Société Centrale des Architectes 1921

Editor: This silver medal, "Société Centrale des Architectes" by Eugene André Oudiné, is quite striking. Its size is rather intimate at just 7cm. What can you tell me about the significance of its material and imagery? Curator: The medal's materiality speaks to its function. Silver, while valuable, is also workable, facilitating mass production for distribution amongst members of the Société. Consider how the imagery, like the seated figure holding a building, promotes architecture as both an intellectual and a material pursuit, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Yes, that makes sense. So the medal itself is an artifact of the society's labor and values. Thanks for illuminating that for me. Curator: My pleasure! It's fascinating how much a simple object can reveal about the culture that produced it.