National Emblem of France

Infobox Coat of arms
name = National Emblem of France

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image_width = 200
middle =
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lesser =
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armiger = The French Republic
year_adopted = 1912 (1953)
crest =
torse =
shield = RF, standing for _fr. République française
supporters =
compartment =
motto =
orders =
other_elements = Fasces, laurel branch, oak branch
earlier_versions =
use =

The current emblem of France has been a symbol of France since 1953, although it does not have any legal status as an official coat of arms. It appears on the cover of French passports and was originally adopted by the French Foreign Ministry as a symbol for use by diplomatic and consular missions in 1912 using a design drawn up by the sculptor Jules-Clément Chaplain.

In 1953, France received a request from the United Nations for a copy of the national coat of arms to be displayed alongside the coats of arms of other member states in its assembly chamber. An interministerial commission requested Robert Louis (1902–1965), heraldic artist, to produce a version of the Chaplain design. This did not, however, constitute an adoption of an official coat of arms by the Republic.

Technically speaking, it is an emblem rather than a coat of arms, since it does not respect heraldic rules—heraldry being seen as an aristocratic art, and therefore associated with the Ancien Régime. The emblem consists of:

*A wide shield with lion-head terminal bears a monogram "RF" standing for "République Française" (French Republic).
*A laurel branch symbolises victory of the Republic.
*An oak branch symbolises perenity or wisdom.
*The fasces is a symbol associated with justice (from Roman lictor's axes, in this case not fascism).

In September 1999, the French government adopted a new identifier incorporating the Republican motto, the colours of the flag, and the Republic's personification, Marianne.

History