The Master of the Medal In the grand tapestry of French history, few artisans captured the spirit of an era with as much precision and permanence as Jean-Bertrand Andrieu. A master engraver of medals, Andrieu emerged from Bordeaux to become a pivotal figure in the Neoclassical landscape. His life and work were inextricably linked to the shifting tides of France, particularly during the Napoleonic regime, where his ability to translate monumental historical moments into the intimate medium of bronze and gold became unparalleled. Often regarded as a restorer of an art form that had seen declin…