Ludwig van Beethoven, Medaille - Bronzierte Bleimedaille von Edouard Gatteaux, Paris, 1827

In his lifetime Edouard Gatteaux was a very reputable Parisian medal artist and close friend of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867). In 1827 he created a Beethoven medal that is regarded the oldest of the more than 270 known votive medals for Ludwig van Beethoven.

Gatteaux mainly manufactured medals. In most cases, the medals are dedicated to representatives of French culture. Medals for foreign artists are by far the minority and usually depict musicians such as Haydn and Beethoven.

As a sculptor, Gatteaux followed the classicistic tradition. Thus Beethoven's profile is depicted on the medal's front side, strongly idealised and generously modelled. The back side features a lyre, representing the attribute of Apollo, the god of light, moral order and music, a symbol that had been associated with Beethoven since the first decade of the 19th century.(S.B.)