Design for a Medal Commemorating the Treaty of Paris, 1814 1809 - 1819

Editor: So, this is Jacques Edouard Gatteaux's "Design for a Medal Commemorating the Treaty of Paris, 1814," made sometime between 1809 and 1819. It looks like an engraving or print. The whole composition is very stiff and formal. What strikes you about it? Curator: The stiff formality is deliberate. We must remember this wasn't just about aesthetics. Gatteaux’s design embodies a very specific political project. Look at the inscription above the figures: "IMPERII LEGITIMI FOEDERE SANCTA," or "Sacred by the treaty of legitimate authority." How does that phrase sit with you, given what you know about the period after the Napoleonic Wars? Editor: It sounds like a statement justifying the restoration of monarchies…almost like a divine right claim? Curator: Precisely! It is not a neutral recording of history but an active assertion of legitimacy. The act of the treaty is sanctified. How might we unpack the loaded term 'legitimate,' considering the social upheavals caused by the French Revolution and Napoleon's rise and fall? This medal becomes a piece of propaganda. Editor: That makes a lot of sense. I was initially focused on the neoclassical style, but you are right to question its intended audience and political messaging, which reframes the work as less objective and more... forceful. Curator: Exactly. Consider also who is *not* represented. Are the voices of the people included? Editor: No, only the ruling class. The historical context helps to expose how exclusionary the message is, despite its emphasis on peace and unity between empires. Thanks. Curator: And it reminds us that art isn’t always created in a vacuum, but often in response to very real power struggles.