Medallion 1819 - 1835

This medallion, crafted by Jean Mascret, captures a profile portrait, immortalizing a figure through the stoic, classical form. Note the laurel leaves, symbols of victory and status. The medallion format has roots in ancient Rome, where emperors were deified through such images, establishing a connection to power and authority. Consider how this motif persists through centuries. The Roman emperors' laurel wreath finds echoes in the Renaissance, adorning depictions of humanist scholars, and surfaces in the 19th century, to crown military leaders. Each era reinvents this symbol, loading it with new cultural significance, yet the subconscious association with triumph lingers. Here, the subject gazes towards the future. The emotional weight carried by the medallion resides in its ability to make present an individual who is absent. It is as if the object itself embodies a memory, engaging us in a cyclical dance between past, present, and future.