Virgin and Child with the Lamb Medal

This christening medal in 18-karat yellow gold depicts the Virgin and Child with a lamb: Jesus, nestled in his mother's arms, clasps a small sleeping lamb to himself, after a painting by Bouguereau.

A Virgin and Child with the Lamb, after Bouguereau

Mary is seen in profile, a long veil laid over her hair and falling to the shoulder; she lowers her eyes towards the Child, nestled in her arms. He looks neither at his mother nor at us: his eyelids are lowered over the lamb he holds in both arms, the Agnus Dei, the animal's head resting against his chest. The scene is silent, almost a nap for three. This composition is inspired by The Virgin of the Lamb, a painting made in 1903 by William Bouguereau, master of French academic painting, who had himself conceived it in a round format; our sculptor transposed it into relief while keeping what is most tender in the canvas, the quiet contemplation of the three figures. The lamb is not a mere companion: it is the Lamb of God, the name John the Baptist gives to Jesus on the banks of the Jordan, on the day of his baptism. The link with the christening medal is therefore direct, and discreet: one may see in it only a child and his lamb, or read into it the full meaning of the sacrament. The fleece, the child's skin and the veil are treated in three distinct textures, which gives the medal a richness of relief remarkable for 18 mm.

A christening medal struck in the traditional way in 18-karat gold

Like all our gold medals, the Virgin and Child with the Lamb is produced by stamping: the 750/1000 gold blank is struck under an engraved die, for a crisp and lasting relief, then satin-finished. The gold weight is 2.95 g in 18 mm. Made in France, in our workshop.

Engraving and variations

Offered in 18 mm, the classic size of the christening medal, the one that is worn for life. The smooth reverse takes an engraving, first name and date, carried out in the workshop with the engraving package. The Virgin and Child with the Lamb is available in gold and mother-of-pearl and in solid silver, to be worn on a trace chain in 18-karat yellow gold.