Medallion of Benjamin Franklin
ca. 1797
Medium
Plaster
Dimensions
Without frame: Diam. 3 3/8 in. (8.6 cm)
Classification
Medallion
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George A. Lucas, 1902
Accession Number
02.9
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate plaster medallion, crafted by French artist Jean Martin Renaud around1797, captures the dignified profile of Benjamin Franklin, polymath Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat. Measuring just 3⅜ inches in diameter, it exemplifies the neoclassical taste for classical cameos and coins, rendered in low relief to evoke ancient Roman portraiture. Displayed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, it entered the collection in 1902 as a gift from A. Lucas. Franklin's death in 1790 had sparked a wave of commemorative portraits across Europe, particularly in France where he wa...
About the Artist
Jean Martin Renaud (French) · 1746 –1821
French, Sarreguemines 1746–1821 Paris