Jean Silvain Bailly (1736–93), French Astronomer and Revolutionary Politician
Medium
Bronze, cast
Dimensions
Diameter: 5 3/4 in. (146 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, 1898
Accession Number
98.7.22
Tags
Art Historical Context
This bronze medal, cast in 1818 by French artists Louis-Guillaume Ysabeau and Eck et Durand honors Jean Silvain Bailly1736–1793), a brilliant astronomer and pivotal figure in the French Revolution. Measuring just 5¾ inches in diameter, it captures Bail's profile with classical precision, a format typical of 19th-century plaquettes that commemorated notable lives. Bailly, who translated astronomical works and served as the first mayor of Paris in 1789, bridged Enlightenment science with revolutionary fervor—presiding over the Tennis Court Oath before his tragic execution during the Reign of Ter...
About the Artist
Louis-Guillaume Ysabeau|Eck et Durand (French| ) · 1775 | –1875 |
French, active 1818–1850|