Society for Providing Cheap Dwelling-houses 1891

This medal, designed by Jules-Clément Chaplain, presents us with a fascinating duality. On one side, the ordered text framed by laurel wreaths symbolizes civic virtue. But it's the other side that truly captivates; an interior scene of domesticity. Here, the father figure raises a child toward the light. The symbolism is overt and immediate, reminiscent of the Virgin holding the Christ Child. The man is seated like a classical philosopher, embodying paternal pride. Meanwhile, the mother is set to the left, performing her duties, a picture of serenity. Consider the persistence of this tableau. The Madonna and Child motif, echoing through Renaissance paintings, reappears here transformed but fundamentally unchanged. The nuclear family is presented as the foundation of society. It's a powerful echo resonating through history. It also shows how the archetypes, born from our collective unconscious, endure and evolve through art.