In honor of M. Aicard, Advocate, 1889 1889

This bronze medal, made by Jules-Clément Chaplain in 1889, honors the advocate M. Aicard. On one side, we see a portrait of the man himself, while the reverse features a draped allegorical figure. The standing figure raises her right hand in a gesture of speech and justice, her left hand resting on her chest. This hand-on-chest motif is a symbol of sincerity, echoing across centuries from ancient Roman oratory to Renaissance portraiture. Raising her hand, she presents herself as the allegorical representation of the act of speaking in court, the act of defending the truth. Consider how the very gesture of raising a hand has traversed time, from depictions of Roman emperors addressing their legions, to the Christian blessing, and even to modern political rallies. Each context imbues the gesture with new layers of meaning, yet the core idea of address is kept alive in the collective memory. It is this constant rebirth and metamorphosis of symbols that allows us to understand the emotional and psychological impact of art across generations.