I made a serious effort to identify the works of art illustrated on the "Monuments Men" medal. I am afraid I had limited success.

First I checked for articles that might list the art treasures illustrated. Perhaps the U. S. Mint mentioned them in a press release. No, that would be too much to expect from the Mint. I was also unable to find any other published listing.

Then I tried to identify them visually from lists of recovered works of art. I have only been able to identify five.

At the bottom is a group of flowers. Perhaps there is a way to represent a painting of flowers in medallic art. This medal fails to do this. This might illustrate "Flowers" by Lovis Corinth but it could represent any number of other paintings of flowers.

My five: Michelangelo's David; Leonardo da Vinci's Lady With an Ermine; Johannes Vermeer's The Astronomer; Rembrandt's Self Portrait; and Vermeer's The Art of Painting. The E-Sylum reader who identifies then all has my great respect.

I asked the Mint, but they had no idea! They just make em!

As I make it - using "Saving Da Vinci" by Robert Edsel:- from the left - Lady with Ermine (Da Vinci); The Astronomer (Vermeer); Rembrandt (self portrait); the mystery man - looks Polish or German to me; The Artist's Studio (Vermeer); Camilla and the Centaur (Botticelli); and the statue of David (Michelangelo)

The other side repeats Rembrandt and Vermeer, but has a section of the Altarpiece from Ghent by van Eyck. (I've attached a picture of the obverse).

It is from a painting by Lucas Cranach the Elder of Kurfürst Johann Friedrich von Sachsen (Elector John Frederick of Saxony). The painting is one of those that is still missing.