Sold

Alphonse Desaide 1928 bronze running medal

This lovely medal is engraved by Alphonse Desaide and struck in France in the 1920s. The obverse depicts three runners in the foreground with woodland in the background. It is signed "A Desaide". The reverse has palm fronds and oak leaves on the left hand side surrounding a rectangular cartouche that has been inscribed "H Georges". The right hand side has been inscribed "Champion U.R.T 11.3.28." It is signed Arthus Bertrand on the reverse. There are no marks on the rim.

Approximate dimensions:
Weight: 1.57ozs - 44.5gms
Diameter: 1.81ins - 4.6cms

Alphonse Desaide
Born 1851
Engraver , medalist , sculptor and French medal editor.
Nicknamed "A. Desaide, Fils," he worked alongside Oscar Roty and Alfred Borrel .
His father was Louis Desaide (1820-1876) a medals editor, & manager of the workshop "Roquelay & Desaide, metal engravers," which was active in Paris from 1850 to 1880 at 56 Quai des Goldsmiths and at Rue de l'Arbre Sec which supplied Napoleon III and the Monnaie de Paris .
In 1890 Alphonse is mentioned as an "heraldic engraver"
Active until about 1903 when he sold his studio.

Arthus-Bertrand
Medals and decorations maker, founded in Paris in 1803 by Claude Arthus-Bertrand, an army officer during the French Revolution. Artists who have designed for the firm include Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty) and Fernand Léger.
It is the official manufacturer of the French Legion of Honour and has made insignia for the Society of the Cincinnati and the Order of Lafayette.