Medal Commemorating the Treaty of Commerce between France and the United States
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diam. 2 in. (5.1 cm)
Classification
Medal
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of William H. Huntington, 1883
Accession Number
83.2.423
Tags
Art Historical Context
This bronze medal, created in 1822 by French artists Bertrand Andrieu and Raymond Gayrard, commemorates the Treaty of Commerce between France and the United States. Measuring just two inches in diameter, the piece captures a pivotal moment of renewed economic partnership following the Napoleonic Wars, when both nations sought to strengthen trade ties and mutual prosperity. Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum’s American Wing highlights how such objects served as tangible symbols of international diplomacy in the early nineteenth century. The medal’s design, featuring profile portraits of k...
About the Artist
Bertrand Andrieu|Raymond Gayrard · 1761–1822
French, Bordeaux 1761–1822 Paris