Owner Comments:
As I have noted elsewhere, the medals struck at the Soho Mint by order of the Monneron Brothers present a rare opportunity to focus on a single person instead of a historical event. In this case, the subject is Jean Jacques Rousseau, the famous eighteenth-century political philosopher. Forgoing the general trend of ignoring biographical details within the write-ups of this set, I intend to do just that here for this medal. If you are only interested in the relevant details of the medal itself, you may find this information in the notes section below.
A Very Brief Biographical Sketch
In full disclosure, I am not an expert on Rousseau’s political philosophy. I remember reading his works in college, but that was nearly a decade ago, and I do not remember being particularly moved by his words. Perhaps I was too distracted by the irony of his political ideologies relative to some of the privileges he was granted at birth. For instance, Rousseau was born into a family of distinguished academics and, from birth, had access to a vast library fit for a well-respected scholar. Despite having some privileges, Rousseau also had a fair share of misfortune. His mother, Suzanne Bernard, died while giving birth to him, and his father soon squandered their entire fortune. Eventually, Rousseau was sent away to live with his uncle who later sent him on an apprenticeship in Geneva, where he purportedly received harsh treatment.
Wishing to improve his station and avoid further mistreatment, Rousseau fled Geneva in 1728. He found refuge in the home of Madame De Warens. From 1728 to 1742, Rousseau transformed from the house guest of Madame De Warens to one of her lovers (Bondanella, 1988). During this time, Rousseau was encouraged to spend his time studying and writing. It is during this critical period that Rousseau secures his status as a self-taught philosopher. This arrangement worked well, as evidenced by his long tenure under Madame De Waren's care, but eventually, Rousseau would grow tired of her affairs and seek other opportunities.
Until this point, Rousseau had largely been under the direct care of someone else, although the type of treatment he received varied wildly. This would all change in 1742 at the age of thirty. Having suffered the final blow of indiscretions by Madame de Warens, Rousseau made his way to Paris with the hopes of securing his position in the intellectual sphere of society. He brought with him his play, Narcisse, and a new method of musical notation that he hoped to present to the Academy of Sciences (Bondanella, 1988). Neither of these two afforded Rousseau the type of recognition he sought, but he did make several powerful connections that helped him find employment. For instance, through a series of connections, he secured an appointment as the secretary to the Comte de Montaigu. This appointment, however, was short-lived. Purportedly, Rousseau was treated as a simple servant by his new boss, and this offended Rousseau so deeply that he wrote
On Social Contract. This work was seminal to the violent sociopolitical movement that would rock the entire world just a few decades later – the French Revolution.
Having relinquished his lofty position as the secretary to the French Ambassador of Venice, Rousseau soon found himself employed as a research assistant for the Dupin Family. Like before, Rousseau was free to study and write at his leisure and did so freely. It is during this time that Rousseau began his relationship with Thérèse le Vasseur. The two would go on to have five children, all of which were immediately turned over to the local orphanage. In his
Confessions, Rousseau essentially argues that he gave up his children for fear of society corrupting them against him. He further paints himself in a positive light by insinuating he is the farthest thing from a callous or unloving man. His words strike me the same as they did nearly a decade ago – that of a paranoid pompous ass. Despite persuading to surrender five of her children and jointly suffer the series of often self-inflicted hardships, Rousseau would not marry Thérèse le Vasseur until he was fifty-six years old (Bondanella, 1988).
Rousseau would go on to win major recognition from the Academy of Dijon, and
Le Dévin du Village was a great success. Despite finally securing his seat at the table among elite scholars, Rousseau would self-implode and revert to misery. Although his squabbles with other notable figures such as Voltaire and Hume were detrimental, it was ultimately Rousseau’s paranoid self-destructive nature that led to his downfall. His entire claim to philosophical claim was predicated upon his criticism of privilege and the old social structure. For fear of losing his credibility, he refused multiple lucrative careers and even an audience with the King (Bondanella, 1988). Instead, he earned just enough income to survive by copying music.
The decade between 1752 and 1762 marked a period of great productivity for Rousseau once he decided to move closer to his hometown. Rousseau's paranoia was further fueled by the presence of Voltaire in Geneva. Convinced that he lacked the necessary freedom to publish his work, Rousseau found refuge with Madame d’Épinay at L’Ermitage (Bondanella, 1988). In true Rousseau fashion, his infatuation with Madame d’Épinay’s sister-in-law eventually dissolved the arrangement, and Rousseau once again required a new host. From here, Rousseau found himself in hot water. His
had already been banned from circulating in France, and Émile was so provocative that the Parlement of Paris issued a writ for Rousseau’s arrest on June 9th, 1762 (Bondanella, 1988). Feeling to Prussia, Rousseau published two works, one in 1762 and the other in 1765, to defend himself. Eventually, he would renounce his Genevan citizenship.
Growing old and tired, Rousseau would return to Paris in May of 1767. He lived in the shadows but was reunited with a city he once called home. He passed away on July 2nd, 1778, but managed to write his autobiography Confessions beforehand.
1791 Jean Jacques Rousseau Medal |
Obverse: The obverse depicts Rousseau facing left adorned by a traditional wig, and wearing a contemporary gentleman’s coat. The most notable portion of his hair is the series of tightly formed curls that rest on the side of his head just above the ear and extending to the vertical line of his jaw. His neck is wrapped with a silk ribbon that is obscured by the collar of his coat. A notable patch of die rust appears on the middle of this ribbon. The top two buttons of his coat are not buttoned, but the third clearly is. Immediately below the bust appears DUMAREST • F •. The legend J • JACQUES ROUSSEAU NEA GENEVE EN 1712. is confined within a series of two inner rings, which are separated from the raised thin rim by a third larger ring.
Reverse: The reverse design is rather simple, and is divided into two rings that progress in width as they approach the center of the medal. Within the widest ring of the two appears the legend CONTRAT SOCIAL LIV • 3 • CHAP • 1 •. Within the center of the medal the legend LA PUISSANCE LEGISLATIVE APPARTIENT AU PEUPLE ET NE PEUT APPARTENIR QU A LUI.. In English - THE LEGISLATIVE POWER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE AND CAN ONLY BELONG TO THEM. All of this is contained within a thin raised outer rim.
Edge: Plain
Size: 35mm
Notes: Tungate (2020) notes that this was a joint project between Dumarest (obverse) and Ponthon (reverse) and that a total of 756 pieces were struck. It is unclear if this number only refers to the original strikings that have edge lettering, but the example depicted here is a later restrike (i.e., it has a plain edge). Nonetheless, it is a remarkably well-preserved specimen with the original shells and an unimpeachable provenance to the Boulton Family Collection. It is worth noting that lot 229 of the 1850 auction contained “pair of dies, one extra die of obverse. Two punches of obverse, the original engraving and steel collar” for this medal. Vice (1995) does not list these dies as one of the many that were reserved for M.P.W. Boulton, but even if he acquired them it is likely that they found their way into the hands of Taylor or others. Taken together with the actions that occurred just before the auction, there is little doubt why so many later strikes are found on the market today.
References:
Bondanella, J. C. (1988) Rousseau’s Political Writings: A Biographical Sketch. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Tungate, S. (2020) Matthew Boulton and The Soho Mint: copper to customer. Worcestershire: Brewin Books.
Vice, D. (1995). A fresh insight into Soho Mint restrikes & those responsible for their manufacture. Format Coins, Birmingham, 3-14.
Interesting Links:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/
https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/content/jean-jacques-rousseau