Jean Varin or Warin was French sculptor and engraver who made important innovations in the process of minting coins.

Born in Liège

Liège

Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....

, Varin moved to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 in 1626. After demonstrating talent as an engraver, he obtained the support of Cardinal Richelieu and in 1647 was appointed head of the French mint. Varin brought back the use of the screw press in the mint, and used it to produce the Louis d'or

Louis d'or

The Louis d'or is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse...

, a gold coin featuring a portrait of Louis XIII. In 1665, he was made a member of the Académie de peinture et de sculpture

Académie de peinture et de sculpture

The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...

.

External links

Painting of Louis XIV and Jean Varin