FRANCE, Royal. Henri IV le Grand (the Great), 1589–1610. Medal 1601 (Silver, 35 mm, 13.00 g, 12 h), on the birth of the heir to the throne and later king, Louis XIII. Grenoble. DEDIT•HOC•PATRIS•INSITA•VIRTVS / •1601• Thetis kneeling to the left, plunging Achilles headfirst in the Styx. Rev. FAVST•DELPHINI•NAT•DELPHINATES / •1601• Crowned dolphin encircling three small dolphins interwined. Cf. De Viry 75 (in gold). Roman p. 138. Extremely rare and with beautiful iridescent toning. Light scratches, otherwise, very fine.


This exceptionally rare medal symbolizes the profound relief of the French royal couple, Henry IV and Maria de’ Medici, at the birth of their son and heir, Louis Dauphin—later King Louis XIII—on 27 September 1601. His arrival ensured the continuation of the newly established Bourbon dynasty in France.

Only a very limited number of examples of this medal are known to exist in gold, silver, and copper, suggesting it was never minted in large quantities as a mass-distributed jeton. This exclusivity is underscored by its inclusion in the prestigious collection of the Dukes of Württemberg (Kunstkammer der Herzöge von Württemberg), where it was cataloged in Stuttgart in 1710 and remains to this day (Cimeliarchium seu thesaurus numorum [...], Stuttgart 1710, p. 118). J. Roman, who prominently featured this medal on the title page of his reference catalog (Les Jetons du Dauphiné, Grenoble 1894), distinguished it from jetons based on its size and classified it as a medal.

The obverse inscription, DEDIT•HOC•PATRIS•INSITA•VIRTVS / •1601• ('The innate virtue of the father granted this'), alludes to the achievements of Henry IV, who spent a decade reclaiming his kingdom. Just as Thetis, according to legend, dipped her son Achilles into the River Styx to render him invincible, the queen here symbolically immerses her firstborn in the illustrious legacy of his father.