Battle of Moskowa, 1812
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
85.2.46
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gilt bronze medal, titled *Battle of Moskowa, 1812*, commemorates one of the bloodiest clashes of Napoleon Bonaparte's ill-fated Russian campaign: the Battle of Borod (also known as the Battle of the Moskowa River) on September 7,1812. Struck at the Paris Mint in the 19th century, it captures the French victory—technically a pyrrhic one that weakened Napoleon's Grande Armée before the disastrous retreat from Moscow. Such medals served as powerful tools of imperial propaganda, glorifying military triumphs and rallying national pride during the Napoleonic Wars. Crafted by a stell...
About the Artist
Romain-Vincent Jeuffroy|Paris Mint|baron Dominique Vivant Denon|Bertrand Andrieu · 1749–1826
Romain-Vincent Jeuffroy (1749–1826) was a French gemstone engraver and medalist who served Napoleon Bonaparte and became a founding member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Born on July 16, 1749, in Rouen, Jeuffroy specialized in the demanding art of engraving on precious and semi-precious stones, a technique requiring exceptional precision, patience, and artistic sensitivity. His career spanned the...