in honor of the
Centenary of Bartholdi's Death
(1834 - 1904)
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Born 2 August 1834 at Colmar France - Died at Paris 4 October 1904
3 October 2004 (Liberty Island)
French and American organizations held a “Commemoration of the Centenary of the death of Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty who was born in Colmar-Alsace (France) in 1834”.
Photo shows unidentified US veteran; US Park Service Ranger Bill Maurer; Muriel Eymery, Monnaie de Paris Representative for the Americas; and Mr. Adrian Zeller, President of the Regional Cousel of Alsace; during presentation by the Monnaie of Paris – the official French minting authority – of a new Euro collectors’ coin program to commemorate the centennial of Fréderic Auguste Bartholdi’s death. Medals were accepted by Mr. Maurer on behalf of the National Park Service.
Photo by Jean Marc Gagnioud.
Monnaie de Paris, Paris, France
Contact in the USA : Mrs Muriel EYMERY at murieleymery@cs.com
Contact in France : presse@monnaiedeparis.fr
“FATHER of the STATUE of LIBERTY”
In October 2004, Monnaie de Paris – the official French minting authority – will issue a new euro collectors' coin program to celebrate the centennial of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (August 2, 1834 - October 4,1904). This program pays also tribute to his most well-known creation, the Statue of Liberty, the symbolic it incarnates and its 2004 reopening to the public after 9/11. 2004 corresponds as well to the 120 year anniversary of the Statue in Paris.
The Statue of Liberty haunted Bartholdi for many years. In 1865, the sculptor first heard about the idea of France offering to the United States of America a gift to celebrate the 1876 centenary of its Independence. Around 1867-1868, when plans were being drawn up for the Suez Canal, he designed a model of a monumental lighthouse, in the image of Ancient Egypt, which led in 1870 to the first known model of the Statue of Liberty enlightening the World and materializing the Franco-American friendship.
The sculptor's mother served as his model for the face of the statue. Her diadem is represents through seven rays of light the seven continents (Europe, America, Asia, Africa, Australia, North Pole and South Pole). This diadem is also a symbol of the coronation of the statue, for just as kings in the past used to wear crowns, the statue reigns as the queen of liberty. In her left hand, the statue holds a tablet, the book of law, inscribed in Roman numerals with the date of the Independence of the United States of America, 4th July 1776 and in her right hand stands a torch to symbolize the light, the direction to follow.
On arriving in New York Harbour, Bartholdi spotted the island of Bedloe as the ideal position for his statue and his vision of liberty. In 1875, the Committee for the Franco-American union was set up to manage the fund-raising campaign project and work started to erect the statue. On the Independence Day of July 4th, 1884, France officially handed-over to the United States the Statue of Liberty enlightening the World in Paris eight years later than initially planned. In June 1885, the statue arrived in New York on board of the French frigate "Isere" and was re-assembled on her new pedestal. On October 28th 1886, the Statue of Liberty was officially opened to thousands of spectators.
With the Eiffel Tower in Paris, this monument is one of the most world-wide known architectural symbols of modern times. Few people, however, know that these two monuments share a few key common points. Beside their common French origins, they were also built by the same person. Who knows that Gustave Eiffel created as well the metallic structure of the Statue of Liberty ?
Bartholdi was a very ‘political’ sculptor. Besides the Statue of Liberty, he is also famous for the statue of Lafayette that can be seen in Union square, New-York city, and for the “Lion” sculpture commissioned by the city of Belfort to celebrate the city’s resistance under siege. Born in Colmar, Bartholdi was very much concerned by the Franco-German war of 1870 that saw his French province of Alsace occupied until the end of WWI. This personal tragedy is the source of his special interest in the celebrating liberty.
Description of the coin:
The reverse of the coin features the construction of the Statue of Liberty next to the French national motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”. The obverse of the coin features Bartholdi's portrait, the dates of his life, the two letters “RF” (République Française) and the famous “Lion” sculpture symbolizing the French resistance during the 1870 war.
The coin program is offered in North America by: Euro Collections International, Toll Free: 888-904-5544, www.eurocollections.com, GovMint at www.govmint.com, Littleton Coin Company Inc., Toll-Free 800-645-3122, www.littletoncoin.com, Scandinavian Mint, Toll-Free 877-552-6468, www.scandmint.com, SilverTowne L.P., Toll-Free 800-788-7481, www.silvertowne.com, Talisman Coins, Toll-Free 888-552-2646, talismancoins@charter.net, New York Mint, Toll Free: 800-642-9160, and Panda America, Toll Free: 800-472-6327.
In addition to the upcoming Bartholdi/Statue of Liberty program, Monnaie de Paris will re-strike three bronze medallions from its historical collection.
1-Medal of Auguste Bartholdi by René Andréi
Florentine Bronze, Diameter 68mm
2) Centennial Medal Statue of Liberty
Bronze Florentine, Diameter 68mm
3) Medal from Luthringer for the centennial of the Statue of Liberty with Bartholdi and Eiffel
Florentine Bronze, diameter 68mm.
For more information on Monnaie de Paris, please visit our web site at www.monnaiedeparis.fr or contact Monnaie de Paris, 11 Quai de Conti, Paris 75006 France. Email: presse@monnaiedeparis.fr.
www.monnaiedeparis.fr
Other Centenary Sites of Interest
L'Union Alsacienne
Program for 3 October Ceremony at Liberty Island.
100th Anniversary of Bartholdi's Death.
Inauguration of the Statue of Freedom
July 4th 2004 Colmar (Alsace-France) Birthplace of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi Photo Tour Inauguration of the Statue of Freedom, the largest replica of the statue in the world (40 feet tall). Colmar, France, July 4, 2004. Mr. Gilbert Meyer, Deputy and Mayor of Colmar, the Town Council, and Mrs. Jacques Chirac. Statue Statistics: 12 meters high; 10 meters circumference 2 tons steel, 6 tons plaster. 2 tons resin. 1000 folds in her dress 12,000 man-hours, 9 months construction time |
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Building the Statue of Liberty Museum of Arts and Crafts, Paris http://www.bartholdi.arts-et-metiers.net/ Exhibtion of Photographs (1876-1886) 7 December 2004 - 6 March 2005 Description : The greatest exhibition ever held at the Lion de Belfort, as part of the centenary of the death of Bartholdi. On 14th July, a Statue of Liberty 12 metres high will be inaugurated at the entrance to the town. Email : Contact@Bartholdi2004.com URL : http://www.bartholdi2004.com |
French Site
Photos and Links
Celebrating the Centenary of Bartholdi's Death
 Musée Bartholdi Place : Musée Bartholdi - Colmar Region : Alsace, France Manifestation : 30, rue des Marchands 68000 COLMAR Tel : + 33 (0)3 89 41 90 60 URL : http://www.musee-bartholdi.com |
