Royal visits became the occasion for lavish civic festivities, and medals were produced to commemorate these events. A gold version of this double-sided medal was presented to Anne of Brittany when she arrived with Louis XII in Lyons in March 1500. The rule of the French king is glorified by the inscription: "In the blessed reign of Louis XII, a second Caesar, the entire Nation rejoices." The couple is portrayed in profile against fields sown with fleur-de-lis, emblem of the French monarchy, and ermine tails, emblem of Brittany, while the lion at the bottom refers to the city of Lyons.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Medal Louis XII, King of France (r. 1498–15155), and Anne of Brittany (1476–1514)
Date:ca. 1499
Geography:Made in Lyon, France
Culture:French
Medium:Copper alloy
Dimensions:Overall: diam. 4 1/2 x 5/8 in. (11.4 x 1.6 cm)
Classifications:Metalwork-Copper alloy, Medals and Plaquettes
Credit Line:Gift of George and Florence Blumenthal, 1935
Object Number:35.77
Inscription: (Obverse, legend): + FELICE . LVDOVICO . REGNA[N]TE . DVODECIMO . C[A]ESARE . ALTERO . GAVDET . OMNIS . NACIO [NATIO] [image of lion] ([image of cross] The whole nation rejoices because of the second Caesar, the fortunate Louis XII, reigning [image of lion])
(Reverse, legend): + LVGDVN[I] . RE . PVBLICA . GAVDE[N]TE . BIS . ANNA . REGNANTE . BENIGNE . SIC . FVI . CONFL . ATA . 1499 [image of lion] ([image of cross] [When the] nation of Lyon is rejoicing for the second time, when Anne is favorably reigning, thus I was cast, 1499 [image of lion])
George and Florence Blumenthal, Paris and New York (until 1935)
Lawrence, KS. University of Kansas Museum of Art. "The Waning Middle Ages, an exhibition of French and Netherlandish Art from 1350-1500," November 1, 1969–December 1, 1969.
New York. The Cloisters Museum & Gardens. "The Secular Spirit: Life and Art at the End of the Middle Ages," March 28–June 15, 1975.
The Katonah Gallery. "Medieval Images: a glimpse into the symbolism and reality of the Middle ages," May 12–May 21, 1978.
Aspen Center for the Visual Arts. "Medieval Images," November 25, 1979–January 27, 1980.
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. "The Currency of Fame: Portrait Medals of the Renaissance," January 23May 1, 1994.
Frick Collection. "The Currency of Fame: Portrait Medals of the Renaissance," May 24–August 22, 1994.
National Gallery of Scotland. "The Currency of Fame: Portrait Medals of the Renaissance," Sep-13-1994–December 20, 1994.
Rubinstein-Bloch, Stella. Catalogue of the Collection of George and Florence Blumenthal, New York: Volume 2, Sculpture and Bronzes, Mediaeval and Renaissance. Paris: A. Lévy, 1926. pl. XLV.
Schrader, J. L., ed. The Waning Middle Ages, an Exhibition of French and Netherlandish Art from 1350-1500: Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Publication of "The Waning of the Middle Ages" by Johan Huizinga. Lawrence, Kans.: University of Kansas Museum of Art, 1969. no. 107, pp. 86–87, pl. LXVIII.
Husband, Timothy B., and Jane Hayward, ed. The Secular Spirit: Life and Art at the End of the Middle Ages. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975. no. 252, p. 256.
Gómez-Moreno, Carmen, ed. Medieval Images: A Glimpse into the Symbolism and Reality of the Middle Ages. Katonah: Katonah Museum of Art, 1978. no. 33, pp. 12, 21.
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