To commemorate the Congress held at Paris (1872–3) to regulate the adoption of the Metric System
Medium
Bronze, silvered (cliché), struck
Dimensions
Diameter: 3 15/16 in. (10 cm)
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, 1893
Accession Number
93.10.63
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate silvered bronze medal, struck by renowned French medallist Jules-Clément Chap in 1874, honors the International Metric Congress held in Paris from 1872 to 1873. That groundbreaking assembly brought together scientists and diplomats from around the world to standardize the metric system, fostering global unity in measurement and trade—a triumph of Enlightenment ideals in an era of rapid industrialization. Measuring just under 4 inches in diameter, the medal exemplifies the precision of 19th-century plaquette artistry, where struck bronze allowed for intricate high-relief details....
About the Artist
Jules-Clément Chaplain · 1839–1909
Jules-Clément Chaplain (1839–1909) was a French engraver and medallist who became the most celebrated practitioner of the art medal in late nineteenth-century France. Born in Mortagne-au-Perche in Normandy, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Jouffroy and Oudiné and won the Prix de Rome for engraving in 1863, which enabled him to study in Italy for several years. Chaplain's work...