This medal evokes the production of Alceste, a musical tragedy decorated with ballet entrances, in the marble courtyard of the Palace on 4 July 1674, during the first days of the Divertissements de Versailles organised to celebrate the re-conquest of Franche-Comté. It was inspired by an engraving by Jean Lepautre produced in 1676.

For the production of Lully’s Alceste, Vigarani had laid out the Marble Courtyard for the occasion by covering it with vast flooring. The stage was decorated with boxes of orange trees and porcelain vases (containing small orange trees). Forty crystal girandoles and three chandeliers rounded out the lighting on the façades. After the production, the court went back into the Palace where a supper awaited them in the Grand Apartments, which had been completed a few months earlier.

Material: Gilded bronze or silvered bronze
Diameter: 70 mm