FRANCE. Montgolfier Brothers First Balloon Flight Bronze Medal, Dated 1783. NGC AU-58.
By Nicolas-Marie Gatteaux. Diameter: 42mm. Obverse: Uniformed bust of Louis XVI facing right, perimeter legend LUD XVI . REX CHRISTIANISS. to the left and right; signature GATTEAUX below bust; Reverse: Paris, seated, leaning against lion, looking upward at a balloon aloft among clouds, a pair of keys laying at her feet; Genius in the clouds holding torch below the balloon to heat its air; recumbent lion on ground below; perimeter legend ATTONITUS ORBIS TERRARUM above, three-line legend ITINERE PER AERA FELICITER / TENTATO ANNO / MDCCLXXXIII in exergue below; signature GATTEAUX in landscape at right. Joseph-Michel and Étienne Montgolfier began experimenting with balloon flight in 1782; on 19 September 1783 they were demonstrating a balloon flight at Versailles in front of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and a sizable crowd with the first creatures to be taken aloft - a duck, sheep, and rooster. The flight lasted about eight minutes, the balloon traversed approximately two miles, and landed safely - with all creatures quite alive. The first human-piloted flight would take place two months later on the outskirts of Paris. This medal offers lustrous, mottled sepia and mahogany surfaces. Some light, scattered abrasions are seen on the obverse. An attractive medal richly celebrating the achievement of man's millennia-long desire to break the bonds of earth. Rare.
Margolis had a few rather overt interests in his collecting of medallic art. One such theme was that of medals pertaining to man's earliest pursuits to conquer the heavens in the form of ballooning. The European exploits of the late 18th century are contained here across many different country categories. Also quite noticeable was his interest in the medallic art of Jewish engravers, such as Jakob Abraham and his son, Abraham Abramson, among numerous others. Across this selection of medals, these themes and topics will become obvious, adding further dimensions to the already intense focus with which Margolis pursued his collecting.
From the Richard Margolis Collection.

Estimate: $100.00 - $200.00