Medals of the French Revolution

War and revolution have always proved rich inspiration for the production of medals. The Scher Collection includes a large number of medals of people and events from the period of the French Revolution, from the accession of Louis XVI through the reign of Napoleon I. Medals produced in lead and tin alloys for popular consumption memorialized events such as the siege and storming of the Bastille in 1789 (no. 107) and the meeting of the Estates General at Versailles (no. 106). Two medals shown here present events in the life of Marie-Antoinette — one happy, her marriage to Louis XVI (no. 70; reverse depicting marriage); the other tragic, showing her being taken to the guillotine (no. 71). The moment of Louis XVI’s beheading is depicted on a Dutch propaganda medal meant to elicit horror and pity (no. 93). In the tradition of depictions of earlier rulers, medalists captured every achievement of Napoleon I, beginning with his victories as shown in the highly idealized scene of the crossing of the St. Bernard Pass (no. 108) and including the astonishing personification of Mont Blanc and its mining school established by Napoleon in 1802 (no. 109).