Auguste Wahlen, uitgever van de Nouveau Dictionnaire de la Conversation 1842

This is a bronze medal, approximately 5 centimeters in diameter, created by Laurent Joseph Hart. The design is bisected into two distinct yet connected halves. The profile bust on the left is rendered with high relief to create depth. On the right, we see inscriptions that are flat, with stamped letterforms that provide a graphic contrast to the sculptural relief of the portrait. The medal's composition is structured around the dichotomy between the personal and the public, the individual and the collective. The portrait embodies the tangible identity of Auguste Wahlen, while the text represents his contribution to public discourse. The flatness of the inscriptions contrasts with the three-dimensional rendering of the portrait. This medal, therefore, serves not only as a commemorative object but also as a semiotic device, encoding Wahlen's identity within a formal structure that speaks to broader cultural values and intellectual pursuits.