Commemorating the 100th Birthday of M. Michel Eugène Chevreul (1786–1889), French Chemist and Member of the Academy of Sciences
1886
Medium
Bronze, brown patina
Dimensions
Diameter: 3 7/8 in. (98 mm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1893
Accession Number
93.10.32a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant bronze medal, by the esteemed French artist Louis-Oscar Roty 1886, commemorates the 100th of Michel Eugène Chevreul1786–1889), a pioneering French chemist and member of the Academy of. Roty, a master of the medal genre, captures the spirit of Third Republic France, where scientific luminaries were celebrated through intimate, sculptural honors. Measuring 3⅞ inches (98 mm) in diameter the plaquette features profiles of men and women, evoking a sense of collective reverence for intellectual achievement. Chevreul's centennial marked a rare milestone—few lived to 100 in the 19th cent...
About the Artist
Louis-Oscar Roty · 1846–1911
Louis-Oscar Roty, commonly known as Oscar Roty (1846–1911), was born on June 11 in Paris's Belleville neighborhood, the son of a modest schoolmaster. He began his artistic training under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the Petite École (later the École des Arts Décoratifs), honing his drawing skills, before entering the École des Beaux-Arts in 1864. There, he studied sculpture and medal engraving u...