Eustache Le Sueur, 1617-1655, Painter [obverse] 1828

This bronze medal portraying Eustache Le Sueur, the 17th-century French painter, was crafted by Julien Gabriel Leclerc, a 19th-century artist. Leclerc created this medal during a period of intense artistic historicism, where the past was revisited and reinterpreted through a romantic lens. This medal encapsulates the 19th century’s fascination with artistic legacy, and the desire to immortalize figures like Le Sueur. The profile view, reminiscent of ancient coinage, lends Le Sueur an air of timeless nobility, a common trope in commemorative portraiture. Consider how Leclerc, working in a later era, positions Le Sueur within a lineage of artistic greatness. How does the act of creating this medal speak to notions of artistic identity, legacy, and the dialogue between different eras? It is as much about Leclerc’s artistic identity as it is about Le Sueur's.