This lovely boxed medal is by Leon Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Blanchot. The obverse depicts a seated woman breastfeeding an infant with a cradle in light relief in the background. It is signed "I.L.Blanchot". The reverse has a blank rectangular cartouche with foliage to its left. The rim is stamped "Bronze" and has the triangular mark of "Arthus Bertrand". It is presented in a small rectangular maroon box with a velvet and silk interior.
I believe that this medal would have been presented either on the birth or christening of a child and presumably the child's name would have been engraved in the cartouche.
Approximate dimensions:
Weight excl box: 1 5/8ozs - 47gms
Length: 1.97ins - 5cms
Width: 1.61ins - 4.1cms
Leon Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Blanchot
(1868 – 1947)
French sculptor & illustrator
He began his art studies in Bordeaux before moving to Paris where he studied at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts
After spending some time in Algeria, he began to produce illustrations for books under the pseudonym "Ivan Loewitz".
He signed his sculptures "L. Blanchot", working in metal & stone & undertaking ornamental works and monuments. His influence was very much in the Belle Epoque style. During the First World War, he served in the Air Force and wrote some essays on art under the name "I.-L. Blanchot".
From 1930 – 1947 he was an inspector of sculpture at Sèvres.
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.
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