Libertas on a French Indochina coin (1894)

Libertas on a French Indochina coin (1894)

This is an example of a Libertas-representation on coins during the French Indochina period. She is wearing the spike headwear, similar to the one on the well-known Statue of Liberty in New York, while her right hand is holding fasces and her left hand resting on a rudder.
It seems that the images of Libertas depicted by the French took inspiration from the Roman goddess Libertas, but was modified in some aspects of her appearances so that she is different from the ancient figure, but familiar enough so that viewers can still recognize, or guess, who she is and what value she represents. With these ancient features in modern guise, this figure has become the French Marianne, the prominent figure of the French Revolution.
This depiction of Libertas is similar to the depiction on the Great Seal of French. However, on the Great Seal of French, at the feet of Libertas are wheat, a lamp, a cogwheel, a paint palette, and an Ionic order, which represent agriculture, industrial development, art, and architecture, respectively; the depiction of Libertas on French Indochina coin only includes wheat and an anchor, which refer to agriculture and the development of ports in Indochina for the transportation of goods. Here, the symbols on the coin denote how the French view the metropole versus colonies: the former is holistically developed while the latter is still backward.

Reference:
Wikipedia. 2021. "Great Seal of France." Last modified December 15, 2021 (29 May 2022).

Nguyen Ngoc Lien