1791 Bronze Medal Fuld-LA.1791.2 Gen. Lafayette National Assembly

Coin Details

Auction Record

$480 MS62 04-03-2024 Stack's Bowers

Description

This 1791 bronze medal, cataloged as Fuld-LA.1791.2, commemorates the Marquis de Lafayette and the French National Assembly. Lafayette, the French aristocrat who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, became a central figure in the French Revolution as well, commanding the National Guard and presenting the Declaration of the Rights of Man to the National Assembly in 1789. This medal captures Lafayette at the height of his French revolutionary influence, before the Reign of Terror forced him to flee France in 1792. The Fuld catalog for Lafayette medals (LA series) documents the extensive medallic production honoring this hero of two revolutions. The artistic ambition of exposition medals reflects the exhibition culture of their eras, with fair organizers commissioning pieces that served simultaneously as souvenirs, awards, and advertisements for the expositions themselves. Bronze was the standard composition for medals of this type during the revolutionary era.

Rarity Notes

Fuld-LA.1791.2, bronze. French Revolutionary era Lafayette medal. Lafayette medals are collected by both French and American numismatists.

Cross References

PCGS #935505; Fuld-LA.1791.2; Gen. Lafayette National Assembly, Bronze