FRANCE. Marriage of Napoleon and Marie-Louise in Paris Bronze Medal, 1810. Paris Mint. NGC MS-64 Brown.
Bramsen-952. By Jean-Bertrand Andrieu and Julien-Marie Jouannin based on designs by Denon. Diameter: 38.5mm. Obverse: Conjoined busts of Napoleon and Marie-Louise facing right, signature ANDRIEU F. DENON D. below bust; Reverse: Napoleon and Marie-Louise at right in ancient Roman attire, holding hands before a flaming altar; perimeter legend NAPOLEON EMP. ET ROI. M. LOUISE D'AUTRICHE.; date in exergue I AVRIL MDCCCX.; signature JOUANNIN F. at base of altar and DENON D. below date in exergue. Napoleon was in need of an heir to assure the continuity of his empire and needed a certain degree of legitimacy which could be achieved by marrying into an established European royal family of importance. His desire was to wed Anna Pavlovna, younger sister of Tsar Alexander I of Russia, and thus alarming Austria. Through channels, Austria unofficially recommended Marie Louise; in the face of Russian delays in negotiating a marriage, Napoleon broke off the negotiations and entered into marriage negotiations for Marie Louise. They were wed by proxy on 11 March 1810 and in a Parisian civil ceremony on 1 April. This medal offers lovely and lustrous surfaces of an even chestnut hue with bold portraits and no subtlety about associating Napoleon's empire with that of Rome. Very well-executed and preserved. Attractive and historic.
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: $200.00 - $300.00