103700 | FRANCE & EGYPT. Napoléon Bonaparte/Conquest of Egypt bronze Medal.

103700  |  FRANCE & EGYPT. Napoléon Bonaparte/Conquest of Egypt bronze Medal. Dated 1798 (but issued 1808) for his role as General of the Army of the Orient (40mm, 29.86 g, 12h). By Julien-Marie Jouannin, Nicolas-Guy-Antoine Brenet & Dominique-Vivant Denon at the Paris mint.

 

Bust facing slightly left, with crown of lotus flowers above in a halo-like fashion // Napoléon, dressed as a Roman emperor, driving biga left pulled by two dromedaries; to left, the column of Pompey and the obelisk of Cleopatra; above, Victory flying right; in two lines in exergue, L'EGYPTE CONQUISE / MDCCXCVIII. Edge: Plain, though an old collector's number 96/34 is noted in black ink.

 

Hennin 879; Ionnikoff 4; Julius 661-2; d'Essling 766; Zeitz 10; Alexander 16; Fonrobert 5078; Ruedas, Moyen Orient, 11. Choice Mint State. Glossy chocolate brown surfaces, with alluring brilliance among the fields. A rarer type that serves as one of the initial medals (though attributed to 1808 by Alexander) in what would be a rather expansive series propagandizing the exploits of Napoléon. Here, he is rather uncharacteristically presented in a nearly-facing manner, rather than the typical right-facing profile head that graces most of the medals in the series. Compare to a similar example, graded PCGS SP-64—though seemingly slightly inferior to the present piece, which realized a total of $561.20 in Heritage 61614 (28 April 2026), lot 21037.

 

An intriguing type that features a unique portrait style within the series of Napoleonic medals, the medal features a date (1798) that foreshadows Egypt's conquest, as upper Egypt would not be fully conquered until the following year. While references such as Hennin and Ionnikoff cite the listed year as the year of its manufacture, a later date, such as the 1808 date proposed by Alexander, must be the case, as Denon himself was with Napoléon during the Egypt campaign, and was only appointed director of the Louvre upon the campaign's conclusion. This medal would serve as the first, at least with respect to listed date, which would bear the DENON D (Denon, director) stamp that would grace many others within the series. Alexander also notes that most known examples all feature the same die rust pattern filling a portion of space between the top of Napoléon's head and the central area of the "floating" lotus wreath above—an aspect that can be seen on this piece.

 

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Upload: 1 September 2026.