Ontwerp voor een gedenkpenning ter herdenking van het herstel van de Franse koning

About this artwork

rood krijt

Art Historical Context

This preparatory drawing by Edme Bouchardon captures a circular design for a commemorative medal, rendered in red chalk on paper. Created in August 1744, the work measures 212 millimeters in diameter and as a study for a medal marking the recovery of French king Louis XV. Bouchardon a leading sculptor and draftsman of the period, was renowned for bridging late Baroque traditions with emerging Neoclassical clarity in his figural compositions and relief designs. Commemorative medals like the one envisioned here played a vital role in 18th-century European courts, functioning as portable symbols of royal resilience and political stability. Louis XV’s illness during the War of the Austrian Succession had sparked public concern; his restoration prompted widespread celebrations and official artworks that reinforced monarchical authority. Bouchardon’s careful use of red chalk allowed for subtle modeling of forms and precise detailing, qualities essential when translating a two-dimensional sketch into the three-dimensional constraints of struck metal. The drawing exemplifies Bouchardon’s courtly practice, where he frequently prepared official iconography that blended allegorical figures with contemporary events. Today it offers viewers a rare glimpse into the creative process behind objects meant to endure as lasting records of historical moments.

About the Artist

Edme Bouchardon · 1698–1762

Born 29 May 1698; died 27 July 1762. Bouchardon was a student of Guillaume Coustou, and won the prix de Rome in 1722. He spent ten years (1722-1732) in Rome, Italy working on various projects for Pope Clement XII. In 1732 Bouchardon was recalled to Paris and named sculptor to the king. Bouchardon became a professor at the Académie Royale in 1746. He worked on an equestrian monument of Louis XV, Ki...