Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821; First Consul 1799–1804, Emperor of France 1804–14/15)

This medal commemorates the founding of a school for mining engineers (École des Mines) in the French département (administrative division) of Mont Blanc. The first École des Mines had been established in 1783 by the Ministry of Public Works in Paris to train men for the Corps of Mining Engineers (Corps des Ingénieurs des Mines) but was closed by the convention in 1802 and replaced with schools situated in the mining areas (including Mont Blanc), with the aim of developing mining research by training scientists in the field. The figure on the reverse evokes that of Giambologna's Appennino, a colossal personification of the mountain range, in the garden of the Villa Medici in Pratolino.

Source: Scher, Stephen K., et al. The Scher Collection of Commemorative Medals. New York and London, 2019.