Generaal Lafayette, verdediger van de Amerikaanse en Franse vrijheid 1824

This bronze medal of General Lafayette, defender of the American and French liberty, was created by François Augustin Caunois, who was born in 1787. The medal commemorates Lafayette's involvement in both the American and French Revolutions, two significant historical events that championed liberty and self-determination. The medal frames Lafayette as a key figure in the fight against tyranny, which was a potent narrative during a period marked by revolutionary fervor and shifting social structures. We see, on one side, a classical portrait of Lafayette, while the reverse commemorates the dates most associated with his participation in the struggle for liberty. Yet, we might also consider how Lafayette’s role intersects with issues of class and privilege; as a nobleman, his support for revolution involved a negotiation of his own position within the existing social hierarchy. The medal, in its commemoration, invites reflection on who gets remembered as a hero in the narratives of revolution. It serves as a reminder of the complexities inherent in historical narratives of freedom and the figures who shape them.