Louis-Oscar Roty usually known as Oscar Roty (11 June 1846 – 23 March 1911) was one of the most celebrated medallists of the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

period.

Biography

Louis-Oscar Roty was born on 11 June 1846 in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. He first studied painting and

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, working under

Lecoq de Boisbaudran Lecoq is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Karl Ludwig von Lecoq (1754–1829) of French Huguenot ancestry, first joined the army of the Electorate of Saxony, later transferred his loyalty to the Kingdom of Prussia and fought Na ...

, Augustin-Alexandre Dumont and Hubert Ponscarme, his mentor, was largely responsible for the renewal of

medallic art A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1867 he had abandoned the medal rim in his design for his medal of Naudet, the background and graphics becoming part of the sculpture. Roty, along with Champlain,

Alexandre Charpentier Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier (1856–1909) was a French sculptor, medalist, craftsman, and cabinet-maker. Life and work From working-class origins and apprenticed to an engraver as a young man, he became a studio assistant to the innov ...

, and others, influenced by the Art Nouveau movement, advanced this resurgence of art in medal design. Roty, in particular, introduced the Renaissance form of the

plaquette A plaquette (, ''small plaque'') is a small low relief sculpture in bronze or other materials. These were popular in the Italian Renaissance and later. They may be commemorative, but especially in the Renaissance and Mannerist periods were oft ...

, which further emphasized the significance of the medal as a work of art. He designed hundreds of art medals celebrated for their graceful designs. Following some difficulties early in his career, in 1882 Roty won the second prize in the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

. This success was followed by many others, including the Grand Prix de Rome in 1875 and the Grand Prix at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. He was appointed to the rank of Professor in the

Académie des Beaux-Arts An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

in 1888, and in 1897 became its president. In 1889 he became an Officer in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and rose to Commander in 1900. At the height of his career, he was awarded the Medal of Honor at the Salon in 1905. In 1878 Oscar Roty married Marie Boulanger, daughter of the

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

craftsman Pierre Boulanger. Besides a huge number of medals and plaquettes, Roty is well known as the designer of the “Semeuse” image on French silver coins and stamps. His medallic art can be found in nearly all European museums. A large number of his medals and plaquettes can be viewed in the

Kunsthalle Hamburg The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. The museum consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaa ...

and the Musée Oscar Roty in

Jargeau Jargeau () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. It lies about south of Paris. Geography The town is located in the French natural region of the Loire Valley, the former province of Orleans and the urban area of Orlea ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Dr. George F. Kunz wrote about his contributions to the Medallic Arts.Kunz, George F. “Louis Oscar Roty: His Life Work and His Influence on the Past and Future of Medallic Art.” American Numismatic Journal. Volume 45, pages 153-156. October 1911. Also: (In extended form) Ibid, volume 47, January 1912, pages 93-119, with 5 plates; Press abstract with the title “Roty who Made Medals” The Evening Post. May 20, 1911. “Delivered also before the American Numismatic Society.”

Gallery

Mines de Lens Roty.JPG,

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

Mining Company Patria non immemor avers Roty.JPG, Patria 25th anniversary of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...

John Pope Hennessy medal.JPG, Sire

John Pope Hennessy Sir John Pope Hennessy (; 8 August 1834 – 7 October 1891), was an Irish and British politician and colonial administrator who served as the eighth Governor of Hong Kong and the fifteenth Governor of Mauritius. Early life John Pope Henness ...

Panama canal médaille Roty.JPG, Piercing of the

isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

Pierre Boulanger ferronnier.jpg, Pierre Boulanger Compagnie de l'Est algérien Alger-Constantine médaille Roty.JPG, Medal of the Eastern Algeria Rail Transport Semeuse croix-rouge neuf.jpg, ''La Semeuse'' (the sower) on a French postage stamp of 1918 Semeuse O.Roty Charlotte Ragot.jpg, Charlotte Ragot, model from Oscar Roty for his ''La Semeuse''

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roty, Oscar French medallists 1846 births 1911 deaths Art Nouveau medallists 20th-century French sculptors 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists