The Sword of the Academician

A true work of art, the academician’s sword is a bespoke, personal and symbolic piece.

First of all, the sword bears the symbols representing the life and work of the future academician.
It should be noted that this particular sword is offered by its friends who have formed a committee for the Sword. Therefore, it may be an ancient weapon, a court sword, or a jeweller’s creation that will be presented during a private ceremony.

To begin with, the famous institution of’French Academy It was founded in 1635 by Cardinal de Richelieu to defend and perfect the French language. It consists of forty members and brings together personalities from the cultural life.

Esprit joaillerie invites you to discover these swords made by renowned jewelers or artisans. These works of art, true jewels, are unique.

The Cartier Sword

In this regard, the jeweler Cartier He always defends art with a forward-thinking vision. For he is a pioneer in many fields. Thus, he attracts the attention of Jean Cocteau, who entrusts him with the creation of his sword. Made in 1955, Jean Cocteau's sword is set with emeralds, rubies, diamonds, ivory, onyx, enamel, gold and silver. The blade is made of steel.

Then, the profile of Orpheus, whose myth forms the branch on which the poet bases his work. His lyre, adorned with an emerald and two rubies, wraps the handle. A gold thread is wrapped around the fuse, in the manner of a drapery on the column of an ancient theater, evoking the tragedy. The button on the sleeve bears the poet’s signature.

His initials, accompanied by the star sign he always attached to them. This sign is found on the guard, in the form of a six-branched star. Each branch is finished with a ruby and at the center of which is placed a diamond. The star is detached from a disk of ivory while the guard itself takes the form of a fusilée evoking his graphic work.

On the sheath, a motif inspired by the grilles of the Jardin du Palais-Royal recalls the place where Jean Cocteau lived, while at the tip a closed hand on an ivory ball evokes the snow-covered stone of the Eiffel Tower. Terrible Children.
The blade offered by Spanish friends comes from a weapons shop in Toledo.
It is worth noting that the 2.84 carat emerald was donated by Coco Chanel, The other precious stones by Francine Weisweiller.

MELLERIO'S SWORD

The Maison Mellerio is called Mellers He also made swords for academicians. Here are two of his many achievements, the one of Mr. Jacques Bainville dating from 1936 and that of Mr. Gérard Le Fur in 2002.

The first, the sword of Jacques Bainville revises one of his favorite themes. Minerva is depicted as a victorious goddess, a theme that dominates the author’s works. And it is repeatedly depicted on the covers of his books (History of France, Jaco and Lori, Napoleon, the Cup of Saxony…).
Minerve is here supported by a symbolic lance whose iron is formed from a brilliant-colored lily. Serenity inhabits her, despite the attacks of two chimères symbolizing the enemies of truth, order, and wisdom.
On the shell, placed on two intertwined feathers, the author’s initials stand out. Finally, the inscription appears on the blade. offered by French students on November 7, 1935.

The second of Gérard Le Fur He is a doctor of pharmacy since 1973. He studied the role of brain neurotransmitters and specialized in the development and development of drugs for the central nervous system. Gérard Le Fur made many discoveries that have had therapeutic applications in various fields.
Some of them are represented on his sword: a filigree work of gold, on which are inlaid diamonds and cabochons of precious stones (sapphires, rubies and emeralds), depicts the molecule «Rimonabant», a major discovery.

JEAN VENDOME'S SWORD

Let us mention the jewelry artist Jean Vendome.He also made swords for academicians, such as the one of
Lucien Israel, Maurice Schumann,
Julien Green or also Roger Caillois.
Jean Vendome He keeps the memory of «great men by their cultures, their knowledge, what they were able to achieve for humanity. At the same time, they are simple men who listen to everyone.”.
That’s what makes them valuable to me.»

The five symbols desired by Roger Caillois They are all represented by stones to remind us that the Academician was a great amateur and collector of minerals: the South Cross on the pommel; the octopus (the most intelligent animal in the world, according to the Academician) on the guard; Czechoslovakia by the Bohemian moldavite forming the pommel to remind us of his wife’s country, Aléna; Brazil by the block of tourmaline forming the handle; the space with the Bohemian moldavite from the personal collection of Roger Caillois and which represented, in his eyes, «a stone from space that had fallen to earth».

The Sword of Arthur Bertrand

For the Maison Arthus Bertrand, Making a sword by an academic is a symbol of prestige; creating a unique piece of art is an expression of one’s expertise. One of the last swords made is the one of Mr. Pierre Laurens.
«As always, the design process begins with several long conversations with the recipient during which we try to find out everything that mattered in his or her life and career.
More than four months of consultations, adjustments and manufacturing were required to achieve this result.

