Creator Biography
Georges-Henri Prud’homme was a French medallist born in Cap-Breton, France in 1873. Prud’homme was a student of Alexandre Falguière and Alpheé Dubois (2015.153, https://digital.kenyon.edu/arthistorystudycollection/151/) at the Ecole des Beaux-Art in Paris, where he created many plaquettes and portraits. One of his more substantial sets of work are his series of medals depicting traditional costumes found throughout the different provinces of France.
Preview
Creation Date
1919
Geography
Alsace, France
Culture
French
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
Dimensions: 2.6 × 2.0 × 0.1 in. (6.7 × 5.0 × 0.4 cm)
Weight: 4.7 oz (133.5 g)
Credit Line
Gift in Loving Memory of Boris Blick & Judith Rosenbloom Blick by their daughter Sarah Blick, 2024
Accession Number
2015.229
Condition
This medal is in relatively good condition despite some minor scratches and signs of oxidation. (April 2025)
Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings
Obverse:
ALSACE
G. PRUD’HOMME 1919.
Edge:
BRONZE
References
Museum, Victoria and Albert. “Alsace: Prud’homme, Georges-Henri: V&A Explore the Collections.” Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. Accessed April 25, 2025. https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O313432/alsace-medal-prudhomme-georges-henri/.
Description
The obverse of this plaquette depicts a portrait of a woman facing the left, and she wears drapery with a bow over her head. The top left corner of the medal says, “Alsace” in relief. At the base of the woman’s portrait, the creator of the medal, Georges-Henri Prud’homme, is identified through his inscribed signature.
On the reverse of the plaquette depicts an image of the top half of buildings found in the region of Alsace. In the background on the left, there is a church steeple, and the foreground shows the roof of a possible home. Sitting on the chimney of the roof is a bird’s nest with two storks. The bottom ⅓ of the plaquette includes a blank rectangle surrounded by vines and flowers, and this empty space likely would have been engraved with the receiver or owner’s name.