1857 Self-Portrait Medallion of James Trudeau. Uniface. Cast Bronze. 183 mm. Nearly As Made.

1857 Self-Portrait Medallion of James Trudeau. Uniface. Cast Bronze. 183 mm. Nearly As Made.，Regarded by some as the first American art medal, this piece was fashioned very much in the style of French sculptor David dAngers, and was even cast at the same French foundry, Eck et Durand, that dAngers favored. Encased in a contemporary brass bezel, the medal remains in near pristine condition.<p>Born in France, James de Berty Trudeau (1817-1887) was a physician, Confederate general, and Native American linguist. He was also a founder of the New York Academy of Medicine and lived and practiced there until he realized his ties were with the South when it became apparent a conflict was unavoidable. He resettled in New Orleans and resumed his practice there before becoming an officer in the Confederate Army, eventually reaching the rank of brigadier general before the war ended. Earlier in his life he travelled with John C. Fremont on his western expeditions, lived among the Osage and other Native American groups studying their languages, and was an associate of James Audubon, who named a new species of bird after him. After the Civil War he remained in New Orleans, practicing medicine until his death in 1887. This medallion is one of several similar medallions and figurines he created featuring mostly fellow physicians, some of them satirically. His son Edward Livingston Trudeau was also a physician. A living descendant is usefully employed as a cartoonist.，Ex Dr. Marvin Reingold Collection.，