Augustin Dupre

Biography

It begins its career as engraver with the royal manufacture of weapons. Towards 1770, it settles in Paris, becomes the pupil of the sculptor David and serious his first medals.

The French revolution will give the opportunity to him to develop its Article the regime change and the monetary reform requiring a complete change of the monetary types, a contest is open in April 1791 by the Convention and it is its project which is adopted for the conventional Louis . Following this promotion, Dupre is named first general engraver of the currency, before that each regional workshop of striking had his own engraver. Its monetary Différend is a cock. It will occupy this function until 1803, date on which it is replaced by Pierre-Joseph Tiolier.

Its monetary works

The French revolution encouraged the artists to celebrate the new order. Augustin Dupre drew the inspiration of his allegorical compositions in the symbolic system of Antiquity (Tables of the Law, Spirit of the Liberty, Hercules, Phrygian cap, beams of lictors, balances, etc) It was the triumph of the neo-classic style.

Its first contribution is the Gold louis of 24 delivers S, standard With the genius , the avers still carries the portrait of Louis XVI King of the French and dates it 1792. The reverse represents a winged Génie which writes the word Loi on a stele, with like currency the Reign of the Law and the mention An III of freedom . One ecu of six books and an half-ecu silver takes again this reason.

The proclaimed republic, it engraves the essence of the new revolutionary decimal coinage. The coin of five francs in the silver Hercules, Union and Force which marks the rebirth of the frankly, and coins of 1 centime, 5 centimes, 1 ten-per-cent tax and 2 ten-per-cent taxes with the head of republic wearing the Phrygian cap.

Dupre was an engraver of talent and the composition which it created for the part of 5 francs will symbolize the republic during almost 200 years. the ecu in the Hercules created in 1796, was again struck in 1848, then of 1870 with 1877. The New franc of 1960 given in light for strike silver prestige of 10 francs (1965-1973) and 50 francs (1974 to 1977).

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