Auction Catalogue

16 July 1997

Starting at 1:00 PM

.

Ancient Coins & Artefacts, World Coins, Numismatic Books, Historical Medals and Banknotes

The Arts Club  40 Dover St  London  W1S 4NP

Lot

№ 697

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16 July 1997

Hammer Price:
£280

France, 17th cent. France. Priapes et Nymphes, a uniface cast bronze medal signed DUPRÉ.F., two nymphs adorning a statue of Priapus, 66mm (cf. Coll. G. Gallet [Paris, 1924], pl.xxx, 235; BDM –). Good very fine, a detailed and attractive work, extremely rare (£350-450)

The artist is presumably Guillaume Dupré (1574-1647), rather than his son, Abraham, whose work is generally much inferior. Priapus, the god of fertility and son of Aphrodite and Dionysus, was traditionally portrayed as a grotesque little man with a huge penis