Family Values [obverse] 1891

This bronze medal of domestic life was crafted by Jules-Clément Chaplain. The scene pulses with significance: a mother prepares nourishment, a father gazes adoringly at his child held aloft. This intimate portrayal of the family unit echoes across centuries. The Madonna’s tender presentation of the Christ Child immediately comes to mind, an archetype of maternal love and divine innocence. Yet, here, the sacred is secular, transformed into a celebration of earthly bonds. The father's upward gaze, reminiscent of religious ecstasy, connects to a primal desire for transcendence. This gesture, also seen in depictions of saints or mystics, taps into a deep, collective yearning for connection. The image is a potent reminder of the cyclical nature of life, of birth, death, and rebirth, ever present in the human psyche. The motifs of care, nurturing, and generational continuity transcend time, reappearing in diverse contexts.