Details

Title

Victor Hugo (1802 - 1885)

Artist/Maker

Pierre-Jean David d'Angers (French, 1788–1856)

Date

1832

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

7 7/8 inches

Credit

Purchase with funds from the Phoenix Society

Accession #

2005.202

On View

Currently not on view

David d'Anger’s first major projects were to produce the ornamental carvings on the Arc de Triomphe and the Musée du Louvre’s façade. He became one of the best-known sculptors of his day, creating both busts and commemorative medals of contemporary celebrities. Portrait medals, which were based on the format of ancient coins, first became popular during the Renaissance. In the nineteenth century the new science of phrenology—the study of the shape of the head in order to determine an individual’s personality—helped to popularize the portrait medallion.

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