Struck medals can be made in large numbers. Each medal is formed mechanically by the force of two engraved metal dies pressing the image on to a blank disc of softer metal held between them. Struck medals are generally designed in low relief and have crisp, sharp outlines. The obverse of this Art Nouveau plaquette in celebration of the company Duval Janvier (Die Sinkers) shows a man operating a striking machine.
Physical description
Obverse: Octagonal plaquette with rectangular, lowered ground, half-naked figure of man standing to push the arm of a balancier (machinery used when producing struck medals). In the background there is related machinery, possibly Janvier's reducing machine. At the bottom right, set in a circle in a blank field, appears 'Duval Vivier'. The monogram ALMC appears to the left of the figure.
Reverse: Reduced versions of the obverse image appear three times, from top left to bottom right and increasing in size each time. Incuse inscription: 'Reduction et Frappe de Médailles' - spaced among the images with 22 Rue de Montmoreney Paris.
Place of Origin
Paris, France (made)
Date
1902 (made)
Artist/maker
Charpentier, Alexandre-Louis-Marie, born 1856 - died 1909 (artist)
Materials and Techniques
Bronze, struck, plaquette
Marks and inscriptions
'DUVAL VIVIER' [and] 'ALMC'
'Reduction et Frappe de Médailles' [and below] 22 Rue de Montmoreney Paris'
Dimensions
Height: 5.28 cm maximum, Width: 6 cm maximum, Weight: 94.5 g
Object history note
Given by Professor J. Hull Grundy and Mrs. Ann Hull Grundy, in 1978.
Descriptive line
Plaquette, bronze, of Duval Janvier - Die Sinkers, by Alexandre Louis Marie Charpentier (1856-1909), France, 1900
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Jones, Mark. The Art of the Medal. London, 1979, p. 130, ill. no. 345
Vandenbrouck-Przybylski, Melanie, ' 'These should without delay be represented in our museum' Nineteenth- and twentieth-century French medals at the V&A', The Medal, No.61, Autumn 2012, pp. 21-37, fig. 17
Exhibition History
French Medal Design in the Art Nouveau and Art Deco Periods (Victoria and Albert Museum 06/03/2000-05/06/2000)
Materials
Bronze
Techniques
Casting
Subjects depicted
Man; Machinery; Balancier
Categories
Sculpture; Coins & Medals; Plaques & Plaquettes
Collection code
SCP
