Huwelijk van Hendrik IV, koning van Frankrijk met Maria de' Medici Possibly 1601 - 1800

This lead medal, commemorating the marriage of Henry IV of France to Maria de' Medici, struck by Guillaume Dupré, presents us with the profiles of the royal couple. Look at how their images are framed within a circle, an ancient symbol of eternity and perfection, echoing through centuries from classical coins to Renaissance medallions. Consider the profile portrait itself, a convention revived from Roman coinage, designed to convey power and authority. Notice how this echoes the idealized images of emperors, linking the French monarchy to the grandeur of Rome. The act of memorializing events, like royal marriages, on coins or medallions is a practice with deep roots. Think about how, across cultures, rulers have used imagery to imprint their legacy on the collective memory. The symbolism here speaks to the human desire for permanence and the use of images to shape our understanding of history, a pattern as cyclical as the coin itself.