These badges are part of a collection of several thousand objects that Arthur Forgeais collected in the mid-19th century during dredging operations on the Seine at the quays of the Île de la Cité. Their discovery was the result of the votive gesture their owners made from the late 14th to the 16th century.
Such badges, most often attestations to pilgrimage, have been discovered in rivers or streams in several cities, but the collection from Paris is exceptional for its volume and variety.
Alongside souvenirs from pilgrimages, political badges were also found, that were issued in particular in Paris following the uprising of Etienne Marcel (1358) or, at the beginning of the 15th century, in the context of rivalry between the Burgundians and the Armagnacs.
Some secular brooches featured sexual motifs that, rather than being merely erotic, were intended to reflect prophylactic wishes.
Another collection from the same discoveries consists of miniature objects that are toys, such as tea sets or an exceptional knight, which is one of the oldest lead soldiers known in the world.
