Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Famille Royale
Possibly Jacques Roëttiers French
Not on view
This "royal family" medal, so called for its portraits of Louis XIV and his heirs, was first struck in 1693 to commemorate the birth of one of the king’s great-grandsons. Often presented as a diplomatic gift, this design was first offered to two Abenaki chiefs in 1693, in recognition of their feats in fighting the British. Such "Indian peace medals" continued to be sent overseas for the next two decades. They carried great symbolic value for some indigenous Americans, who wore them or were buried with them.
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