Monday, May 21, 2018

George Sand Coin

From Coin Update:
The Monnaie de Paris has launched (4th May) their third and final coin for 2018 in the successful series entitled “Women of France,” which tells the stories of notable French women who have shaped and influenced France from the first millennium to the current decade. The latest coin highlights the life of author George Sand, controversial in her day for her political views, her ability to develop a successful career in the middle 19th century, and for her romantic relationships which often became public matters. Sand adopted a male pseudonym and wrote under this name for a national newspaper, eventually becoming a published author of noted popularity.

Known simply as “Aurore” in her early childhood, Sand was born Marie-Aurore de Saxe, Madame Dupin de Francueil (1804-1876) in the city of Paris. She was later brought up at her grandmother’s estate, Nohant, in the French province of Berry. Sand used the splendid setting of her childhood in many of her novels. Her upbringing was quite liberal and in some ways, ostentatious. Her father, Maurice Dupin (1778–1808), was himself the grandson of the marshal general of France, Maurice, Comte de Saxe (1696–1750), an illegitimate son of Augustus II the Strong (1670–1733), king of Poland, and a Saxon elector. Sand was a cousin to the sixth degree to the brother-Kings Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, and Charles X of France, and was also related much more distantly to King Louis Philippe of France through common ancestors from German and Danish ruling families. (Read more.)
Share

1 comment:

julygirl said...

Interesting. I never knew. Her background was never discussed when we we assigned to read her stories in school.