Bronze Medal Of François-joseph Marteau C.1744 Statue Of Louis XV In Rennes By Lemoyne

MARTEAU, François Joseph. Medal celebrating the erection of the statue of Louis XV in Rennes. Bronze. Diameter: 62 mm. Thickness: 6 mm. Obverse: representation of the monument. The king is dressed as an ancient warrior and is flanked by two allegorical figures: Brittany and Health. Signed "fm" at the bottom right. Inscription on the reverse: "Ludovico XV Regi Christianissimo, Redivivo et Triumphanti, Hoc amoris pignus, et salutis publicæ monumentum Comitia Armorica posuere, Anno M.DCC.XLIV." [To the Most Christian King Louis XV, healed and triumphant, the Estates of Brittany erected this token of love and this monument of public safety, in the year 1744]. In 1743, the Estates of Brittany decided to erect a statue in honor of King Louis XV in Rennes. The monument was erected by the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and inaugurated in 1754. It stood in what is now the Place de la Mairie (Town Hall Square), in the niche of the Clock Tower. In 1793, the Legislative Assembly decided to replace it with a monument commemorating the union of Brittany with France. The statue of Louis XV was subsequently melted down. Ref. EB-1875