Science in Circulation: Coins, Copying, and the Materiality of Scientific Imagery

Katherine Reinhart

In the late seventeenth century, a vibrant trade of coins and medallions was taking place across Europe. Cast in an assortment of metals and alloys, these medals depicted events of national significance such as the signing of a peace treaty or the marriage of a sovereign. These coins circulated throughout Europe where they were collected, traded, and sometimes satirized by rival nations. In France, medals were issued to amplify the glory of the King Louis XIV and his reign. Yet in addition to battles and monuments, coins were also cast to commemorate the triumphs of science. In particular, the activities and discoveries of the young Académie royale des sciences in Paris—from their discovery of new moons to the construction of the observatory—became immortalized in numerous medals. The materiality of the coins, in particular the value and durability of the metal, meant they had the ability to travel to a greater degree than other more delicate or ephemeral objects of the Academy. These medals had multiple functions as they circulated both within the walls of the Academy and in philosophical and aristocratic circles abroad. The visual allegories and events depicted on the coins were also copied into different formats including printed books and other medals.
This project explores the coins and medals created on behalf of the French Scientific Academy — what they depicted, how they were used, and why scientific activity became memorialized in metal. The project also considers the materiality and mobility of these objects, and how they were dispersed and replicated in service of science and the French state.