128 - FRANCE — Blessing of the Imperial Prince by Pope Pius IX, 1860, by Alphée Dubois (1831–1905).

FRANCE — Blessing of the Imperial Prince by Pope Pius IX, 1860, by Alphée Dubois (1831–1905). Obverse: “EMPRESS EUGENIE / EMPEROR NAPOLEON III.” Side-by-side busts on the left: Napoleon III in the foreground, with a laurel wreath, a goatee, and a mustache; and Empress Eugénie in the background, wearing a tiara and a pearl necklace. Signed: ALPHÉE DUBOIS. Reverse: “DEO · CRESCAT · ET · PATRIAE,” with the exergue: “ALPHÉE DUBOIS ROME MDCCCLX.” Pope Pius IX, wearing the papal tiara and his vestments, seated on the left on the cathedra, blesses with his right hand the naked imperial prince, who is supported by a standing woman draped in an antique-style cloak. At the base of the tribune is a shield bearing the papal coat of arms of Pius IX, surmounted by the crossed keys and the tiara. Material: Bronze. Diameter: 70 mm.