A Souvenir Of The First Winter Olympics
This bronze medal, designed by Raoul Bérnard, is a rare survivor from the 1924 Winter Olympics at Chamonix, it comes for sale in our Fine Interiors Auction on Tuesday 3 & Wednesday 4 December.
This bronze medal, designed by Raoul Bérnard, is a rare survivor from the 1924 Winter Olympics at Chamonix. The winter games held between 25 January and 5 February, 1924 were organised by the French Olympic Committee and originally described as the International Winter Sports Week. However, two years later it was designated by the IOC as the first ever winter olympiad.
Bernard’s 5.5cm design depicts a competitor holding skates aloft in his right hand and with skis in the left. The reverse has a 14-line inscription detailing ‘La Célébration de la VIIIe Olympiade’.
As a total of 258 athletes from 16 countries competed in 16 events in the 1924 games, this medal is a rarity. It comes for sale in its original red fitted case from a vendor who inherited it from his father. At Sworders on 3 December the estimate is £7,000-9,000.
Recent News
Beyond the Frame
We are delighted to share our Old Master, British & European Art department's recent successes, including a focus on women artists and rediscoveries.
22 July 2026
Tastemakers: Modern and Contemporary Art & Design
This November, Sworders is pleased to present Tastemakers: Modern and Contemporary Art & Design, a landmark auction dedicated to the artists, designers, makers, collectors and patrons who have shaped visual culture throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
22 July 2026
Why Do We Collect Art?
On Thursday 11 June we were thrilled to host a talk given by the incomparable Rufus Bird, staged at our London Gallery in Cecil Court.
3 July 2026