The academic swords
Lorenz Bäumer has made 4 swords for academics Gabriel de Broglie, Jacques Taddéi, François Girod and Xavier Darcos.
It is traditional for the friends of a future academician to meet in a "sword committee" to give him his sword. Far from being a weapon, this is a work of art; a manifesto in which can be read, in symbolic terms, the events, the ambitions, the loves, and the convictions which built or punctuated the course of the one who accesses the immortality of men.
The Sword of
Gabriel de Broglie
On the sword of Gabriel de Broglie, a great bibliophile, Lorenz Bäumer has made azure and gold dominate, reminiscent of the arms of his family. On the ring of the scabbard, books and an oil lamp, the emblem of Madame de Genlis, appear.
Underneath are engraved the arches of the Palais-Royal, recalling both the Council of State of which he has been a member since 1960 and the Orleans family to which Madame de Genlis was attached. Finally, on the blade, the title of an essay by the academician sounds like a credo: "The Frenchman so that he lives".
The Sword of
Xavier Darcos
Xavier Darcos was elected to the Académie des sciences morales et politiques on June 26, 2006 and elected to the Académie Française on June 13, 2013.
The Sword of Xavier Darcos is an allegory of the Bay of Arcachon where the blue represents the sky and the sea, the white for the clouds, the yellow for the sand of the Dune du Pilat, and finally the star as the celestial light. Lorenz Bäumer has represented through this sword all that is dear to Xavier Darcos.
The three children of Xavier Darcos are represented on the pommel of the sword by three stars and a there is a large 4th star for his wife Laure. On the twisted fuse inscribed in blue letters are two quotes: "Per aspera ad astra" and "Tibi or not to be." On the guard in the shape of a waving feather are marked the names of historical authors: Ovid, Tacitus (or Prosper Merimee), and Oscar Wilde on who the academician wrote. The scabbard in raised blue leather reveals stars that form two winking eyes. On the golden bouterolle an organ pipe reminds us of his passion for opera, and on the throat, a glass and cutlery are a reminder of his membership in the 100 Club which meets every Thursday for lunch. Finally, on the chape of the blade, is engraved a bunch of grapes which flow into wine. This seals the collaboration between the Medoc and the Opus One estate.
For Lorenz Bäumer, each of these swords allows him to enter a fascinating world, where he tries to restore the means of expression that are his.
