~99.3mm X ~7.3mm; ~407grams. Obverse: INSTITVT DE FRANCE; Front of building with tower (?) Reverse: AL'IMMORTALITE, View up into dome interior; In Latin: SEDEBIT SVB VMBRACVLO EIVS IN MEDIO NATIONVM, Ezekiel 31:17. At Rim: 1976, Cornucopia, BR FLOR
I must admit that I have very little knowledge of most French medals that were produced in the latter half of the 20th century. It is a new one for me that the Paris Mint put the year of production on the edge, and I have no idea what is meant by "BR FLOR". My batting average is dropping! Chris
There appears to be a golden tint to the bronze; could FLOR be an indicator of a wash or plate application?
That is the abbreviated version of "bronze florentin" which refers to the composition or alloy. See here ... Christian
Had not realized, by the way, what a huge thing that medal is. Looks good! Especially the way the oval view of the interior is built into the round piece. As for the "tower", in architecture that is usually called a dome. In French they differentiate between the coupole (usually seen from inside) and the dôme - the roof that you see outside. More about the building that houses the Institut de France is here. The page in French has a few more images of the dome, inside and outside - much like what your medal shows. Christian
Pics on the French page, especially the interior shot up into the elliptical coupole are close enough to the Medal that I wonder if they may have been used as secondary references, after the building itself. Thanks, Christian...wlw
