France Medal 'Visit of the Russian Squadron to Toulon' 1893 by Jules Chaplain in October 13th, 1863. By Jules Clement Chaplain. obverse Conjoined heads representing Russia and France facing left, clasped hands below, Reverse Marianne standing at the harbour entrance welcoming the fleet. This bronze medal commemorates the reciprocal visit by the Russian squadron to the major port of Toulon in 1893, which followed the visit of the French military squadron to the Russian base in the Baltic. These visits took place in a period when these two countries sought an alliance, which was achieved in the Franco-Russian agreement of 13th October 1893. This medal clearly demonstrates Chaplain's great skill and expertise in designing medals to commemorate official events in French history. On the obverse (primary face) the juxtaposed female heads, each wearing a diadem, symbolise the two countries and contrast with the militaristic imagery of the Russian fleet on the reverse. Chaplain promotes the primacy of France, as the host nation, by placing the head representing France in front of that representing Russia Weight: 150g Size:7 cm
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- Obverse - Obverse means the front face of a coin or medal, and the reverse means the back face. The obverse of a coin is commonly called heads, because it often depicts the head of a monarch or famous person.
- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
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