The article discussesthe project aboutthemedals of Francesco Algarotti. In his «Essay on Russian History in Medals», Algarotti proposed to perpetuate important events in the history of Russia in medals, thus noting the periods of the reign of Peter I, Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth Petrovna, Catherine II. The author of the article comes to the conclusion that Algarotti’s essay contributed to the creation of an objective image of Russia in the eyes of the enlightened part of Europeans and strengthened the prestige of Russia as a power.