Historical and Art Medals

France, 1925. France. Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, Paris, an octagonal bronze Art Deco medal by P. Turin, semi-naked female sat on a cloud, dispensing roses from a basket, reverse legend, 72mm (Classens 128; Arethuse 11, 1926, p1. xiii; Baudey/Bricher no. 125). One of the most famous Art Deco medals, about extremely fine; in original buff case inscribed "Cartonnages fins M. Flament

The term Art Deco was first coined at the 1925 Paris exhibition which this medal commemorates. After the expressive and sometimes complex designs typical of the Art Nouveau period, followers of the new Art Deco style favoured straight, severe lines, an apparent classical restraint, and a preference for the octagonal or rectangular, rather than the round or oval format. Pierre Turin (1891-1968)