1674 France Louis XIV AE Damascened Medal on the Capture of Vesontio

1674 France Louis XIV AE Damascened Medal on the Capture of Vesontio, by J. Roettier. Plain edge.
LUDOVICUS MAGNUS REX CHRISTIANISSIMUS, laureate armored older bust right, signature R below || BIS LUDOVICUS CÆSAR SEMEL, winged Victory facing, holding two palms on a field of grass, VESVNTIO ITERVM CAPTA MDCLXXIV below.
69.5mm, 116.45g. Divo -.
In uncirculated condition, with gilding intact. Two hits in the obverse fields at 2 o’clock and slight areas of die rust on the obverse rims at 6:30 o’clock, otherwise a choice example with gorgeous brown toning. An extremely rare type that has never been offered publicly as a damascened example.

Expertly damascened, a famed technique popular in the Baroque era, particularly in France. The raised surfaces have been carefully gilded in gold, creating a striking and beautiful bicolor appearance. These medals are extremely rare and were used as presentation pieces in the French Court.

The Capture of Vesontio (modern day Besançon) was a major French victory during the Franco-Dutch War. A major city in Franche-Comté then held by the Spanish Habsburgs, Vesontio was crucial for the security of France’s eastern frontier and a valuable prize in a strategically significant province long desired by Louis. The siege began in late April 1674 and was led personally by Louis XIV with engineering overseen by the Marquis de Vauban. The city officially surrendered on the 15th of May, 1674, after roughly three weeks of siege. A complete conquest of the province soon followed, ultimately culminating in the formal transfer of the city from Spain to France in 1678 as outlined under the Treaty of Nijmegen. Upon French ownership, Vauban was commissioned to modernize Vesontio’s defenses and eventually transformed the city into one of France’s strongest fortresses.