Paul Gregoire - Europa VPK

Grégoire, Bronner's student and later teacher at the Rijksakademie, is invariably referred to as intellectual by his students. His medal The House of Europe exudes a symbolism that is difficult to fathom; it is clear that a thinker has been at work here. A bird is enclosed by the facades of the buildings of the different nations, which fill the medal surface like a five-pointed star rotating to the left. The Gallic rooster, the German eagle, the lion for the Netherlands and Belgium, the Italian fox, and the English bulldog are threatened by danger, this is symbolized by dragons. The reverse shows 'Europe' in the form of a woman protecting her child. Symbols of science and art help her against the threat from outside. These are summarized in a temple pediment, the owl of wisdom, the lyre of Orpheus and the vine of the good life. This gives the spirit in the form of a bird its free flight to the light and the sun. The bird flies away from the loosely placed curtain that acts as a banderole. De Geuzen Medal writes: 'It is a medal that, through its theme, tries to propagate the difficulties of our time and wants to testify to an optimism that higher values of life, in which we, however, lack religion, ultimately win the victory in unity'. Grégoire was an extremely sensitive modeller, which is evident from the many details. He liked to work in negatives and he was a great die-cutter; the examples abound on his medal. However, the multitude of complicated symbols and motifs that this design carries in its entirety leaves the viewer confused.