Medal, Gregoire, Rene, France, 1917
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1917
Medal, Gregoire, Rene, France, 1917 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1917. The museum's brief description reads: Bronze medal, portrait of Auguste Rodin by his pupil Rene Gregoire, ca.
1917. Museum description: Obverse: a portrait of Auguste Rodin in his later years, bearded, in demi-profile. Reverse: an inscription. The museum record gives material recorded as Bronze; measurements Diameter 68 mm; place associated: France; maker recorded: Gregoire, Rene. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
This medal, by René Grégoire (1871-1945) is a portrait of the sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). The medal, which was struck in 1917, is presumably a posthumous memorial to Rodin, whose large-scale figures in bronze radically changed the direction of twentieth-century sculpture. Grégoire, a native of Saumur, France, studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He worked under the sculptors Ernest-Henri Dubois and Gabriel-Jules Thomas, and was influenced in a modernist direction by Rodin himself. In 1899 he was awarded the Prix de Rome; enabling him to study for several years in that city. Upon returning to Paris around 1906-07, he commenced his practice as a sculptor, medallist and designer of commemorative stamps. In addition to his posthumous portrait of Rodin, his other notable works include a portrait medal of President Woodrow Wilson (ca. 1918). In 1924 he was elevated to the legion d’honneur.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Bronze
- Dimensions
- Diameter 68 mm
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Gregoire, Rene
- Place recorded
- France
Design
- Inscriptions recorded
- "J'AI FAIT DE/MON MIEUX/JE N'AI JAMAIS/MENTI RODIN/MDCCCXI - MCMXVII"
Identification
- Museum attribution
- Gregoire, Rene
- Museum object name
- Medal
- Museum object number
- A.2-2014
- Museum system number
- O1292306
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.