The French Marianne I: Marianne as a Representative of the French People – Part 2

Collector Coins

Marianne was hardly ever featured on the manifold French commemorative coins. Moreover, her image increasingly merged with that of the sower. Although the latter also wears the Phrygian cap as a symbol of liberty and independence, she represents the state that provides for its citizens much clearer than 19th/20th-century Marianne. In an eight-part series of 2008, a European Marianne sows stars at all times of the day, which can be read from the respective position of the sun, thus distinguishing itself from the original 1897 sower by this reference to the European community.

In recent decades, the image of Marianne has changed as quickly on coins as it has on stamps, where her image changes with every president. This can also be witnessed in town halls, for which France’s 36,000 mayors choose a new bust every few years. Since 1999, a picture of Marianne has also appeared on all official documents of the French administration. Thus, Marianne is a cult figure in many places in France, and the contents of the allegory are constantly adapting to social developments. Except for a three-part 20-euro series celebrating the Republic’s values that has been issued since 2017, her vanishing presence on the French euro commemorative coins of the past years – which often feature Europe or the sower – can also mean that the former concept of Marianne that emphasised the idea of a nation-state has lost importance in a common euro area.

France, 5th Republic. 10 euros, 2021. Announcement of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Silver. Also minted as a 250-euro gold coin and a 2-euro commemorative circulation coin. FR-2021-0075. Photo: Monnaie de Paris.

On the 2021 issue for the announcement of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Marianne presents herself again to the world, and she does so in a very dynamic way: as a runner in front of the Eiffel Tower, identified by a Phrygian cap with cockade. As a representative of the nation, she obviously wants both: represent France’s achievements and rush forward in a modern and combative way into a world that is shaped by the Olympic idea.

Conclusion

The French national allegory Marianne has been present on coins for 125 years. She originates from a time when nationalist revanchism was on the rise, i.e. when political claims for a violent retribution for military and political defeat had grown stronger after the Franco-Prussian War. At the same time, the French state appeared to be weak; the president was not yet as powerful as he is today, and cabinets changed frequently. In this situation, Marianne was invoked as a representative of a people remembering its own revolutionary power. Her image has changed constantly since then. It not only reflects fashions and artistic styles, but has always conveyed political attitudes and statements. Throughout the decades, the concept of Marianne increasingly merged with that of Liberty, the Republic, the state, the nation and the people; which is why the different concepts can hardly be separated anymore today. The imagery is often ambiguous. There is room for interpretation, and contemporary issues as well as other depictions can only tell us so much. Even in the age of the euro, the monetary history of Marianne continues and future developments may result in new coin designs with different ways to interpret them.

The subject of Marianne will also be the topic of our next article. This series will be continued soon, and Marianne will be examined as a symbol of French rule on the money of French colonies and overseas territories.

This text is mainly a translation of a contribution published in 2016 in an association brochure: Sturm, Gabriele (2016). Die französische Nationalallegorie Marianne (Der Steckenreiter – eine zeitgemäße Münzbelustigung für vergnügliche Nebenstunden, Folge 108). Bonn: Numismatische Gesellschaft Bonner Münzfreunde e.V. in Deutsche Numismatische Gesellschaft. 

Bibliography

Euro-Informationen (consulted in November 2016). Die nationalen Rückseiten der Euro-Münzen: Die Euro-Münzen aus Frankreich – Baum des Lebens, Säerin und Marianne.

Sturm, Gabriele (2013). Die Personifikation der Freiheit im Münzbild seit Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts (Der Steckenreiter – eine zeitgemäße Münzbelustigung für vergnügliche Nebenstunden, Folge 89). Bonn: Numismatische Gesellschaft Bonner Münzfreunde e.V. in Deutsche Numismatische Gesellschaft.

German Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (consulted in November 2016). Dritte französische Republik / Frankreich / Frauenwahlrecht in Frankreich / Imperialismus / Liste von Nationalallegorien / Marianne / Personifikation.