‘ 
MONTHLY 
THE 
MAGAZINE. 

No. 58. 
NEAL NS © TOO.” 
[No. 4. of VoL. 9. 


ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
ACCOUNT of the INVENTION of CITIZEN 
MIONET, at PARIS, of PASTES Of ANCI- 
ENT MEDALS. By PROFESSOR BOT- 
TIGER. 
BE late Profeffor Eckhel, at Vienna, 
the immortal author of the Dodtrina 
Nummorum, had made the plan of illuftrat- 
ing his clafficat work, in which the ancient 
numifmatick was _firfc raifed to the rank of. 
a feience, by a fet of copper-plates illuf- 
trating ancient medals ; but, how defirable 
foever fuch a colleStion might have been, 
the great expences conneéted with it 
would fcarcely have allowed him to execute 
his defion. However, the beft engravings 
of coins, though they furpaffed in exatt- 
nefs and truth thofe of Pellerin, or even 
- Neumann’s Numuni inediti, which may, 
without hefitation, be efeemed the moft 
- accomplifhed in their kind, are only a very 
"Lead fupply of a want, and will never 
e fit to accuftom our eyes and tafte to a 
right eftimation of thofe works which 
often contain, in the fmalleft fpace, the 
-higheft perfeStion of Grecian fculpture. 
‘The number of thofe who may get accefs to 
a collection of Grecian coins, and infruét 
themfelves by contemplating thé originals, 
is very {mall ; the acquifition of coins be- 
comes every day more doubtful and ex- 
penfive ; for the robberies of the French 
in Italy have-done injury to the fcience of 
~ numifmaticks in feveral refpects. It would 
be well, if all the coins taken from public 
and private colleétions were re-affembled 
in the public mufeum of the French na- 
tion, fo that every traveller might contem- 
plate them there at leifure; all ftrangers 
being received there with the higheit po- 
litenefs, and being welcome as often as 
they pleafe to fearch it without any re- 
muneration. But the rapacioufnefs of the 
_ French commiffaries in Italy fuffered only 
{ma]l contributions to be derived into the na- 
tional collections,.and the beft and choicelt 
coins of the Italian celleétions are come ex- 
clufively into the hands of rich dilettanti in 
England, and fo fhut out for ever from 
every public ufe!! However, the antiqua- 
rian, the geographer, the philologift, and 
the artift might learn more by them; than 
» tril now has been fufpected; and what 4d- 
difow attempted with good fuccefs for the 
iljuftration ‘of the Roman poets by coins, 
might now, after fo many and fo- important 
numifmatical difcoveries, be exeguted in 
Montsury Mas. No 58.. 
the moft advantageous manner, with re- 
{pet to the whole encyclopzdia of anti- 
quities and arts, to be illuftrated by coins; 
the work of Spanhemius, calculated to 
ferve the fame purpofe, being too diffufe, 
and in many parts defective now. The 
hiftory of arts, particularly, which is ftill 
involved in fo much obfcurity, would re- 
ceive more illuftrations from an exact com~ 
parifen of the Greek coins of Lower Italy 
and Sicily, than by other remains of ancient 
arts. For coins only lead to certain epo- 
chas, and remove all fufpicion of falfifica- 
tion. It is related that Rubens poffefled 
a choice collection of ‘ancient coins, and 
learned much by it 1 allegory and com- 
pofition; and this fhduld not be loft for our 
{chools of arts, and academies of painting. 
Thefe remarks feemed neceffary to thew 
in its full extent the merit of Citizen Mz. 
onet, underkeeper ef the national cabinet 
of medals at Paris, who has moft fuccefs- 
fully attempted to copy the fineft coins of 
antiquity in faithful paftes. As his fulphurs 
are entirely arranged according to Eckhel’s 
plan, the dilettanti may now the eafier 
difpenfe with the engravings ‘for that work. 
As they are made with the greateft faith- 
fulnefs and beauty, the ftyle and elegance 
of thofe works of art may as well be ftu- 
died by them, as by the originals thems 
felves ; and, as the price is extremely rea- 
fonable, and one may chufe freely what 
one wifhes moft to poffefs of the whole 
collection, the buying of fuch a collection 
of paftes is rendered extremely eafy for® 
public inftitutions and academies, and for 
private men. ‘* This fuite,”’ fays Citizen 
Mionet, ina letter of the end of Septem- 
ber, «¢ is formed after the immenfe collec- 
tion of the coins of nations, towns, and 
kings,.in the national mufeum., ‘The ca= 
talogue belonging to them, and which will 
appear without delay, follows, in every 
particular, the claffification of Eckhe! in 
his Deéirina Nummorum. Each medal. is 
numbered, fo that it will be ealy for every 
dilettanti to give commiffions for entire 
provinces or fingle numeros, which he 
wifhes to get from the collection, without 
danger of being mifunderftood. My with 
was to enable every dilettanti to acquire, 
in a fhast time, the knowledge of ail the “ 
legends and types. They fhould receive 
a fure means, by which they might the 
eafier read and judge the coin in their of 
othere 
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