Duchy of Lorraine, Medal, René II of Lorraine & Philippa of Guelders
Bust of René II de Lorraine, draped and wearing a fur coat, right.
Bust of Philippa of Guelders, wearing an elaborate diadem, dressed, to left.
We are presenting here a medal representing René II of Lorraine (1451-1508) and his wife Philippa of Guelders (1464-1547). Some filing marks on the edge, probably to smooth out the roughness and metal burrs of the flan. Reverse cleaned, otherwise a splendid specimen. This medal is part of the serie known as the ‘Médailler de Saint-Urbain’, officially named the ‘Médailler des Ducs de Lorraine’ (or Collection of the Dukes and Duchesses of Lorraine) serie. It was engraved by Ferdinand de Saint-Urbain (1654/58-1738), an artist from Nancy, on commission from the Dukes of Lorraine (Leopold I of Lorraine & François III of Lorraine). In this serie of around thirty medals, he portrayed the genealogy of the dukes and duchesses of Lorraine from 1048 to 1737. The finesse, precision and virtuosity of the engraving are such that this series is also known by the name of its creator. This precision is due to the use of known and realistic effigies of the representatives of the House of Lorraine. A splendid medallist's masterpiece.
RENATVS• II• D• G• REX• SICILIAE• IER• LOTH• DVX•
PHILIPPA• A• GEL• REG• SICIL• IER• LOTH• DVCISSA•
41.4 gr
Bronze
Bronze (not to be confused with brass, although usage of the two terms varied in times of yore) is an extremely ancient alloy with origins going back to the period around 2,000 BC. Also known...wait for it...as the Bronze Age (who would have guessed?). Back in ancient times, a proportion of 10% tin was added to copper. It was used in particular for luxurious objects such as swords, helmets, hairpins, and even chariot ornaments.
That is by no means insignificant though, as when putting on a bronze helmet you would already find yourself with an extra 3 kilos or so on your head. Add to that your sword and armor…let’s see you advance quickly now!
The heavyweight of alloys one might say*.
The first Western bronze coins probably date back to the end of the 4th century BC and Greece.
Although the coins may be ancient, it is more difficult to date the appearance of a specific word for this alloy. The earliest record is a Venetian manuscript in Greek dating from the 11th century, but it is not impossible that it was in use earlier.
Nowadays, the bronze used in coinage is an alloy of copper (majority) and tin (minority) along with other metals such as zinc, for example, which improves the castability, or nickel, which produces a harder alloy. Its main qualities are undeniably its great resistance to corrosion and mechanical wear as well as...its aesthetic aspect.
The patina of bronze can vary, ranging from verdigris to brown through to black.
*Actually, puns aside, copper and cupronickel have a greater density, for example.
