Medal of the Civil Hospitals of the City of Lyons
Jean Louis Michel Schmitt (Geneva 1807 - Lyons 1890)
Category
Coins and medals
Date
1845 (model)
Materials
Metal
Measurements
5 mm (Height); 557 mm (Diameter)
Place of origin
Paris
Order this imageCollection
Ickworth, Suffolk
NT 849228
Summary
Medal, silver; the silver medal of the civic hospitals of the city of Lyons; Jean Louis Michel Schmitt (1807-1890); Paris, 1845 or later. The medal was produced for the Civil Hospitals of the French city of Lyons. It features portraits of the Frankish king Childebert I (c. 496-558) and his wife Ultragotha (497- after 561), who founded the hospitals in 542. First made in 1845, the medal was presented to people who had made a significant contribution to the life of the hospitals, or else to distinguished visitors. This example was given to the ‘Marquess of Bristol’ – as the medal was distributed over a long period, this could have been any from the first to the third marquesses.
Full description
A silver medal issued by the civil hospitals of the city of Lyons. The obverse has conjoined profile portraits, facing left, of the Frankish king Childebert I (c. 496-558) and his wife Ultragotha (497- after 561). Artist’s signature on the truncation and legend around edge. The reverse with the coat-of-arms of the civil hospitals of Lyons, with rampant lions, the Pietà from the chapel of the Grand Hôtel-Dieu in Lyons, and a figure of Charity with children. On the edge is a stamped cornucopia for the Paris Mint and the word ‘Argent’ [silver’], as well as an engraved inscription recording the gift of the medal to the Marquess of Bristol. The medal was created in 1845 by the Civic Hospitals of the city. It has into modern times been presented to distinguished visitors, or to those who have made a contribution to the life and work of the hospitals. The main hospital was until 2007 housed in the Hôtel-Dieu, one of the most magnificent historic buildings in the city. Medieval in its origins, the Hôtel-Dieu was originally a meeting place for the clergy, but became a hospital in the mid-fifteenth century. It was entirely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries to form today’s enormous building situated on the banks of the Rhône river. The medal features portraits of Childebert I and Ultragotha, in recognition of their foundation of the first hospital in the city, in 542 A.D. The maker of the medal, Jean Louis Michel Schmitt, was born in Geneva but studied at the school of fine arts in Lyons and ended up staying in the city for the rest of his life. He was a drawing master in Lyons for 22 years and from 1870 Professor and Librarian at the School of Fine Arts. In the course of his career Schmitt made many medals celebrating anniversaries and events in his adopted home city. Jeremy Warren November 2025
Provenance
Part of the Bristol Collection. Acquired by the National Trust in 1956 under the auspices of the National Land Fund, later the National Heritage Memorial Fund
Marks and inscriptions
Obverse legend: CHILDEBERT ET VLTRAGOTHE FONDATEVRS / DXLII [542] Artist’s signature, on truncation: L. SCHMITT F. Reverse legend: CONSEIL GÉNÉRAL D’ADMINISTRATION DES HOPITAUX CIVILES DE LYON . 1845. Engraved, on edge : OFFERTE A MONSIEUR LE COMTE DE BRISTOL PAR LE CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION / ARGENT
Makers and roles
Jean Louis Michel Schmitt (Geneva 1807 - Lyons 1890), medallist