Olympia Auctions
Lot 56
MEDALS AND MEMORABILIA FROM THE COLLECTION OF OSCAR KESSELS, 20TH CENTURY comprising two white-metal medallions from the World Championships, Paris, 1937, depicting a kneeling archer; four bronze commemorative plaques from the Van Schelle Sports dealers won by Oscar Kessels and one won by E. Colin; six medallions from various Belgian archery meetings using the same medal design, depicting a winged knight in a stadium, 1952-62; two 'L'archer' magazine plaques mounted on Perspex blocks and depicting a medieval archer at full draw facing left, 1952 and 1966; one St Gilles meeting plaque mounted on a Perspex block and depicting a shirtless archer inscribed '1e prix'; two small plaques both inscribed 'Grand Prix, 1957, Briques Kessels'; a leather key-ring depicting a kneeling archer; a small plaque inscribed 'Congres 21 2 1954, Doelschieten, Aan den heer Oscar Kessels'; various magazines, postcards, business cards, and other paper ephemera referencing Oscar Kessels; four unused bowstrings; a copper alloy plaque inscribed 'In memoriam, Oscar Kessels' on a wooden stand (glue deteriorated); a medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Society of Archers in the Cradle, of William Tell (Grand Serment Royal des Archers au Berceau de Guillaume Tell), 1833-1908; a Spanish championship medal, 1966; a Swedish Seefab Cup medal, '1st prize', 1955; two medals depicting a bowman without inscription; a white metal plated medal from Hagen, 1963; a medal inscribed 'Diana Wiltz FITA-EATA, 30.5.65'; a medal depicting a target with three arrows inscribed 'Cat 50ml Kat Prix 1er Prius, FITA Messieurs 1952'; and a medal depicting a bowman inscribed 'Het Beland Van Limburg', the largest plaque 10.0 cm (32) Oscar Kessels (1903 – 24 February 1968) was a Belgian archer who became president of the Grand-Serment Royal de Saint Sébastien de Bruxelles, founded 1381. He later became president of the International Archery Federation from 1957 to 1961, and in 1961 he was appointed permanent FITA delegate to the International Olympic Committee. In his time, he worked untiringly towards the goal of archery's return to the Olympic programme, which was finally achieved in 1972 (World Archery, 2006).
