Vrede tussen Frankrijk en Savoye 1696

This is a silver medal created by Samuel Lambelet, commemorating the peace between France and Savoy. Produced in a Europe still defined by aristocratic rule and dynastic ambitions, this medal operates as a form of political propaganda, meant to cast Louis XIV as a peacemaker. On one side we see a profile of Louis, embodying power and authority. The reverse shows a female figure, likely an allegorical representation of peace, standing amidst symbols of war and diplomacy, and reinforces the narrative of France as a benevolent force. Lambelet’s medal invites us to reflect on how power is visually constructed and disseminated. What does it mean to cast war as peace? And how do such representations shape public perception and collective memory? The medal makes us consider how symbols of peace and power operate in historical narratives.