King Louis XII of France & Anne de Bretagne (French)

King Louis, 1499-1514.

Cast by goldsmiths Jean and Colin Lepère.

Obverse: · +FELICE · LVDOVICO · REGNAnTE · DVODECIMO · CESARE · ALTERO · GAVDET · OMNIS · NACIO · “In the blessed reign of Louis XII, a second Caesar, the entire nation rejoices”: Bust of Louis facing right, wearing his crown over a cap, with Collar and Badge of the Order of Saint Michael. Field with fleurs-de-lis; below the bust a lion passant, the symbol of Lyon.

Reverse: +LVGDVN · RE · PVBLICA · GAVDEnTE · BIS · ANNA · REGNANTE · BENIGNE · SIC · FVI · CONFLATA · I499 · : “The commune of Lyon rejoices in the second reign of good Queen Anne, when I was cast. 1499” : Bust of Anne de Bretagne to the left, wearing a crown, a veil, a small necklace, and a long cord with a jewel pendant. Field with fleurs-de-lis and ermine tails, below the bust the lion passant.

Cast bronze medal, ca.1499, Lyon, France. The piece is medieval in spirit. Its creators had yet to learn the virtues of reducing a design to its essentials. A specimen in gold, now lost, was produced and presented to Queen Anne to commemorate Louis’ second state entry into Lyon. The medal was recast again and again. [The Currency of Fame, p.311]

• La Médaille d’Anne de Bretagne et ses auteurs, par M. Natalis Rondot, Lyon, 1885 in: The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society 1885, Notices of recent numismatic publications (3rd Series, Vol.5, p.161f).
• G.F.Hill / G.Pollard: Renaissance Medals from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1967.
• Stephen K. Scher, Ed.: The Currency of Fame – Portrait Medals of the Renaissance, 1994.