100642 | 100642 | FRANCE. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres bronze Medal.

100642 | FRANCE. Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres bronze Medal. Issued 1861. Architectural series: The Cathedral in Chartres (59mm, 83.62 g, 12h). By J. Wiener in Brussels.

 

CATHEDRALE DE CHARTRES, perspective frontal view of the cathedral / Ornate perspective interior view of the gallery; in two lines in exergue, COMMENCÉE VERS 1040 / INAUGURÉE 1260. Edge: Plain.

 

Van Hoydonck 184. Gem Mint State. Glossy chocolate brown surfaces, with some underlying luster. Charming architectural type. Compare to a similar example in Stack's Coin Galleries 18 August 2009 auction, lot 6141 (which realized a hammer of $500 [plus buyer's fee]).

 

The all-too-familiar concept of cathedral damage or destruction through fire is tied to the history of Chartres, as at least five holy buildings have stood on its grounds dating back to the 9th century, all but its present form having fallen due to war or fire. The current edifice saw its groundbreaking in the 12th century, with completion coming the following century. Lightning destroyed the north spire in 1506, and an inferno destroyed the old lead-covered roof in 1836, causing a rebuild in copper clad supported by cast iron. The cathedral is commonly viewed as a masterpiece and a high point in French Gothic art and architecture.

 

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