Louis XV gold "Marriage to Maria Leszczynska" Medal 1725-Dated AU Details (Rim Filing, Cleaned) NGC, HCz-2740var (R2; heavier weight), Feuardent-6011. 35mm. 20.47gm. By Norbert and Joseph-Charles Roettiers. On the marriage of Louis XV and Maria at Fontainebleau Castle. An extremely rare gold commemorative medal, seldom available on the market, and still quite appealing despite its mishandling--with aged-gold color and a light peach tone developing at the peripheries. Maria was the daughter of Stanislaw Leszczynska, a prominent Polish magnate crowned as King Stanislaw I in 1705, who contested the Polish throne against the Russian-backed August II of Saxony. The production of such celebratory medals could easily be seen as a propagandistic campaign for both monarchs, serving as a visual reminder of the bond between the two nations strengthened through marriage. This is only the fourth example of this medal in gold we've been able to locate coming to auction in recent years, and is sure to come fiercely contested by collectors of Polish and French medals alike.

HID09801242017

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