• BE 2021
• Supplied with box and certificate of authenticity

In 2021, the currency of Paris inaugurated a new series around literary styles and authors who marked the history of literature in France and abroad.

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of his birth, the Monnaie de Paris pays tribute to Jean de La Fontaine, the largest French fabulist, member of the French Academy.

On this side is represented in profile, the portrait of Jean de La Fontaine, the most famous of the French fabulists. In the decor, some animals present in his famous fables blend into the decor and mix with his hair: the frog and the beef, the stork, the wolf, the crow and the fox, the cicada and the ant and finally the turtle . We gradually discover them as a trompe l'oeil game.

We can also observe on the play the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte, a nod to his friendship with Nicolas Fouquet, then owner of the castle. His dates and the name of Jean de La Fontaine as well as the coat of arms of Château-Thierry, his city of birth where he will spend part of his life and which inspired him the animals of his fables, are engraved to the right of the drawing.

The reverse is common to the whole series "The art of the pen."

We can see there registered several emblematic quotes such as "the best is the enemy of the good" of Voltaire, "Lascate Ogne Speranza Voi Ch'intrate" by Dane Alighieri, "to be or not to be: that is the question" of William Shakespeare or "was Mich Nicht Umbringt, Macht Mich Stärker" by Nietzsche

A feather is engraved in the center of the room. Below, the title of the series is present.

The mention "RF" is present at the bottom right of the room as well as the hallmark of Joaquin Jimenez and the engraving workshop.