We don’t have an image of this object online yet. V&A Images may have a photograph that we can’t show online, but it may be possible to supply one to you. Email us at vaimages@vam.ac.uk for guidance about fees and timescales, quoting the accession number: 7748-1863
Find out about our images

Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 6, The Lisa and Bernard Selz Gallery

Marie de Medici

Medal
ca.1600 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This medal, representing Marie de Medici was made by Guillaume Dupré in about 1625. Marie de Medici (1573-1642), born in Florence, was the daughter of Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Johanna Archduchess of Austria. Later she became Queen consort of France, the second wife of King Henry IV of France. The inscription is 'retrograde' (the letters backwards), perhpas indicating that Marie's titles are merer reflections of her true glory.

The commemorative portrait medal was especially highly regarded in France during the first half of the 17th century. Guillaume Dupré (about 1579-1640), court medallist to Henry IV, undertook medallic portrait commissions in Italy from 1612. Dupré's grasp of the Italian tradition, together with his considerable technical skills, enabled him to cast medals in a style that proved influential on succeeding generations of French medallists.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMarie de Medici (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Medal, bronze, Marie de Medici, by Guillaume Dupré, France, about 1625
Physical description
This medal depicts a portrait bust of Marie de Medici on the obverse and, on the reverse, Marie de Medici as a goddess with Jupiter, Amphitrite and other gods and goddesses. It is not a particularly good cast (especially looking at the reverse). Superior casts exist in the British Museum and elsewhere.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 5.39cm
Marks and inscriptions
MARIA.AVG.GALL.ET NAVAR.REGIN (obverse, and retrograde (backwards))
Translation
Marie, august Queen of France and Navarre
Object history
Bought, 10s in 1863.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This medal, representing Marie de Medici was made by Guillaume Dupré in about 1625. Marie de Medici (1573-1642), born in Florence, was the daughter of Francesco I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Johanna Archduchess of Austria. Later she became Queen consort of France, the second wife of King Henry IV of France. The inscription is 'retrograde' (the letters backwards), perhpas indicating that Marie's titles are merer reflections of her true glory.

The commemorative portrait medal was especially highly regarded in France during the first half of the 17th century. Guillaume Dupré (about 1579-1640), court medallist to Henry IV, undertook medallic portrait commissions in Italy from 1612. Dupré's grasp of the Italian tradition, together with his considerable technical skills, enabled him to cast medals in a style that proved influential on succeeding generations of French medallists.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1863. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 38
  • Jones, Mark. Catalogue of the French Medals in the British Museum, Vol II, 1600-1672. London: 1988, pp. 100-101, Nos 61
  • Cohen, Sarah R. Ruben's France: Gender and Personification in the Marie de Medicis Cycle. The Art Bulletin, September 2003, Vol LXXXV, Nummer 3, pp. 490-522
Collection
Accession number
7748-1863

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
Download as: JSON