Peace 1902

"Peace" by François-Joseph-Hubert Ponscarme—it's a medallion, so probably made with bronze, plaster, or some metal like that. I can imagine Ponscarme in his studio, maybe lit by gaslight, carefully carving away at the material. There's a delicacy to the relief, a softness in the rendering of the faces. What was he thinking about when he made it? I guess peace of course, right? He was probably thinking about beauty. You can feel the attention to detail, the smooth surfaces, the way light catches the forms. Medals were a big deal, a way to commemorate events or people, to spread ideas through images, like little portable sculptures. The two figures, one with a winged helmet and the other crowned with flowers, they almost seem like they're in conversation, a dialogue about what peace means, maybe about war and art, power and tranquility. Isn't that what we all want? This reminds me that we are all in an ongoing conversation, that artists build on what came before, responding to each other across time. So maybe this will inspire you.