Sarah Gustave Simon (dates unknown)
Loan
Jules-Clément Chaplain
(French, 1839–1909)
Datedated 1889
MediumGilt galvanotype
DimensionsDiam.: 4 13/16 in. (12.19 cm)
Credit LineDr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection
Accession numberSCHER.2015.15.21
CommentaryThis medallion, one of Chaplain's masterpieces, was commissioned by Sarah Gustave-Simon's husband, Dr. Gustave-Simon (1848–1928), who gave up medicine and became a prominent writer and journalist. He was the son of Jules Simon (1814–1896), a writer, statesman, and philosopher, as well as prime minister from December 1876 to May 1877. Sarah was the daughter of the Paris banker Mardochée Sourdis and was married in February 1879, with Victor Hugo, a close friend of her husband's, as a witness.
Source: Scher, Stephen K., et al. The Scher Collection of Commemorative Medals. New York and London, 2019.
Loan
Matthes Gebel
dated 1535