French Medal - Marie de' Medici by Guillaume Dupré
Iosephus
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A recent upgrade to the poorer cast that was in my collection:
Marie de' Medici
Work of Guillaume Dupré, 1624.
Bronze, 106.0 mm Ø, 101.8 g (Uniface)
Obverse: Bust of Marie de' Medici facing right, wearing a widow's cap, a string of pearls, and a dress with open standing collar at the front of which hangs a cross. Around, in retrograde, MARIA AVGVSTA GALLIÆ ET NAVARÆ REGINA (Maria Augusta, Queen of France and Navarre). Beneath the truncation, G DVPRE F 1624 .
Marie de' Medici was born on April 26, 1575, in Florence to Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. In October of 1600, she married Henri IV of France, and was crowned Queen of France on May 13, 1610, one day before her husband's assassination. Although her son, Louis XIII, come of age on his thirteenth birthday in 1614, thus ending the regency of Marie, she still remained the de facto ruler of France until Louis exiled her in 1617. In 1621, with assistance her confidant and adviser, Cardinal Richelieu, Marie and Louis reconciled. Richelieu himself was appointed to the royal council of ministers on April 29, 1624. Jones has suggested that the inscription, which is legible only in a mirror, is intended to suggest that Marie's titles are merely reflections of the glory of her son. Several medals of Marie were produced by Dupré during her widowhood, and the pearl necklace she is shown wearing was a wedding present from Henri IV.
References: Johnson 1990, no. 137; Jones 1988, no. 59; Pollard 2007, no. 649
Comments
Wow!
Beautiful.
My calipers only go up to 80mm lol.
Fascinating piece Joe with the retrograde inscription. Hadn't seen one like this before that I recall. It is interesting that while the titles are retro, the artist's sig and date - in exergue - are not, lending support to Jones' suggestion. I also like the visible guidelines around the inscription and that it was holed, to be worn. Thanks as always for sharing the fine pieces from your collection!