Augustin Dupré
Encyclopedia
Augustin Dupré was an engraver of French currency and medals, the 14th Graveur général des monnaies (Engraver General of Currency)..
, became the student of the sculptor David, and engraved his first medals.
The French Revolution
gave him the opportunity to develop his art. Because the change of regime and the monetary reform required a full change of monetary types, a competition, initiated by the painter Louis David
, was opened in April 1791 by the Convention nationale
. Dupré's design won and was adopted for the new currency, the "Louis conventionnel". Following this success, Dupré was named Graveur général des monnaies by decree of the Assemblée nationale
on 11 July 1791. In France before the revolution there were 31 royal mints, but most of them were no more than sincecure
s. In 1789, there were no more than 17 mints, and Dupré wanted to have a great new mint in Paris to produce all French currency. However, the Assemblée nationale rejected his idea and retained 8 mints: Paris, Lyon
, Bordeaux
, Bayonne
, Perpignan
, Nantes
, Lille
, and Strasbourg
. He occupied his official position until 1803, the year in which he was dismissed by a decree of the First Consul of 12 March 1803. He was replaced by Pierre-Joseph Tiolier.
, genius of freedom
, Hercules
, Phrygian cap
, fasces
of lictor
s, scales
, etc.). It was the triumph of neoclassical style.
His first contribution was the Louis of gold, 24 livres, portraying Au génie, the obverse still carrying the portrait of Louis XVI, the motto Roi des Français (King of the French), and the date 1792. The reverse represents a Génie ailé (Winged genius) that writes the word Loi on a stèle, with the motto Le Règne de la Loi (The Reign of the Law) and the declaration An III de la liberté (Year three of the liberty). An écu
of six livres and a half écu in silver again take up this design.
When the republic was proclaimed, Dupré engraved the bulk of the new revolutionary decimal currency. He introduced the five franc silver piece stamped with the image of Hercules, Union et Force which marked the renaissance of the franc, and the coins of 1 centime, 5 centimes, 1 décime and 2 décimes with the head of the republic wearing the Phrygian cap.
Dupré was a talented engraver and the composition which he created for the 5-franc represented the republic during almost 200 years. The écu à l'Hercule created in 1796, was again struck in 1848, then in 1870 and 1877. The new franc of 1960 renewed honor to Dupré by the striking of silver commemorative coins of 10 francs (1965–1973) and 50 francs (1974–1977).
In 1996 the Fifth Republic also honored him by issuing a 5 franc commemorative coin.
, Pierre Droz, Benjamin Duvivier, Nicolas-Marie Gautteaux, and François Tasselon. Two examples of Dupré's famous medals are in honor of Lavoisier
and Admiral Suffren
.
His medals related to the American republic include: the Libertas Americana, 1783; the Greene medal, 1787; the Morgan and Jones medals, 1789; the Diplomatic medal, 1792; and two medals of Franklin, 1784 and 1786. Thomas Jefferson ordered the Diplomatic medal in 1790. It is unknown who ordered the two medals of Franklin; it is certain that Franklin himself did not.
Biography
He began his career as an engraver at the royal factory for weapons. Towards 1770, he became established at ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, became the student of the sculptor David, and engraved his first medals.
The French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
gave him the opportunity to develop his art. Because the change of regime and the monetary reform required a full change of monetary types, a competition, initiated by the painter Louis David
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
, was opened in April 1791 by the Convention nationale
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
. Dupré's design won and was adopted for the new currency, the "Louis conventionnel". Following this success, Dupré was named Graveur général des monnaies by decree of the Assemblée nationale
National Assembly (French Revolution)
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly , which existed from June 17 to July 9, 1789, was a transitional body between the Estates-General and the National Constituent Assembly.-Background:...
on 11 July 1791. In France before the revolution there were 31 royal mints, but most of them were no more than sincecure
Sinecure
A sinecure means an office that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service...
s. In 1789, there were no more than 17 mints, and Dupré wanted to have a great new mint in Paris to produce all French currency. However, the Assemblée nationale rejected his idea and retained 8 mints: Paris, Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
, Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, and Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
. He occupied his official position until 1803, the year in which he was dismissed by a decree of the First Consul of 12 March 1803. He was replaced by Pierre-Joseph Tiolier.
