Bronze. 54.5mm x 70mm. 157.7 grams. Edge stamped 1978 BRONZE with a cornucopia mintmark. The obverse features a left-facing portrait of Louis Hebert Lyautey with MARÉCHAL LYAUTEY in the exergue and ALGÉRIE / INDOCHINE / MADAGASCAR / SUD-ORANAIS / MOULOUYA / MAROC / FRANCE / 1916- / 1917 in the field behind. The reverse shows a view of the exposition buildings with EXPOSITION / COLONIALE above and PARIS / 1931 below. Raymond Delamarre’s monogram appears in the lower-right corner.

Maréchael Lyautey served as the Director of the 1931 Exposition Coloniale, having previously overseen the protectorate of Morocco for 13 years. According to Peter van Alfen, Lyautey’s goal as director “was to insist on authenticity and accuracy in the presentation of the colonies; all architecture, imported natives, crafts, performances, food, and the like had to be an accurate reflection of that found abroad. … The purpose of the 1931 Exposition Coloniale, Lyautey insisted, was the serious, scientific mission of instruction and education.”