2017 Auguste Rodin 10 Euro Silver Coin from Monnaie de Paris

Description:

French artist Auguste Rodin is featured on a 10 Euro silver commemorative coin Monnaie de Paris released in 2017. The 10 Euro Rodin silver commemorative honors the life of the famous French artist known for such iconic sculptures as The Thinker (1904) and The Kiss (1889). Rodin was born on November 12, 1840 in Paris, France, and became a forefather of the modernist movement in the sculpting arts, despite having been formally trained in traditional sculpture.

Rodin rose to prominence in the 1870s, gaining both acclaim and notoriety for his realistic sculpture The Age of Bronze (1876). The life-size bronze sculpture of a nude male appeared so unusually life-like to Rodin’s contemporaries that many accused the artist of casting the form of an actual person – a claim Rodin denied. The French artist also sculpted Cupid and
Psyche (1898), Eve (1881), and The Gates of Hell (1917). In addition to his sculptures, Rodin also completed thousands of paintings and drawings.

Rodin died on November 17, 1917, leaving behind a legacy that before his death had already become great. The Musée Rodin had been established in Paris in 1916, a year before the artist’s passing, and houses the largest collection of Rodin works. The artist is featured on the French 10 Euro silver coin honoring the centennial of his death, and he is also commemorated on a circulating 2 Euro coin and 100 Euro silver issue. The 10 Euro coin is part of a series called “Un Art, Un Artiste, Un Lieu,” or “An Art, An Artist, A Place,” as translated into English. The series, overseen by French fashion designer Christian Lacroix, began in 2013.

Obverse:

The 2017 Rodin 10 Euro silver coin is anchored by a pensive obverse depiction of the artist, who is paired on the coin with a partial figure of his reflective sculpture known as The Thinker. Coin designer Joaquin Jimenez engraved the obverse of the coin, which reveals Rodin with a rugged beard and appearing as he did in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, during the peak of his artistic career.

Rodin’s bust appears on the center right side of the obverse at a three-quarters profile, looking thoughtfully toward his sculpture The Thinker. The rightward-facing male figure represented in The Thinker is expressed on the coin as if he is pressing his forehead into Rodin’s, symbolizing the intense reflection and introspection of the artist’s works.

The heads of Rodin and Le Penseur are paired in a cameo segment that offsets the upper portions of the figures from their lower segments. The acronym RF, indicating the coin’s nation of origin, République Française, is seen at the top of the cameo feature. The artist’s signature “A. Rodin” is inscribed at the lower right of the obverse, while a “1917-2017” dual-date indicating the centennial of Rodin’s death is located near the center right of the coin along the rim.

To the left of the dual date is a cornucopia serving as a mintmark for the French Mint and a pentagon representing the trademark for French Mint Director Yves Sampo.

Incidentally, The Thinker was the central feature on another French silver coin more than two decades earlier. Rodin’s classic work is depicted on a 10 Francs, 1-1/2 Euro coin that was issued in 1996.

Reverse:

The reverse design of the 2017 Rodin French 10 Euro coin features two large hexagons staggered in placement and touching the rim of the coin. These twin hexagons are situated in such a way that their collective angles form a 24-sided polygon known as an icositetragon. Within the series of two outer hexagons is a stylized third hexagon. These hexagons stylistically symbolize the geopolitical shape of France.

Inside the space of the inner hexagon is the inscription RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE, arched in a fashion resembling an upright letter “C.” Within the arched national legend is a simple wreath containing a single laurel branch and oak branch, also forming an upright “C.” Oriented in a single, horizontal line of text is the denomination, EURO 10. The national inscription, the wreath, and denomination are collectively situated to represent the € EURO symbol.

Edge:

The edge of the 2017 Rodin Centennial 10 Euro silver coin is smooth and plain.

Designer(s):

Designer Joaquin Jimenez has designed coins and medals for the Monnaie de Paris since 1986. His Starry Tree design serves as the national side of the French 1 and 2-euro circulating coins (View Designers Profile).

Coin Specifications:

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