The Queens

C13　—　Chain of people

The face of a real politician, not an idealised one.

Supervised by: Mitsuru Hayama　／　Reading time (main text): About 8 min (4,075 characters of text at 500 chars/min; exercises and readings not included)　／　Beyond the text: 10 exercises · 2 coins · 9 readings

What this course teaches you to do

You can explain how portraits of women rulers were treated differently from those of men.
You can explain why coins go on being struck after the person's death.
You can state the clues for judging whether a portrait has been idealised.
You can explain for yourself what the thinness of this chain's material means.
Can interpret the portrait of Cleopatra as a "rejection of idealization".
Can distinguish between historical women and personifications, and narrate the lineage of each.

Lessons (8)

The image she chose, and the image posterity madeA coin portrait is evidence that the person commissioned it. But it is not the actual face — it is the face she wished shown.
A coin struck long after her deathOnce trust passes from the person to the type, a coin goes on circulating with a dead face and a bygone date.
The queen who restored it — Elizabeth IThere was a sovereign who decided to restore. But with our material, the reasons for that decision cannot be followed.
How to handle the thinness of this chainThin material can mirror the writer's interest rather than the subject's nature. Make the thinness itself the question.
A Profile That Refused Idealization — CleopatraUnlike the legendary beauty, a sharp nose and a strong jaw. She herself chose to be engraved as a politician.
A Face That Reached the Villages — Empresses and QueensMaria Theresa's face transcended time, and Victoria's face transcended space. Two models of the power to reach.
The First Banknote Portrait — The Choice of Empress JingūThe face on Japan's first banknote was a woman from legend. We examine the meaning of this choice, including the debate over her existence.
The Lineage of Goddesses — Another Chain of PersonificationsFrom Athena to Britannia and Hispania. Fictional women have served as the face of the nation.

Readings (9)

Hellenism　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　30 BC　Cleopatra
§1. An account of a portrait that was not idealised.
The Maria Theresa thaler　Germany　from 1741　Vienna, the Habsburg imperial capital
§2. The scene where the Maria Theresa thaler begins to be struck.
Austria　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　the 20th century – the present　Still Struck Today
§2. The story of a silver coin still struck after the empire had perished.
Gresham and the recoinage　Britain　1560–1561　The London mint
§3. The scene of a restoring recoinage. Note Gresham of the same period as well.
The birth of the yen　Japan　1881　the Paper Money Bureau, the engraving room
Section 7. A record of a legendary figure's face, determined by the engraver's memory.
19 October 1868　Spain　1869–1870　Madrid, the mint
Section 8. The personification of the nation replacing the king's face, and the words of popular sovereignty.
The State Monopolizes the Right to Print Paper　India　1861　First note
This is the queen's face on paper, not on a silver coin. Please note that on unbacked paper, the face alone becomes the basis of value, and that the portrait was in circulation fifteen years before the title "Empress of India" was adopted.
The Red Sea Standard　Austria　19th–20th Century　Ethiopian Highlands
Even after the Empress's death, her silver coins continued to be the standard in a foreign highland. Please confirm this one point: that the lifespan of a currency flows separately from the lifespan of its issuer.
The London Charter　Turkey　1856　An office in London
The same queen now appears not as a face, but as a royal charter. The fact that it was the Queen of the United Kingdom who authorized the establishment of a bank bearing the Ottoman name——that alone allows us to read the power dynamics of the time.

Assessment

10 exercises in this course (7 check, 1 compare, 2 written). Progress is recorded by self-assessment.