Accession of Louis-Philippe, August 9, 1830

About this artwork

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 political triumph and national renewal. Renowned French medalist Alexis Joseph Depaulis crafted this piece with masterful engraving techniques typical of early 19th-century neoclassicism. Depaulis, a leading figure in Parisian mint workshops, excelled in low-relief portraits that captured dignity and realism on small-scale bronze surfaces. Medals like this were not mere coins but collectible art objects, blending sculpture and propaganda to disseminate royal imagery among the elite and middle classes. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative Arts department, this gift from David and Constance Yates preserves a tangible slice of revolutionary fervor. It invites visitors to ponder how such intimate artifacts bridged grand historical shifts and personal devotion to the "Citizen King" era.