Maurice Roty, aet. 4 years, 4 months
1886
Medium
Bronze, cast, silvered
Dimensions
2 5/8 × 1 7/8 in. (67 × 48 mm)
Classification
Medals and Plaquettes
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Samuel P. Avery, 1893
Accession Number
93.10.36
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming silvered bronze medallion created in 1886 by French Louis-Oscar Roty tenderly captures the profile of Maurice Roty at just 4 years and 4 months old. Titled *Maurice Roty,. 4 years, 4 months*, the small-scale plaquette (2 5/8 × 1 7/8 in.) reflects the intimate tradition of family portrait medals popular among 19th-century European artists and collectors. Roty, a leading figure in the revival of medal art, likely crafted this as a personal keepsake, blending paternal affection with artistic precision. Cast in bronze and finished with silvering, the piece showcases Roty's mastery o...
About the Artist
Louis-Oscar Roty · 1846–1911
Louis-Oscar Roty, commonly known as Oscar Roty (1846–1911), was born on June 11 in Paris's Belleville neighborhood, the son of a modest schoolmaster. He began his artistic training under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the Petite École (later the École des Arts Décoratifs), honing his drawing skills, before entering the École des Beaux-Arts in 1864. There, he studied sculpture and medal engraving u...