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A pendant with the so-called Madonnentaler from 1765, in a jewelry setting, belonging to the so-called numismatic jewelry. On the obverse of the thaler there is a draped bust of the Elector of Bavaria, Maximilian III Joseph, while the reverse shows the Virgin Mary with the Child, depicted in the type of Patrona Bavariae. Hence the name of this coin. The motif of the Virgin Mary and the Child appeared on coins already in the Middle Ages and since the times of Emperor Matthias Corvinus it became the leading motif of Hungarian coins, accompanied by the legend of PATRON HUNGARIAE. It survived in the established iconographic scheme until the end of Hungarian independence, and later also on money minted in the territory of the empire. It is less common in the minting of other countries, such as Bavaria, Austria, Italy or Silesia under Hungarian influence, and occasionally even on a coin of the Teutonic Order from the times of Albrecht Hohenzollern. The thaler’s setting consists of a simple frame made of pearl wire, topped with an openwork ball and a loop for hanging, covering the inscription IN DEO CONSILIUM on the edge. Some wear on the coin indicates that it was long used as money. It was set as a pendant at a later date, yet it is difficult to determine when, perhaps even in the 19th century – the frame is not as worn as the coin, the cuts on the wire are perfectly visible. Whether this type of ornament served as an expression of loyalty to the ruling house of the Bavarian Wittelsbachs or as a manifestation of religious commitment is difficult to determine. In this case, it could easily serve both functions or simply be original jewelry.
