Medal "Institut De France Academie Des Sciences Passage De Venus Sur Le Soleil 8-9 Decembre 1874"

item details

NameMedal "Institut De France Academie Des Sciences Passage De Venus Sur Le Soleil 8-9 Decembre 1874"

ProductionAlphee Dubois; engraver; circa 1874; France

Classificationmedals

Materialscopper, cardboard

Materials Summarystruck gilded copper

Techniquesmetalworking, striking, engraving, gilding

DimensionsOverall: 68mm (width), 5mm (height), 68mm (depth), 68mm (diameter)

Registration NumberGH011804

Credit lineAcquisition details/history unknown. Found in collection, 2008

Overview

This medal was created to commemorate the French expeditions to observe the transit of Venus across the sun in 1874. The French Institute sent expeditions to Campbell Island, Saint Paul Island, Noumea, Nagasaki, Peking, and Saigon. It was designed by Alphee Dubois (1831-1905), a French painter, stamp designer and celebrated medallist.

The Transit of Venus

Transits of Venus generally occur in a 243-year cycle. In 1639, the transit allowed scientists to estimate the distance from the earth to the sun more accurately than ever before. The 1874 transit allowed scientists to refine this measurement even further.

Classical symbolism

The medal uses Classical mythology to represent the transit. Apollo, god of the sun, is depicted in his chariot, while the goddess Venus flies beside him. Urania, the Greek muse of astronomy, observes them from below. The inscription is a Latin motto which reads “QVO DISTENT SPATIO SIDERA IVNCTA DOCENT.” This translates to “By their meeting, the stars reveal the distance which separates them.”