Struck at the request of Arthur D. Brent, an employee of the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank, these medals were given to others present during the siege that ensued at the International Legations in Peking (Beijing) during the summer of 1900. A group of Europeans, Japanese, and Christian Chinese took refuge within the Legation Quarter as the forces of the Boxers and Qing Empire laid siege for 55 days--the siege ultimately broken by a joint international effort that marched from the coast. One such member present within the complex was Basil Kroupensky, a Russian diplomat who was in the middle of his stint as 1st Secretary of the Russian delegation in Peking. He would also serve in similar positions as the Russian ambassador to the United States, the Republic of China, and Japan.
The obverse legend is a reference to an inscription illuminated in the paining by Rembrandt entitled Balshazzar's Feast. On the wall, the Hebrew phrase that is transliterated on the medal became an English expression used for foreshadowing impending doom. The phrase "the writing is on the wall" retains the general meaning of the concept, the idea that one's fate has been sealed. In the context of the medal, the glory and good times enjoyed by Europeans within the legation had seemingly come to an ominous end at the hands of the Chinese beyond their walls.
Estimate: $5000.00- $7500.00