Token
early 19th century
Medium
metalwork
Classification
metalwork
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Sarah Cooper Hewitt
Accession Number
1907-17-132
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Token** by Raymond Gayrard (French, 1777–1858) is a delicate example of early 19th-century metalwork from the Smithsonian Art Museum's collection. Gayrard, a skilled French sculptor and engraver active during the Napoleonic era and Restoration period, specialized in finely crafted medals and small-scale reliefs. This token, gifted by Sarah Cooper Hewitt, reflects the era's fascination with portable, symbolic objects that blended artistry with everyday utility. In the early 1800s, metal tokens like this one served multiple roles—commemorative, devotional, or even as personal keepsakes—often ...