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Paire de Médaillons de Dévotion — Christ & Vierge Marie, Napoléon III

French, c. 1855–1875

A matched pair of French Napoléon III devotional medallions — Christ and the Virgin Mary — modelled in relief in blanc de Meudon (fine chalk-gypsum), hand-finished, and sealed beneath bombé (deep convex) glass in warm brass bezels. Objects of this kind were produced in vast numbers by the Saint-Sulpice ateliers between roughly 1852 and 1875, sold at pilgrimage sites and religious retreats across France, and hung above bedsteads or in quiet corners of the parlour. Both examples in honest, unrestored condition: the domed glass intact on each, the modelling still crisp on the faces and drapery, the brass rims mellowed to a warm gold. A quietly beautiful devotional pair, small enough to hang in an alcove yet full of atelier character.