Galerie métallique des grands hommes français (Great Men of France)
Medium
metalwork
Classification
metalwork
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Sarah Cooper Hewitt
Accession Number
1907-17-44
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Created in 1825 by French metalworker Adrian Vezrat (1803–1883), *Galerie métallique des grands hommes* (Metallic Gallery of the Great of France) is a example of early 19th-century decorativework. At just 22 years old Vezrat crafted this during France's Bourbon Restoration, a time of national reflection following the Napoleonic Wars. The title suggests a series of embossed or cast metal portraits honoring illustrious French figures—likely kings, generals, and thinkers—celebrating the nation's storied past in a tangible, gleaming medium. Metalwork like this held immense artistic and cultural v...