Family Values [obverse]
![Family Values [obverse] by Jules-Clément Chaplain](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/family-values-obverse-nga-131275.webp)
Medium
bronze
Dimensions
overall (diameter): 6.14 cm (2 7/16 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mark and Lynne Hammerschlag
Accession Number
2004.156.2.a
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of, where Jules-Clément Chaplain'sFamily Values [obverse (1891) captures the warmth of domestic life in a intimate bronze medal. This 6.14 cm diameter showcases Chaplain, a leading French medallist of the Belle Époque, whose intricate low-relief designs drew from Renaissance traditions while embracing Republican ideals. Crafted in bronze—a durable medium prized for its rich patina and ability to hold fine details—the obverse likely features a tender family vignette, symbolizing unity and moral strength. Created during France's Third Republic, when promoting fam...
About the Artist
Jules-Clément Chaplain · 1839–1909
Jules-Clément Chaplain (1839–1909) was a French engraver and medallist who became the most celebrated practitioner of the art medal in late nineteenth-century France. Born in Mortagne-au-Perche in Normandy, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Jouffroy and Oudiné and won the Prix de Rome for engraving in 1863, which enabled him to study in Italy for several years. Chaplain's work...