Coin French Mint 10 Euros Silver BE 2021 - Jean de la Fontaine - L'Art de la Plume 2021

10 Euros FRANCE 2021

Theme : Jean de la Fontaine
Series : L'Art de la Plume 2021

Quality : Proof.

Edition : 3 000 copies.
Silver 999 ‰ - 22 2 g - Ø 37 mm.

In 2021 the Monnaie de Paris inaugurates a new series around literary styles and authors who have marked the history of literature in France and abroad. Each year, a literary style will be highlighted, such as poetry, novels, philosophical essays or even theatre. A French author and a foreign author who have left their mark on the literary style being honoured that year will then be celebrated. 

On this side, the portrait of Jean de La Fontaine, the most famous French fabulist, is shown in profile. Some of the animals in his famous fables blend in with the background and mingle with his hair: the frog and the ox, the stork, the wolf, the raven and the fox, the cicada and the ant and finally the tortoise. We discover them little by little like a trompe l'oeil game.

One can also observe on the room the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte, a reference to his friendship with Nicolas Fouquet, the owner of the castle at the time. His dates and the name of Jean de La Fontaine, as well as the coat of arms of Château-Thierry, his birthplace where he spent part of his life and which inspired the animals in his fables, are engraved on the right-hand side of the design.

The reverse side is common to the entire "L'Art de la Plume" series. Several emblematic quotations are inscribed on it, such as Voltaire's "The best is the enemy of the good", Dante Alighieri's "Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch'intrate", William Shakespeare's "To be or not to be: that is the question" and Nietzsche's "Was mich nicht umbringt macht mich stärker". A feather is engraved in the centre of the piece. Underneath is the title of the series. The mention "RF" is present at the bottom right of the coin as well as the stamp of Joaquin Jimenez and the engraving workshop.

Silver
Ø 37.00mm, Weight 22.20g
BE ( belle épreuve)
French Mint