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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Iosephus, post: 2384272, member: 71955&quot;]<b>Henri IV and Marie de&#039; Medici / Dauphin Between Henri and Marie</b></p><p><br /></p><p>by Guillaume Dupré, 1603</p><p><br /></p><p><img src="http://www.renaissancemedals.com/pics/1081.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><i>Gilt Bronze, 66.3 mm Ø, 67.9 g</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><b>Obverse:</b> Conjoined busts of Henri IV, wearing armor, cross of the Order of the Holy Spirit, and sash, and Marie de&#039; Medici, wearing a lace collar, facing right. Around,&nbsp; HENR · IIII R · CHRIST · MARIA · AVGVSTA&nbsp; (<i>Henri IV, Most Christian King, Marie, Empress</i>). Under the bust, signed,&nbsp; G · DVPRE · F ; dated&nbsp; 1603&nbsp; on truncation.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Reverse:</b> Henri, as Mars, and Marie, as Minerva, clasping hands. He is dressed in Roman armor and holding a pike; she is helmeted, wears an aegis around her neck, and has a shield on her left arm. Below them, the Dauphin trying on his father&#039;s crown with his right foot on the head of a dolphin. Behind him, a shield and a pike lie on the ground. Above, an eagle with a crown in its beak. Around,&nbsp; · PROPAGO · IMPERI ·&nbsp; (<i>The Imperial Line</i>). In exergue, dated&nbsp; 1603 .</p><p><br /></p><p>After his first marriage failed to produce an heir, Henri&#039;s second marriage to Marie de&#039; Medici resulted in the Dauphin being born on September 27, 1601, and this medal commemorates the second birthday of the future Louis XIII. The reverse composition and legend are borrowed from an ancient Roman coin of Plautilla which featured Caracalla and Plautilla in a similar pose. The use of this design asserted Henri&#039;s claim to be the true successor to the Roman Empire. The Dauphin&#039;s pose in grasping his father&#039;s helmet indicates his eagerness to emulate his father&#039;s military accomplishments. The dolphin is the traditional symbol of the Dauphin (which literally translates as dolphin) and the eagle holding a crown represents imperial pretensions.</p><p><br /></p><p>The wax models for the medal greatly pleased the king, who followed its progress with visits to the artist&#039;s studio. On July 28, 1603, Henri granted to Dupré the right, for ten years, to produce as many examples and variants of the design as he wished and to have them sold throughout France. The king himself distributed this medal on several occasions, and, based on the number of surviving examples and variants, it is apparent that Dupré took full advantage of his privilege.</p><p><br /></p><p>A good quality cast with sharp details and thick gilding. The gilding is rubbed on the high points, and it appears that a mount has been removed from the top of the medal. Based on these observations, along with the fact that a great number were produced, this example is possibly a contemporary cast.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>References:</b> Jones 15; Pollard (NGA) 637[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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