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Medal: Charles VIII

model 1485–95 (possibly cast 19th century)
Not on view
Depicted on the obverse is Charles VIII (1470 – 1498), king of France (1483 – 98); on the reverse is Hercules wrestling the Nemean Lion. The medal is possibly a nineteenth-century aftercast, given the even and dull wear on the surface of both sides. The medal could have been made in 1485 – 91, referring to the wars that ended the union between France and Brittany. A more plausible occasion was the invasion of Italy by the French troops in 1495, as the reverse presents the king as alter Hercules, fighting the Nemean Lion, and with the text Pacator (peacemaker).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Medal: Charles VIII
  • Date: model 1485–95 (possibly cast 19th century)
  • Culture: Italian or French
  • Medium: Bronze (Copper alloy with warm brown patina).
  • Dimensions: Diam. 5.7 cm, wt. 65.28 g.
  • Classification: Medals
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.1247
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

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