Did you know that the official Paris 2024 Olympic mascot, the Red Cap of Liberty, can also be found on the Painted Hall ceiling? 

At the centre of the Painted Hall, William III can be seen reaching out to accept an olive branch from a woman representing Peace. In his left hand, he is holding a red object – the Red Cap of Liberty, which he is passing to a character symbolising Europe. But why did the Red Cap of Liberty end up in the Painted Hall ceiling? 

A Symbol of Freedom

The Red Cap of Liberty, also known as the Phrygian cap, is based on an item of clothing that dates to ancient times. Although Phrygian caps did not originally function as liberty caps, they came to signify freedom in Rome, where they were worn by emancipated slaves.  

The cap has been widely used to symbolise freedom in paintings, illustrations and even on coins. For instance, the cap is present in the EID MAR coin, one of the most famous and valuable ancient coins in the world. Issued by Marcus Junius Brutus in 43/42 BC to remind his soldiers that they fought for the Roman Republic, the coin commemorates the assassination of Julius Caesar. On the coin, the Phrygian cap is placed between two daggers, with the inscription EID MAR (short for Eidibus Martiis, the Ides of March) underneath.  

The French Revolution 

The Red Cap of Liberty is perhaps most famous today for its role in the French Revolution (1787–99). With France gripped by the Reign of Terror in 1793, the caps became a symbol of allegiance, and they were worn by anyone, including aristocrats, who wished to avoid the guillotine. The market women, famously sat by the guillotine and knitted liberty caps between beheadings.  

Perhaps the best-known depiction of the Red Cap of Liberty is in the painting Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorating the Second French Revolution of 1830. Liberty is represented by Marianne, symbol of the French Republic, wearing a Red Cap of Liberty. 

The 2024 Olympic Mascot 

The Phryge, an anthropomorphic representation of the Phrygian cap, was chosen as the official mascot of the 2024 Olympics, with an adapted version being created for the Paralympics. At the ceremony to unveil the two mascots, the Paris 2024 president, Tony Estanguet, said: ‘We chose an ideal rather than an animal. We chose the Phrygian cap because it’s a very strong symbol for the French Republic. For French people, it’s a very well-known object that is a symbol of freedom’. 

Thornhill’s Phrygian cap 

The Phrygian cap featured in source books used by European artists from the 1500s onwards. The 1611 edition of Iconologia by Cesare Ripa, a highly influential source book of Egyptian, Greek and Roman emblems, shows a representation of Liberty holding the cap. The artist James Thornhill, who masterminded the Painted Hall ceiling, made extensive use of emblems from this book in his work; which is why he incorporated the Phrygian cap in the Lower Hall ceiling in the Painted Hall. 

Moreover, Tyranny is represented as a figure resembling King Louis XIV of France. He carries a broken sword and is trampled underfoot by William. It is possible that Thornhill depicted Tyranny in such way to showcase the political tensions between Britain and France, as these two countries were at war for most of the 1700s.  

Of course, Thornhill’s representation of the relationship between England and France is a bit outdated. A better representation, which also features the Phrygian cap, would be this poster created for the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition held in London. This poster celebrates the spirit of the newly established Entente Cordiale (cordial agreement), which was signed on 8 April 1904.  

Comprising of a series of agreements between the United Kingdom and the French Republic, the Entente Cordiale marked a significant improvement in Anglo-French relations, addressing issues such as colonial boundaries and fishing rights. This diplomatic milestone paved the way for closer cooperation between the two nations, especially in the face of German aggression leading up to World War I. 

Here, Britannia reaches across the Channel to shake the hand of Marianne, the French personification of Liberty in her red Phrygian cap, which is more in line with the spirit of fraternity present in the 2024 Olympics. 

Discover more about the meaning of the many characters in the Painted Hall by taking part in our daily talks and tours. 

We will be screening the Olympics live on our outdoor screen until 11 August.  

Research and writing contributions by Hamish MacPherson (Visitor Experience Assistant) and Simon Davies (Interpretation Officer).