Design for the Medal to Commemorate the Charter of 1830 1830

Henri-Baron de Triqueti made this design for a medal to commemorate the Charter of 1830 in France. The sketch presents a circle filled with symbolic imagery related to the July Revolution, which overthrew Charles X and instated Louis-Philippe as King. At the center, we see a proud Gallic rooster, a symbol of France, surrounded by a laurel wreath. Above it, a crown and the words ‘Charter of 1830’ suggest the constitutional monarchy established after the revolution. The imagery is rife with political meaning. The rooster, the laurel wreath, and the crown all have a long history of symbolic representation. The design promotes the idea of a nation reborn under a more liberal charter. Historians of art and politics would look at such a design alongside pamphlets, newspapers, and other visual artifacts of the time to understand better the public role of imagery in shaping political opinion and national identity. This helps us understand how art is always contingent on the social and institutional context in which it is made.