His monetary works
The French Revolution encouraged the artists to celebrate the new order. Augustine Dupré derived the inspiration of his allegoric compositions from the symbolism of antiquity (tables of lawTwelve Tables
The Law of the Twelve Tables was the ancient legislation that stood at the foundation of Roman law. The Law of the Twelve Tables formed the centrepiece of the constitution of the Roman Republic and the core of the mos maiorum...
, genius of freedom
Genius (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, the genius was the individual instance of a general divine nature that is present in every individual person, place or thing.-Nature of the genius:...
, Hercules
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, Phrygian cap
Phrygian cap
The Phrygian cap is a soft conical cap with the top pulled forward, associated in antiquity with the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia. In the western provinces of the Roman Empire it came to signify freedom and the pursuit of liberty, perhaps through a confusion with the pileus,...
, fasces
Fasces
Fasces are a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade emerging from the center, which is an image that traditionally symbolizes summary power and jurisdiction, and/or "strength through unity"...
of lictor
Lictor
The lictor was a member of a special class of Roman civil servant, with special tasks of attending and guarding magistrates of the Roman Republic and Empire who held imperium, the right and power to command; essentially, a bodyguard...
s, scales
Lady Justice
Lady Justice |Dike]]) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems.-Depiction:The personification of justice balancing the scales of truth and fairness dates back to the Goddess Maat, and later Isis, of ancient Egypt. The Hellenic deities Themis and Dike were later...
, etc.). It was the triumph of neoclassical style.
His first contribution was the Louis of gold, 24 livres, portraying Au génie, the obverse still carrying the portrait of Louis XVI, the motto Roi des Français (King of the French), and the date 1792. The reverse represents a Génie ailé (Winged genius) that writes the word Loi on a stèle, with the motto Le Règne de la Loi (The Reign of the Law) and the declaration An III de la liberté (Year three of the liberty). An écu
ECU
ECU may refer to:Automotive terms* Electronic control unit, a generic term for any embedded system that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a motor vehicle...
of six livres and a half écu in silver again take up this design.
When the republic was proclaimed, Dupré engraved the bulk of the new revolutionary decimal currency. He introduced the five franc silver piece stamped with the image of Hercules, Union et Force which marked the renaissance of the franc, and the coins of 1 centime, 5 centimes, 1 décime and 2 décimes with the head of the republic wearing the Phrygian cap.
Dupré was a talented engraver and the composition which he created for the 5-franc represented the republic during almost 200 years. The écu à l'Hercule created in 1796, was again struck in 1848, then in 1870 and 1877. The new franc of 1960 renewed honor to Dupré by the striking of silver commemorative coins of 10 francs (1965–1973) and 50 francs (1974–1977).
In 1996 the Fifth Republic also honored him by issuing a 5 franc commemorative coin.
Medals by Dupré
Before the French revolution, Dupré had a reputation as one of the leading French medallists, along with Bertrand AndrieuBertrand Andrieu
Bertrand Andrieu was a French engraver of medals from Bordeaux. In France he was considered as the restorer of the art, which had declined after the time of Louis XIV, and during the last twenty years of his life the French government commissiond him to undertake several works...
, Pierre Droz, Benjamin Duvivier, Nicolas-Marie Gautteaux, and François Tasselon. Two examples of Dupré's famous medals are in honor of Lavoisier
Antoine Lavoisier
Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier , the "father of modern chemistry", was a French nobleman prominent in the histories of chemistry and biology...
and Admiral Suffren
Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez
Admiral comte Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, bailli de Suffren , French admiral, was the third son of the marquis de Saint Tropez, head of a family of nobles of Provence which claimed to have emigrated from Lucca in the 14th century...
.
His medals related to the American republic include: the Libertas Americana, 1783; the Greene medal, 1787; the Morgan and Jones medals, 1789; the Diplomatic medal, 1792; and two medals of Franklin, 1784 and 1786. Thomas Jefferson ordered the Diplomatic medal in 1790. It is unknown who ordered the two medals of Franklin; it is certain that Franklin himself did not.