1870-1871, France. THE USE OF BALLOONS DURING THE SIEGE OF PARIS. By Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier,(1856-1909). Silvered-bronze 76mm. $175. Sorry, SOLD (August, 2021) —— Charpentier was only 14 at the time of the siege of Paris. He created this design some years later. —— Alexandre-Louis-Marie Charpentier, medalist, sculptor and craftsman was born in Paris in 1856. He initially trained as a jeweler, then worked under a medallist. This led him to entering L??cole Nationale Sup?rieure des Beaux-Arts, where he studied medal engraving from 1871 ? 1876 in the studio of Hubert Ponscarme. Charpentier first exhibited at the Salon in 1877 with a portrait medallion of his mother and in 1879 exhibited ?Tireur d?Arc,? a bas-relief, which was purchased by Alexandre Dumas. He with Ponscarme, Louis-Oscar Roty and others was responsible for the resurgence of medallic art in France in the late 19th century. Charpentier died at Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1909.