Josuë Dupon

JOSUË DUPON (Ichtegem, Belgium, 1864 – Antwerp, Belgium, 1935).
“L’effort,” ca. 1925.
Commemorative medal in gilded bronze.
Signed: JOSUË DUPON.
Measurements: 53.5 cm (diameter).
Commemorative medal made of gilded bronze, the work of the Belgian sculptor and medalist Dupon. The medal is thematically related to Dupon’s commemorative body of work, which spanned monumental sculpture as well as the arts of relief and medal making. In this regard, the existence of a medallion titled *L’Effort*—documented in the Brussels cultural heritage inventory and created in 1935 for the city’s Universal and International Exposition—is particularly significant.
Josuë Dupon was a Belgian sculptor and engraver of Flemish origin. He enjoyed great success thanks to his realistic animal sculptures, as evidenced by the two bronze sculptural groups that today crown the entrance to the Antwerp Zoo. His reputation was such that he became part of the select group of sculptors authorized by Leopold II to work with ivory imported from the Congo, a Belgian colony. Although early in his career he was more influenced by the academic ideals of the 19th century, with the arrival of the new century his compositions changed, becoming increasingly modern. It is possible that Rembrandt Bugatti was partly responsible for this change; he met Bugatti in Paris and invited him to his home in Antwerp so that he could visit the zoo in the Belgian capital and study the species found there—after all, it was considered the best zoo in the world. In addition to animals, busts, and public monuments, he also created numerous commemorative medals; in fact, he posthumously won a bronze medal at the 1936 Olympic Games in the “Sculpture” category.