Medal of Anne of Austria (obverse) and (reverse)

1660

Jean Warin

(French, 1604–1672)

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Culture

France, 17th century

Medium

bronze

Measurements

Diameter: 6 cm (2 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1987.195

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Location

301 Baroque Sculpture Mezzanine(not visible)

Did You Know?

This medal contains both a traditional portrait as well as a symbolic depiction of another individual.

Description

Jean Warin was the foremost medalist in 17th-century France. As the chief designer of coins, his relationship with King Louis XIII was exceptionally close; he convinced the king that commemorative medals were the most important artistic medium for propaganda. Warin revolutionized the production of medals by introducing the raised edge, allowing greater ease in striking medals. This change fueled the shift from casting medals to the more recently invented process of striking, or pressing medals from a die. This work is one of many he composed of Queen Anne of Austria (1601–1666). Although she was born in Spain as the Infanta, or princess, of Spain and Portugal, her title "of Austria" refers to her Habsburg heritage as well as her title of Archduchess of Austria. The reverse depicts a blooming lily, a symbol of France, and is inscribed "it glories in its divine nourishment," referring to her son, the adolescent King Louis XIV.