Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pages 1877

Editor: This is a bronze portrait medal of Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pages, made by Daniel Jean-Baptiste Dupuis in 1877. The profile seems quite severe; the subject seems formal, very controlled. What strikes you when you look at this work? Curator: Beyond the likeness, it’s fascinating how medals like these served as symbols of achievement and remembrance. Bronze, with its inherent durability, links itself to ideas of permanence. Note the Roman numerals—MDCCLXXVII, 1877—and the man’s name encircling him. How does the act of enclosing his image and identity shape our perception of him? Editor: So, it's not just about representation but memorializing someone in a specific way? Curator: Precisely. Consider how portraiture, especially in a round format, echoes ancient coins bearing rulers' images. The symbolism here intertwines ideas of political power, lasting legacy, and civic virtue. This layering makes it such a culturally rich object. Editor: It's almost like he is being cast in history, in bronze. Curator: Indeed! Medals were often commissioned to commemorate significant events or figures. What cultural narratives are being solidified here? What does his formal attire, the sharp lines of his profile, tell us about the image they wanted to project? It also forces one to consider, what images and figures do we memorialize today, and in what form? Editor: So much to unpack in such a small object! It gives a lot of insight to that particular period and who they chose to represent it. Curator: Absolutely. Visual symbols are vessels of collective memory. Examining pieces like this, allows us to recognize the dialogue between past and present.