Botticelli Virgin and Child

This 18-karat yellow gold christening medal is a Virgin and Child inspired by Botticelli: Mary lowers her eyes towards her son, who looks at her and reaches his hand towards her face.

A Virgin and Child beneath two beaded halos

What strikes first are the two halos, ringed with finely engraved beads, which intersect above the faces. Mary, a veil held on her forehead and covering her hair, tilts her head, her eyes lowered towards her son; the Child, seated against her, raises his gaze and places his hand on her neck. All of Botticelli is in this exchange of glances, the mother's downwards, the child's upwards, which cross without quite meeting: 15th-century Florence invented this way of painting maternal love with a touch of gravity, as if Mary already knew. Our sculptor has preserved this nuance in the relief, and it is this that gives the medal its depth.

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

Like all our gold medals, this Virgin and Child is made by stamping: the 750/1000 gold blank is struck under an engraved die, for a crisp and lasting relief, then given a satin finish. The gold weight is 2.30 g in 16 mm, 2.90 g in 18 mm and 4.40 g in 20 mm. Made in France.

Diameter, engraving and variations

The 16 mm is the christening size; the 18 mm, the classic size; the 20 mm suits a communion or everyday wear. The smooth reverse takes an engraving, first name and date, carried out in the workshop with the engraving package. The same Botticelli Virgin and Child is available in gold and mother-of-pearl, to be worn on an 18-karat yellow gold trace chain.