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La Défense du Foyer

Plaquette
1915 (made)
Artist/Maker
Boisseau, Emile-André (medalists)
Place of origin
France (made)

This bronze plaquette was made by Emile-André Boisseau in France, 1915. This plaquette presents Marshal Joffre's rallying call to 'die where they stood rather than give way' in visual terms, representing a vulnerable civilian population protected from the enemy by the sheer valour of its fighting men.

Boisseau's medal dates from 1915, when French propaganda still promulgated the possibility of an early, glorious victory and before the reality of the disastrous conflict struck home to a wider public.


Object details

Category
Plaques & Plaquettes
Object type
Plaquette
TitleLa Défense du Foyer
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Bronze
Brief description
Plaquette, la Défense du Foyer, struck bronze, by Emile-André Boisseau, French, 20th century, 1915.
Physical description
Obv., a semi-naked male figure stands under an oak tree, beside a plough and agricultural implements, holding a broken sword in his right hand. On his left side crouch a woman with a baby and a dog. There are three buildings in the background, one of them ablaze. Rev., blank cartouche for inscription surmounts war trophies and laurel wreaths, set against the wall of a fortress. Below, a scroll bears the legend in two lines. Edge shows the incuse cornucopia of Paris Mint mark and BRONZE.
Dimensions
  • Height: 72.4mm
  • Width: 58mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • "HALTE LÀ!", "LA DÉFENSE DU FOYER," "ANNO 1915," "E. BOISSEAU" (obv.)
  • "SI VIS PACEM PARA BELLUM" (rev.)
Subjects depicted
Male
Oak Tree
Female
Baby
Dog
Plough
Sword
Tree
Buildings
Trophies
Laurel
Fortress
Summary
This bronze plaquette was made by Emile-André Boisseau in France, 1915. This plaquette presents Marshal Joffre's rallying call to 'die where they stood rather than give way' in visual terms, representing a vulnerable civilian population protected from the enemy by the sheer valour of its fighting men.

Boisseau's medal dates from 1915, when French propaganda still promulgated the possibility of an early, glorious victory and before the reality of the disastrous conflict struck home to a wider public.
Bibliographic references
  • Cullen, Lucy, Fisher, Wendy and Jopek, Norbert, 'One by One': European Commemorative Medals for the Great War 1914-1918, London : Victoria & Albert Museum, 1998 50
  • Vandenbrouck-Przybylski, Melanie, ' 'These should without delay be represented in our museum' Nineteenth- and twentieth-century French medals at the V&A', The Medal, No.61, Autumn 2012, pp.21-37, fig.11
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.79-1920

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O311989/la-défense-du-foyer-plaquette-boisseau-emile-andré/
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