Nicolas Brulart de Sillery, Chancellor of France (1544?–1624, Chancellor of France 1607)
1613
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Diam. 2 3/4 in. (70 mm.)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Gwynne M. Andrews, 1931
Accession Number
31.33.23
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite bronze medal, crafted by the renowned French medallist Guillaume Dupré in1613, honors Nicolas Brulart de Sillery, Chancellor of France 1607 until his in 1624. just 2¾ inches (70 mm) in diameter, it the Renaissance tradition of portrait medals—small, portable sculptures that celebrated notable figures much like modern coins honor leaders. Dupré, official medallist to kings Henry IV and Louis XIII, masterfully captured Brulart's profile, likely on the obverse, evoking the classical profiles of ancient Roman coins that influenced French Renaissance art. The reverse, inferred from ...
About the Artist
Guillaume Dupré · 1579–1640
**Guillaume Dupré (1579–1640)** Guillaume Dupré, born in Sissonne near Laon, emerged as one of France's premier sculptors and medallists during the transition from Renaissance to Baroque art. He studied under the renowned sculptor Barthélemy Prieur, marrying Prieur's daughter Madeleine in 1600 and later fathering Abraham Dupré, who followed in his footsteps as a medallist. His early talent caught...