An Interview with Chiara Principe
Chiara Principe talks coin artistry, the power of symbolism, and putting heart into every design.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Switzerland's 100-franc Vreneli gold coin. To celebrate this centennial feat, Swissmint and MKS PAMP have collaborated to create the "100 Years of the 100 Franc Vreneli" commemorative gold coin, designed by coin and medal designer Chiara Principe. Below, World Coin News interviewed Principe about the new Vreneli and her career in coin design.*
World Coin News (WCN): When did you start creating art?
Chiara Principe (CP): Passion for art, manual skills, and creativity have always been part of me. Drawing was my first love. Since I was a child, I used to spend hours and hours with pencils and sheets, just drawing everything I could see around or imagine in my mind, creating new characters and stories. My ideas were quite clear from the beginning: art had to cover a central role in my life! During high school, I fell in love with sculpture, and by chance, I came across the Italian Mint Art School, which I then attended after graduating. Its courses covered a wide variety of artistic techniques, and it was there that I really started creating art for the first time!
WCN: Do you have any inspirations or philosophies that you follow in your artwork?
CP: "He who works with his hands is a labourer.
He who works with his hands and head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an Artist."
These words have been attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi, and I really love this quote since I think it is the recipe for creativity.
Hands, head, and heart are the three elements that best describe the soul of my work! The three main channels of my inspiration, through which my art was born, still grows, and takes shape—often through coins.
WCN: What is the coin design process like for you? Does it differ from medals?
CP: For me, the design process is a great mix of emotions: it starts with the fear of the blank page, moves on to curiosity about the subject, the desire to make it my own by reworking it, and the excitement of finally seeing it blossom into new aesthetic and communicative forms. Being part of this process is a great privilege for me, especially because coins are not art for art's sake, but are at the service of those who use them every day and can enjoy their beauty and the message they convey.
The design of coins, especially those in circulation or institutional coins, is very different from that of medals. On a technical level, it imposes more restrictions, but at the same time, it allows you to speak to a much wider audience. This requires the use of a clear, immediate, and effective visual language!
WCN: What is it like to see your work in person?
CP: In a certain way, especially for projects that require a lot of preparation and hard work, when I get the chance to see one of my coins in person, it's like seeing a child finally come into the world! After months and months of planning, dreaming, and revising, the pride of seeing all this permanently engraved on metal is truly something special, and it becomes part of history.
WCN: Can you describe the design process for the 2025 100-Franc Vreneli? What inspired you?
CP: Behind the design of this coin was a long process of learning about and connecting with Swiss history and heritage, linked to the 1925 100-franc Vreneli coin. The first step was to immerse myself in the origins of this coin: its history and its role in the Swiss people's family traditions and heritage. I was fascinated by the artist who created the Vreneli (F. Landry) and by the interesting events surrounding the competition for the coin's image, which made it a numismatic icon in Switzerland.
I immediately felt a deep connection with this fascinating and mysterious young girl with simple features and clothes, so different from the Roman goddesses to which numismatic iconography was accustomed. With her authenticity and simplicity, she inspired me both artistically and personally, and I greatly desired to pay homage to this beautiful figure by continuing her story. The woman who embodies Switzerland in the new design has grown up and is more mature and aware than the young Vreneli. She looks firmly straight at us and merges with the Swiss national symbols generated by her features and hair. The new coin conveys the elegance and strong beauty of a country as rich in history, nature, and innovation as Switzerland. It also highlights the importance of coins as historical witnesses and sentimental heritage in people's lives, just as the gold Vreneli has been to the Swiss for the past 100 years.
WCN: Do you have a favorite coin that you designed?
CP: It is difficult to choose between the many projects that have remained close to my heart. The experience of bringing such an important numismatic icon as the gold Vreneli to life will certainly (hold) a special place in my heart for a long time to come. In terms of creativity and at a professional level, its design is undoubtedly the best I have done so far.
However, emotionally speaking, I would probably choose my first 2-euro coin, issued by the Vatican Mint in September 2015 (coinciding with my wedding!) and dedicated to family, on the occasion of the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
In some way, for me, this coin symbolizes the true beginning of my career. Creating euro coins was my dream, and what's more, this design was the first to truly reflect my creativity without too many external restrictions. Every time I look at it, I can't help but smile!
WCN: What is it like to be a freelance coin designer? What are the perks and the downsides?
CP: Being a freelance coin designer is a constant challenge, one that must be tackled in a new way every day. Being your own boss may seem amazing, but it requires three times the effort because you not only have to know how to do your job––in my case, design––but you also have to be your own salesperson, marketing manager, and accountant. Among the positive aspects, however, is stepping out of your comfort zone and working on a wide variety of commissions, which allows me to belong to a very diverse clientele and therefore receive great continuous stimulation.
But what makes me happiest about my freelancing lately is the preciousness of building relationships with clients and people in the numismatic field, something I would never have experienced in such a direct and engaging way if I were working as an employee. Establishing relationships of trust and support is my primary goal when someone approaches me for work; it is never just business. The human value of how a project is conceived and carried out by all those involved in its realization is clearly visible in the final result, and it is one of the main elements on which I base my approach to working. It is about bringing into play the third element mentioned in the above quote: the heart! Putting my heart into my work generates beauty, not only at a design/aesthetic level, but above all, at a human level, for the people involved in its creation, right up to the end customers!
WCN: Do you have advice for artists who are interested in coin design?
CP: Rather than advice, I have an invitation: give this passion and yourselves an opportunity! Behind a small piece to be designed, such as a coin, there can be a world of creativity and meaning just waiting for you to be imprinted forever in metal and history. And no one but you can make this happen in your unique way!
*Interview has been edited for clarity and length.
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