Franz Liszt, Medallion By Antoine Bovy 1840

Franz Liszt – copper medallion by Antoine Bovy (1795–1877)
Circa 1840
In a Napoleon III period gilt wood and stucco frame.
Frame dimensions: 20x20 cm

pThis medallion depicts the composer Franz Liszt (1811–1886) in profile, with an inspired face and long hair swept back, in typical 1840s iconography. By 1840 Liszt was already idolized throughout Europe and was asked for permission to kiss his fingers at the end of his concerts.
This is a model executed by Antoine Bovy, a famous Swiss medalist and sculptor trained in Paris in the studio of David d'Angers, with whom he shared a taste for portraits that were both idealized and strikingly true to life. These profiles of musicians, writers or scholars were collected as true cultural icons.

The wooden and gilded stucco frame, richly decorated with volutes, pearls and foliage, is typical of the Second Empire style: it highlights the contrast between the copper and the brilliant gilding, thus emphasizing the intimate and prestigious character of the work.
Antoine Bovy created several medallions and medals of Liszt, which were distributed in different materials (bronze, plaster, biscuit, terracotta). Our period framed copy is in a very good condition and has a beautiful patina. On the back, a period label provides information on this precious object, which came from London in 1875.

References: – Bénézit, Dictionnaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs, t. II, Paris, Gründ.
– Musée d'Orsay, inv. OAO 1046: medal of Franz Liszt by Antoine Bovy.
– See also the bronze copies kept at the British Museum and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.