Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in the Garden of the Tuileries. 1806.
Medium
Gilt bronze, struck
Dimensions
Diameter: 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Hon. Levi P. Morton, 1885
Accession Number
85.2.93
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gilt bronze medal, struck in 1806 at the Paris Mint, captures the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel shortly after its completion in the Tuileries Garden. Designed under the direction of Dominique Vivant Denon with from medalists Bertrand Andrieu and Nicholas Guy Antoine Brenet, the small-scale work (just over an inch and a half in diameter) commemorates one of Napoleon’s earliest architectural triumphs. The arch, modeled after ancient Roman monuments, celebrated the Emperor’s victories in the War of the Third Coalition and served as a grand entrance to the imperial palace. Struck me...
About the Artist
Bertrand Andrieu|Nicholas Guy Antoine Brenet|baron Dominique Vivant Denon|Paris Mint · 1761–1822
French, Bordeaux 1761–1822 Paris