Trial Strike & Finished Medal Different. 1819

[constanius]

Jean Victor Marie Moreau was born at Morlaix in Brittany on February 14, 1763.

 

The Battle of Tourcoing (1794) established General Moreau's military fame

 

Early in 1804 police uncovered a plot by émigré Royalists to kidnap or murder Napoleon and said that General Moreau was involved. Out of deference to Ney, Napoleon commuted Moreau's sentence to banishment and Moreau was shipped off to the United States. Many people believed Moreau was innocent, and there was some concern that there could be an uprising in support of the General if he was going to be executed. Napoleon, who had pressured the judges to find him guilty in the first place, found by sending him into exile he got rid of a possible dangerous opponent, one who had voiced concerns about Napoleon's ambitions.

 

Once General Victor Moreau was exiled to America , Napoleon had himself declared Empeoror.

 

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, he was briefly considered as commander of the American forces, but then news came of the destruction of the Grande Armée in Russia. Then, probably at the instigation of his wife, he committed the last and least excusable of the series of well-meant political errors that marked his career. Negotiations were set on foot with an old friend in the circle of republican intriguers, Bernadotte, who, being now crown prince of Sweden and at the head of an army opposing Napoleon, introduced Moreau to the tsar Alexander I of Russia. In the hope of returning to France to re-establish the régime of popular government, Moreau gave advice to the allied sovereigns as to the conduct of the war, but fortunately for his fame as a patriot he did not live to invade France. He was mortally wounded while talking to the tsar at the battle of Dresden on August 27, 1813, and died on September 2 in Laun

 

This is a trial strike of mine and the picture to the side is the struck medal (unfortunately not mine) from the SERIES NUMISMATICA UNIVERSALIS VIRORUM ILLUSTRIUM - MDCCC.XIX. DURAND EDIDIT. Trial strike Tin 40mm by Caunois.--------------The struck medal is from an alternate die: No Stop after Moreau.

 

On the finished medal, Caunois the engaver signs below the bust, but obviously had intended to sign on the bust as shown below. Note also the hair has not yet been fully detailed.

 

[frank]

Excellent stuff -- Thanks!

[grivna1726]

Note also the hair has not yet been fully detailed.

On the medal, the portrait appears slightly larger, the features softened and he appears younger. The bridge of the nose looks straighter.

 

My guess is that the trial strike is closer to reality and, on the medal, the portrait has been somewhat idealized.

[Ian]

There are indeed subtle differences between the two obverse dies.

 

Is the tin example uniface?

[constanius]

There are indeed subtle differences between the two obverse dies.

 

Is the tin example uniface?

 

 

The Die is unifaced and, among many other changes, the nose has been made more attractive. An early form of plastic surgery or photo retouching? I guess we all like to look our best, if not even better.

 

Thanks for your posts, I find trial strikes fascinating as they are unique objects, I hope others share my interest in them, I know Ian does.