Bronze medals and plaques minted in France and Belgium in the late19th century and early 20th century show artistic expression while not necessarily commemorating military or sporting achievements. But they are much more than shiny discs of metal, their exquisite miniature sculpture is less than 1 millimetre deep and they are filled with meaning and capture emotion, beauty and poignance.

Egyptomania
Already a place veiled in allure and mystery, the discovery of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 created a worldwide obsession with Egypt that continues today. Ancient Egyptian art and architecture captivated Europeans who wanted to have it decorate their homes.

One such piece is an intricate bronze plaquette depicting the Temple Gate to a building complex at Karnak in Upper Egypt (NU 34435). Each ancient Egyptian carving has been accurately captured by the artist in the scene.

Commemorative
The turn of the 20th century brought with it a fascination in the new technologies of electricity, cinema (NU 34464), radio, and flight. The French Bleriot XI aircraft was the first to fly across the French-English Channel in 1909 (NU 20843).

Meanwhile, the menacing force of the natural world and dangerous traditional jobs working on the sea still had a devastating impact on human life and on those it left behind (NU 34452). The sadness can be seen on the face of the to-be widow on a plaque by Prud'homme as she looks towards the ship sinking in rough seas.

Allegory and Symbolism
The restrictive nature of displaying a single scene has led artists to design medals using symbolism and allegory to illustrate more complex stories.

The Coq Gaulois ('Gallic Rooster') came to prominence during the French Revolution. It can be seen on the helmet of Marianne, the personification of the French Republic (NU 20829). She was used again in the First World War medal by Morlon, flying as an armed Fury above a newly developed tank, the Saint-Chamond (NU 20844).

The plaque 'Salut au Soleil' (NU 20828) depicts an old man and child viewing a sunrise. The reverse contains a verse from the poem Le Vallon ('The Valley') by Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869) published in 1820 and explores the magnificence of nature and the presence of God in the natural world.
Lamartine writes, 'In the midst of nature, therefore, discover its creator.'

References
Sharples, JP (1990), Medals As Art: Australia and the Meszaros Tradition, Museum of Victoria and Royal Australian Mint, Melbourne

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