The original sword ateliers

There are also Stéphanie Porsain and Florent Tremolosa, jewelry designers’Origin Ateliers. For them the sword is a «custom-made jewel». They have made a sword for Madame Dominique Bona. She did not want a ostentatious sword. But this highly symbolic object had to be simple and feminine.

«I didn't want my sword to bear any symbols,’ confides the academician. "Florent had the idea of simply playing on the number eight, which represents infinity. It is also very feminine, because it is round in shape. And I am the eighth woman elected to the’French Academy. »

The guard takes the form of an eight, in the tradition of the most ancient and formidable swords; a damask blade is chosen. The grip is adorned with grey galuchat. The pommel is adorned with a six-branched star-shaped rose quartz and finished with a discreet line of diamonds around the grip.

THE SWORD OF THE PERY STUDIO

In 1992, Brigitte Péry (atelier Péry & Fils) and her brother Didier made an immortal sword, the one of
Pierre Cardin, the first couturier to be invited to the’Académie des beaux-arts.

The’Académie des beaux-arts is one of the five companies of the Institute, founded in 1795. It is worth noting that the others are the’French Academy, the’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, the’Academy of Sciences and Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. Its purpose is to promote the creation of works of art, the pluralism of expressions, and the defense and illustration of artistic heritage.

The sword entwines the needle thread, the spool of thread and a gold-plated silver 24-carat gold finial. The «M» of the "Maison" is also visible. Maxim’s , a Venetian mask (the hometown of Pierre Cardin) And a skirt made of green ostrich skin. The double blade of the sword is in the shape of scissors. The Atelier made it in 500 hours of work, and it weighs 1.5 kg.

WORDS OF THE EXPERT

To conclude this discovery, a few words from Michel Renonciat, Restaurateur du Patrimoine et des Arts National Museums, an expert in ancient weapons and a specialist in swords.

Mr Renonciat, how do you become an expert in ancient weapons? ?

It must be said that I am a collector and the son of a collector. So naturally the eye is drawn to it. It is undeniable that everything starts with the eye, and then comes the experience.
Ancient weapons are works of art. I was lucky to see exceptional pieces, dating for example from Napoleon. In these circumstances it is moving to rediscover the cult of the Empire, the history of France. But also the possibility of meeting great families, like the Napoleons or the princely family of Monaco.Albert I was a great collector of objects from the Empire. This allows us to deepen and share our knowledge, as well as to become well-versed in history in order to recognize its symbols.

What does the sword represent in your eyes? ?

Undoubtedly, a work of art! It is an object that can tell many things.

There is its symbolic meaning: the court sword, a military sword, the officer’s sword…
Because you see, the Swordsman’s Sword is a reflection of life. In that way, every part of the sword is thought out.
Thus, the future academician chooses his symbols, stones, and sometimes a quote.

For example, here is one of the last swords I made, the one of Mr. Alain Finkielkraut . He was received at the’French Academy in January of last year. His sword bears three symbols:
A quote from Charles Péguy The Republic one and indivisible is our Kingdom of France,
an Aleph which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet and
a cow's head as a gentle nurturer of the children of France.

I also think of the sword of’Alain-Jacques Valleron which is very strong in symbolism that I realized with Jean-Louis Faure.
This epidemiologist chose more complex symbols.
The guard is a measure of proportion for statistics; the arrow in the pig’s ear corresponds to the skull and heart, because the study is done on animal diseases that are transmissible to humans and fatal, under the emblem of the polytechnic school from which he graduated, and the American gold dollar because Mr. Valleron taught in the United States.

In the end, I was fortunate to create a certain number of swords, about sixty, and each time I met exceptional women and men.

What a fantastic adventure it was to write this article for Esprit Joaillerie, and what exciting encounters it was:

My very warm thanks to
Cartier houses and Mellerio says Mellers.

A special thought goes to the Goldsmith Creator Jean Vendome and his son Thierry Vendome.

My friendship with Brigitte Péry, owner of the famous Péry workshop, who shared her memories of her creations.

Mr. Gil Piette, General Manager of the House Arthus Bertrand.

Stéphanie Porsain and Florent Tremolosa, Origin Ateliers.

Ms Claude-Marie Durix, secretary of the literary commissions at the’French Academy who guided my steps in the history of the swords of academicians.

Finally, a big thank you to the expert in ancient weapons
Sir Michel Renonciat for this meeting around his
know-how, his passion and his expertise in ancient weapons.

Article written in August 2016 and then updated in November 2020.