FRANCE. Conjugal Trials Satirical Copper Jeton, 1660. PCGS AU-53.

Feuardent-9608; Neumann-39921; Mitchener-3489-91 (though erroneously described as a type pertaining to the many wars of Louis XIV). Diameter: 27mm. On the topic of trials alleging impotence and promoting the "re-education" of "deviant" women by Father Lustucru. Obverse: VNICVS EST S[P]ECIE ( he is unique in appearance... ), two blacksmiths standing around anvil, both hammering and with one holding head of woman with pincers upon anvil; Reverse: OMNE FERENS MALVM (...bearing all that is evil ), monkey, holding whip and reins, riding donkey left and bearing basket filled with heads of women. If one thinks that the explosion of reality TV of our era, with its poking and prodding into the private lives of some merely for the morbid curiosity of others, is actually anything new, it may come as a surprise that, in fact, it is not. In 17th century France, for instance, married couples were required, by law, to "perform their conjugal duties" with one other, submitting on demand for one partner to the other. In the instance of male impotence, such duties obviously created an impossible task for the husband, and one for which he could be tried for committing a larcenous act. The wife, who may wish to seek a divorce, could bring about a trial that would subject the couple to bedroom inquisitions and every type of examination to determine what exactly did, and did not, function properly. Needless to say, such trials were publicized, making them a voyeuristic forerunner to the most salacious stories of today. One such instance, and quite possibly the most famous, involved a French nobleman, René de Cordouan, the Marquis de Langey, who married Mademoiselle Marie de St Simon de Courtemer in 1653. Their marriage is described as happy for the first four years, though Madame Langey charged her husband with the claim of impotence in 1657, causing much in the way of examination into their intimate lives and bodies as well. The court found both husband and wife physically capable, though Madame Langey nevertheless insisted in the inadequacies of the Marquis, causing him to seek her damning allegations to be disproven so that his good name (and abilities) would be cemented in the eyes of the heavily invested public. His Trial by Congress, however, was not successful, as it was required that the couple submit to a private bathhouse for an evening, with a not-so-private jury of 15 individuals (five surgeons, five physicians, and five matrons) there to observe any fulfillment of conjugal duties. The Marquis, likely on account of the prying eyes all around, was unable, condemning his reputation and granting unto his wife a legal dissolution of their marriage. It is interesting to note that, years later, the Marquis would marry again, this time to Diana de Montault de Navaille, with whom he would father seven children. Given the nature of these allegations and subsequent trials, it seems obvious that some men become highly suspicious of "deviant" women who would use such a legal means as a way in which to seek a new marriage (and destroy their aura of masculinity). It was around this time that a mythical figure, Father Lustucru, appears in writings and engravings, with the goal of "re-educating" women who were seen as rebellious or hysterical to the patriarchy. This figure was presented in the setting of a blacksmith, with the severed heads of women being beaten with hammers upon anvils in an attempt to "cure" them of their wicked and wild ways. A simian-like creature, usually a monkey, was employed to ride a donkey, collecting the heads of various women in satchels and bringing them to Lustucru's forge for such "corrections," with a sign above his shop bearing some form of the phrase "the best woman is one without a head."

Estimate: $150.00- $300.00