France – Insurance Company – Octagonal Silver Medal by Barre – 1830 – 19.4 Grams – 36.28 mm – Interesting octagonal silver medal commissioned by the Compagnie Royale D’Assurances (Royal Insurance Company) founded in 1817. Created by French medalist and sculptor Jean Jacques Barre (1793-1855) who apprenticed to Thiolier at the age of seventeen and made such rapid progress that scarcely a year elapsed without some of his work appearing at the annual Fine Art Exhibitions at Paris. From 1842 until his death in 1855 he was Graveur General des Medailles (Chief Engraver of Medals) at the Paris Mint. This is just one of many beautiful medals I acquired on a recent trip to a coin show in Verona, Italy.