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The Monnaie de Paris has released their third coin which is part of their ongoing series paying tribute to historic literary figures. The latest coins feature Jean Baptiste Poquelin, known professionally as Molière. He is considered one of the greatest actors and playwrights of French theatre. The coins are released on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his birth. Last year, the Monnaie de Paris launched the collector coin series entitled “L’art de la Plume” (“The Art of the Pen”), which focuses on literary styles and authors who are historical figures of literature in France and abroad. After the theme of poetry was featured on the 2021-dated coins, with coins honouring Italian author Dante Alighieri and Jean de la Fontaine, this year’s subject highlights the theatre.
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin was born on the 15th January 1622 as the son of a prosperous upholsterer, he would eventually leave his home to become an actor at the age of 19. He co-founded an acting troupe known as the Illustre Théâtre and toured the French provinces from 1645 until 1658, at the same time writing plays and acting in them. After finding a permanent home for his acting troupe at a theatre in Paris, they soon caught the attention of King Louis XIV who took them under his patronage, soon attracting the acclaim of the emerging middle-classes, especially for his play entitled The Affected Young Ladies in 1659. After a string of very successful productions over the next 15 years, his plays and themes were known to satirise and portray all classes of 17th-century French society, which were marked by their good-humoured and intelligent mockery of human vices, vanities, and follies. However, one play in particular entitled Tartuffe (“The Impostor”), first performed in 1664, was considered by the Catholic Church as an insult to religion and sought to ban its performance, burning copies of the script. Despite both his success and setbacks as a playwright, he never ceased to act and direct. His life was cut short when he was taken ill during a performance, ironically while portraying a hypochondriac character named Argan, and died of a haemorrhage at the age of 51. Due to the controversy over his earlier play satirising religion, he was denied a church service during his funeral. At the request of Molière’s widow, Armande, she asked the king if her spouse could be buried in secret at night. He agreed and Molière’s body was buried in a part of the cemetery reserved for unbaptised infants. His remains were later brought to the museum of French monuments in 1792, and later transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris in 1817, close to those of the French poet La Fontaine.
The obverse side of the coin includes a three-quarter facing portrait of Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known as Molière. His right hand pushes back the stage curtain, which also artistically merges with the actor’s hair. To the right of the portrait, two of his most emblematic characters are also illustrated, namely the Bourgeois Gentilhomme and the Miser, along with an image of the theatre Comédie Française. To the left of the portrait and along the edge is stylised script denoting his stage name with the years of Moliere’s birth and death dates, which are separated by a small sun, representative of the patronage of King Louis XIV. The year 2022 is shown just under and to the right of the primary design.
The design on the reverse side is common to the series features several emblematic quotes from prominent writers in their own native language. Such as Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien (“The best is the enemy of the good”) by Voltaire, Lasciate ogne speranza voi ch’intrate (“Leave all hope you who enter”) by Dane Alighieri, To be or not to be, that is the question by William Shakespeare and Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker (“What does not kill me, makes me stronger”) by Nietzsche. A quill pen is depicted in the centre with the denomination and title of the series L’Art de la Plume is shown just to the right. The initials RF are seen below the denomination which represents the issuing country REPUBLIQUE FRANCAISE.
| Denom. |
Metal |
Weight | Diameter | Quality |
Maximum Mintage |
| 10 euro |
.999 Silver |
22.2 g | 37 mm | Proof |
3,000 |
| 20 euro |
.999 Silver |
31.1 g | 37 mm | High-relief |
3,000 |
| Five euro |
.999 Gold |
0.5 g | 11 mm | Proof |
2,000 |
| 50 euro |
.999 Gold |
7.78 g | 22 mm | Proof |
500 |
The €10 and €20 silver, and €5 and €50 gold coins are struck to Proof quality and are available as separate items. For additional information about these coins and others available from the Monnaie de Paris, please visit their website.
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