The E-Sylum:  Volume 6, Number 40, October 5, 2003, Article 13

FEATURED WEB PAGE

  This week's featured web page is  the ?Cabinet des Médailles?
  of France.

  "The Department of Coins, Medals and Antiquities of the
  Bibliothèque nationale de France is traditionally called the
  ?Cabinet des Médailles? or the ?Cabinet de France?.  In
  effect, it originated in the collection of the kings of France.

  From the Middle Ages on, monarchs such as Philippe-
  Auguste, Jean le Bon and Charles V preserved all kinds of
  precious and rare objects in their coffers: manuscripts, gold
  and silver objects, engraved stones and undoubtedly antique
  coins, which were classified as ?medals? until the 19th century.
  Amassed for pleasure as well as to constitute valuable reserves,
  these collections traversed all the vicissitudes of history,
  even being pawned and pillaged. It was only after certain items
  in the royal collections were irretrievably damaged during the
  Wars of Religion and after Charles IX created a ?special
  guardian of the king?s medals and antiquities? that the idea of
  a royal patrimony emerged."

     http://www.bnf.fr/site_bnf_eng/collectionsgb/indexgb.htm
  

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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