(sold for $155.0)

Mint Place: Paris Medallist: Du Vivier References: Divo 77.var. Condition: Certified and graded by PCGS as SP-63! Denomination: Medal - Birth of the Dauphin Louis (the Son of the King)on 4th September, 1729. Mint Year: dated 1722 (re-struck with the original dies after 1880 (possibly during 1819), which is marked by the cornucopia privy mark on it´s edge!) Diameter: 30mm Material: Silver

Obverse: Crowned and draped bust of Louis XV right. Medallist´s cypher (DU VIVIER) inside arm truncation. Legend: LUD .  XV . REX - CHRISTIANISSIMUS Reverse: Satnding togate Queen of France (Marie Leszczyńska), holding the new-born twins (Marie Louise Élisabeth of France and  Anne Henriette de France) in her arms. Legend: FECUNDITAS AUG . Exergue: GEMELLAE REGIAE / NATAE XIV . AUGUSTI . / M . DCC . XXVII .

Jean Duvivier (1687 – 30 April 1761) was a French medallist, who was appointed official medallist to King Louis XV of France. Jean Duvivier was born in 1687 in Liège. He moved to Paris in 1710. In 1719 he was chosen by Louis XV as his official medallist, succeeding Jean Mauger (1648-1722). He was extremely prolific and engraved more than four hundred dies. He was made a member of the Academy. He died on 30 April 1761 in Paris. Jean Duvivier married Marie-Louise Vignon, who died on 28 September 1752. Their sons included Pierre-Louis-Isaac (baptized 23 May 1727), Pierre-Simon-Benjamin (baptized 5 November 1730) and Thomas-Germain-Joseph (baptized 31 August 1735). Duvivier's son Benjamin was also a graveur du roi (King's Engraver) and member of the Academy. Pierre-Simon-Benjamin Duvivier (1728-1819) may have had more talent than his father. His daughter Jeanne-Louise-Françoise Duvivier married the engraver Jacques-Nicolas Tardieu and is on record as having made several engravings herself.

em>.

Louis XV (Versailles, 15 February 1710 – Versailles, 10 May 1774) ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1 September 1715 until his death on 10 May 1774. Coming to the throne at the age of five, Louis reigned until 15 February 1723, the date of his thirteenth birthday, with the aid of the Régent, Philippe, duc d'Orléans, his great-uncle, thereafter taking formal personal control of government.

Unexpectedly surviving the death of most of the royal family, he enjoyed a favourable reputation at the beginning of his reign and earned the epithet "le Bien-Aimé" ("the Beloved"). However, in time, his lack of morals, general inability to effectively reform France and the Monarchy, and the perceived failings of his foreign policy lost him the affection of his people, and he ended his life amongst the most unpopular kings of France.

While historians have traditionally treated Louis XV harshly, more recent research has suggested that he was in fact very intelligent and dedicated to the task of ruling the largest state in Europe, bar Russia. His nagging indecision, fueled by his awareness of the complexity of problems ahead, as well as his profound timidity, hidden behind the mask of an imperious king, may account for the poor results achieved during his reign. In many ways, Louis XV prefigures the "bourgeois rulers" of the romantic 19th century. While dutifully playing the role of the mighty king carved out by his predecessor and great-grandfather, Louis XIV, Louis XV in fact cherished nothing more than his private life far away from the pomp and ceremony of Court. Having lost his mother while still little more than an infant, he longed for a reassuring and motherly presence, which he tried to find in the intimate company of women, something for which he was much criticized both during and after his life.

Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (Polish: [ˈmarja lɛʂˈtʂɨj̃ska]; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska (French: [maʁi lɛɡzɛ̃ska]), was a Polish princess and Queen consort of France from 1725 until 1768 by marriage to Louis XV. The daughter of King Stanislaus I of Poland and Catherine Opalińska, her 42-year service was the longest of any queen in French history. A devout Roman Catholic throughout her life, Marie was popular among the French people for her generosity and introduced many Polish customs to the royal court at Versailles. She was the grandmother of Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X of France.

Only 1$ shipping for each additional item purchased!