Journeyman roofers coin, early nineteenth century

For many of its members and for some of our contemporaries, Freemasonry is still something of a myth. It gives life to immutable forms and is able to reproduce them time and time again. So why would memory be needed ? Evolutions within the society have at times been cast as the result of attacks and contengencies from outside forces - in short, of the turbulent life of men and the society. Another more common version, which is less arrogant yet more self-satisfying, sees Masonic history as the fruit of an interrelationship of positive influences from Freemasons, lodges and their ideas from various periods of history - in essence, a refusal to be part of mainstream history, unless seen as a kind of demiurge. Paradoxically, anti-Masonism has entorsed and fostered this impoverished perspective from the start, either by pointing an accusatory finger at the eternal figure of the devil or by denouncing a conspiracy within the existence and the activity of this philosophical society.

Medallion with a symbolic composition including the
main tools of Freemasonry, late nineteenth century

Fortunately, the dichotomy between sacred history and the occult has become even more obsolete these past few years. Yet what role did Masonic objects have within the context ? Whether merely illustrative testimony or objects of curiosity that have been neglected and mistreated by surrounding events at times, theirs status - with the exception of a few symbolic pieces- was clearly insignificant. As with other "minority" groups and all of museographic evolution, only its hisyoric or rituzl signifiance was noted ; the artistic qualities and anthropological contribution remained largely overlooked for years. Freemasonry therefore is growing increasingly aware of the importance of preserving and highlighting its heritage, although this awareness has come at a rather late stage, when the order is somewhat dispersed. Many initiatives at the national level (Tours, Nevers), including several exhibitions, along with interesting historical research, reveal that the situation is evolving.