Coin (Franc) Showing Charles V
Unknown Artist
14th century
Medium
Gold
Dimensions
Diam. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm); thickness 1/16 in. (0.2 cm); Wt. 0.2 oz. (5.7 g)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Coins and Medals
Culture
French
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Bashford Dean, 1923
Accession Number
23.135.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite gold franc coin, minted in 14th-century France, features a portrait of Charles V the Wise King who ruled from 1364 1380. Measuring just 1 1/8 inches in and weighing a mere 0.2 ounces, its petite scale belies the grandeur of royal authority it embodies. Crafted from pure gold, the coin exemplifies the high-value currency of the late medieval period, symbolizing France's economic strength and monarchial power during a time of recovery from the Hundred Years' War. The franc, introduced earlier in the century under Charles V's father, John II, became a standard of French coinage, o...