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Marcel Renard SS Colombie bronze medal

This wonderful medal is by Marcel Renard and was struck to commemorate the launch of the SS Colombie in 1931. The obverse depicts a woman looking left to right with a platter of fruit on her head. To her right is a palm tree and another exotic plant and in the background are depictions of landmass and waves and the words "Mer Caraibee" The medal is signed "Marcel Renard". The reverse has an image of the SS Colombie in the centre and the word "Colombie and a sun underneath. The words "Compagnie Generale Transatlantique" appear in the top half of the reverse superimposed above an image of a tall masted sailing ship. The words "French Line Linea Francesa" in script run across the middle of the reverse. The rim is stamped "Bronze" and with the Cornucopia mark for the Paris Mint.

Approximate dimensions:
Weight: 3.6ozs - 102gms
Diameter: 2.36ins - 6cms

Marcel Renard (1893-1974)
Born in Lyons he studied initially under his father Leopold and then under Jean-Marie Boucher (1870-1939) and Auguste Patey (1855-1930) at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He created 50 or so works for the Paris Mint which included medals of rivers (The Seine, The Loire, The Rhone, The Garonne, The Rhine and The Meuse) and plaquettes such as Young Girl with Doves, The Exchange and Jules Massenet.
He exhibited at the Salon des Artists Francais and at the Salon des Artistes Decorateurs where he won a 2nd class medal in 1925 and a 1st class medal in 1934.

SS Colombie
There were two ships by the name of SS Colombie:
• Colombie 1874-1887
• Colombie 1931-1964

SS Colombie (2) was seized in 1942 by USA & converted to a troopship, in 1946 it became hospital ship Aleda E.Lutz. It reverted in 1946 to CGT, & was renamed Colombie. In 1949 it was rebuilt to 13,808 tons and in 1964 it was sold to Typaldos, Greece and renamed Atlantica