif only generally intends to symbolize the “Orient”, since it was not a subject of research for Csoma de Kőrös and its appearance in the composition can be attributed to the influence of Japonism, which was fashionable at the turn of the century.