- Museum number
- 1980,0102.3
- Description
-
Cast gun-metal medal. (whole)
-
Bust of Jean Héroard three quarters right, wearing a gown over a doublet. (obverse)
-
A coat of arms (a chevron accompanied by three stars, two in chief, one in point) supported by lions and surmounted by a helmet. (reverse)
- Production date
- 1628
- Dimensions
-
Thickness: 1.20 - 5.30 millimetres
-
Diameter: 44.000 millimetres
-
Weight: 22.96 grammes
- $Inscriptions
-
-
-
-
- Curator's comments
- Jones 2
Composition of medal:
90.2% Cu, 2.7% Zn, 4.5% Sn, 1.8% Pb.
The composition of the alloy is close to that of Dupré's medals of Barberini and Richelieu (registration nos. G3,IP.71 and G3,IP.882) and it seems to be an original example.
The signature is very like that of Claude Warin (see for example the medal of Bodley) and the medal is attributed to Claude by Rondot (see 2). Blanchet (see 3) argues that the portrait is taken from a large medallion which he attributed to Dupré and that the reverse is taken from a print attributed to Abraham Bosse.
There is another medal of the same year, of Charles de Lorme, in much the same style. Charles de Lorme was one of those who gave evidence of the 'bonnes vie, et moeurs et religion catholique' of Jean Warin in March 1629.
Jean Warin is supposed to have come to Paris in 1627. Claude was there in 1630. If they were working together during this period it would not be surprising if it were hard to distinguish the work of one from that of the other.
Jean Héroard (1551-1628), trained at Montpellier and, although a Huguenot, was médecin ordinaire to Charles IX, and Henri III before entering the service of Henri IV. Henri appointed him doctor to the Dauphin and his Journal (see 1) provides a detailed account of Louis' childhood. Héroard died at Aytré in February 1628, during the siege of La Rochelle, and this medal was presumably made later in the same year.
Other examples:
(a) Cabinet des Médailles, Bibliothèque Nationale, 58 rue de Richelieu, 75084 Paris, France (BN, Paris), cast silver, 43 mm.
(b) BN, Paris, cast lead, 42 mm.
(c) BN, Paris, cast lead, 43 mm.
(d) Musée des Beaux-Arts, Palais Saint-Pierre, Lyon, France, cast bronze, pierced, 44 mm.
(e) The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, inv. no. 177, bronze, 43.5 mm.
Bibliography:
1. Journal de Jean Héroard Paris 1868.
2. T.N. Méd. Fr. II pl. 19 no. 5.
3. N. Rondot RN 1888 p. 288 no. 1.
4. J.-A. Blanchet 'Medaillon de Jean Héroard' RN 1893 pp. 252-258.
5. Jean de Foville 'Les premières oeuvres de Jean Warin en France' La revue de l'art vol. 34 (1913), p. 149.
6. Varin no. 1.
7. F. Pény Jean Varin de Liège no. 3.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1980
- Acquisition notes
- From the sale of the E. Meunier Collection, Druot Rive-Gauche, Paris, 30.11.1979, lot 44.
- Department
- Coins and Medals
- Registration number
- 1980,0102.3
- C&M catalogue number
-
MF2 (Jones 2) (187) (178)
