Accession of Louis-Philippe, August 9, 1830
Medium
Copper-colored bronze
Dimensions
Diameter: 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of David and Constance Yates, in memory of Victoria Blumka Goldberg, 1991
Accession Number
1991.168
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite copper-colored bronze medal, *Accession of Louis-Philippe August 9, 1830*, commemorates a pivotal moment in French history. Created in the year of the event it honors, it marks the ascension of Louis-Philippe d'Orléans to the throne as "King of the French" following the July Revolution. This uprising in Paris ousted the Bourbon monarch Charles X, ushering in the July Monarchy—a more liberal, bourgeois constitutional regime that lasted until 1848. At just 2 15/16 inches in diameter, the medal's profile motifs (likely featuring the new king) served as a portable emblem of politica...