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Portrait Medallion of Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt

David d'Angers1831

The Walters Art Museum

The Walters Art Museum
Baltimore, United States

This medallion of the great German naturalist, writer, and statesman exhibits D'Angers sensitivity in modeling and his views on facial types. A comparison of this medallion with that of Jean Pierre Boyer (Walters 54.844) is a reminder that we usually think of the color of bronze as simply an abstract choice, having nothing representational to add.

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  • Title: Portrait Medallion of Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt
  • Creator: Pierre-Jean David d'Angers (French, 1788-1856)
  • Date Created: 1831
  • External Link: For more information about this and thousands of other works of art in the Walters Art Museum collection, please visit art.thewalters.org
  • Roles: Artist: Pierre-Jean David d'Angers (French, 1788-1856)
  • Provenance: Henry Walters, Baltimore [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
  • Object Type: medallions (medals); portraits
  • Medium: cast bronze, chemical patina
  • Inscriptions: [Signature] Bottom center: DAVID; [Date] Bottom center: 1831; [Inscription] On right: ALEXANDRE / DE HUMBOLDT; [Inscription] On obverse: FUMIÈRE / ET CIE SUCRS - THIEBAUT FRES / PARIS
  • Exhibitions: The Allure of Bronze. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1995.
  • Dimensions: Diam: 6 1/16 in. (15.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Acquired by Henry Walters
  • Classification: Metal
  • Accession Number: 54.842
The Walters Art Museum

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