Princess Pauline Borghese thumbnail 1
Not on display

Princess Pauline Borghese

Medal
1813 (made)
Artist/Maker
Andrieu, Bertrand (designer and maker)
Place of origin
Paris (made)

This medal, together with five others (A.18-2005-A.20-2005, A.22-2005 - another version of this medal - and A.23-2005) was issued by the Paris Mint between 1808 and 1813, and all are based on ancient Greek coins, offering an insight into the 'after life' of commemorative medals. These medals appear to have been collected together and modified with a bar attached on the reverse to turn them into buttons. It may be that they were intended to be worn prominently on a garment to indicate the wearer's devotion to Napoleon Bonaparte and his female relatives. This one shows Princess Pauline Borghese, sister of Napoleon, and the reverse shows the three Graces.

Object details

Categories
Coins & Medals
Myths & Legends
Sculpture
Object type
Medal
TitlePrincess Pauline Borghese (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Struck silver
Silver
Striking
Brief description
Medal, Princess Pauline Borghese, struck silver, by Bertrand Andrieu, French, 19th century, 1813
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 2.3cm
  • Weight: 7.1g
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'AN' (Obverse, initials of the artist (Andrieu))
  • Legend in Greek characters (Reverse)
    Translation
    Beautiful, as is our Queen
Credit line
Given by Jack E. Ladevèze
Historical context
Issued by La Monnaie de Paris as a medal in 1808, this medal has a metal strip fixed to the reverse
Production
Reason For Production: Commemorative
Subject depicted
Beauty
Summary
This medal, together with five others (A.18-2005-A.20-2005, A.22-2005 - another version of this medal - and A.23-2005) was issued by the Paris Mint between 1808 and 1813, and all are based on ancient Greek coins, offering an insight into the 'after life' of commemorative medals. These medals appear to have been collected together and modified with a bar attached on the reverse to turn them into buttons. It may be that they were intended to be worn prominently on a garment to indicate the wearer's devotion to Napoleon Bonaparte and his female relatives. This one shows Princess Pauline Borghese, sister of Napoleon, and the reverse shows the three Graces.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Catalogue Générale Illustré des Éditions de la Monnaie de Paris, Vol 2, p. 82, E, illstr. p.83, E.
  • 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. 20
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.21-2005

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Record createdOctober 11, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O128511/princess-pauline-borghese-medal-andrieu-bertrand/
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