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Collectors and Scholars. The Numismatic World in the Long 19th Century<\/p>\nCollectors and Scholars. The Numismatic World in the Long 19th Century<\/p>\n
University of T\u00fcbingen<\/p>\n
April 16-17, 2020<\/p>\n
In the 19th century, developments in the study and collection of coins
\nset the cornerstone for modern numismatics: major steps included the
\nfoundation of learned societies (e.g. Royal Numismatic Society in
\n1836, Numismatische Gesellschaft zu Berlin in 1843, American
\nNumismatic Society in 1858, etc.) and the publication numismatic
\njournals from the 1830s onwards (Revue numismatique in 1836,
\nNumismatic chronicle in 1838, Revue belge de numismatique in 1842,
\netc.) leading to a thriving numismatic community.<\/p>\n
The 19th century is also the time when previously private (Royal)
\ncollections became public institutions (e.g. in Paris following the
\nFrench revolution, or the M\u00fcnzkabinett Winterthur in 1861), and when
\nnew museums were created (e.g. the Capitoline medagliere in 1873,
\nKunsthistorisches Museum Wien in 1891, etc.). Subsequently, museum
\ncurators began publishing scholarly catalogues of their collections,
\nsuch as the British Museum's seminal catalogue series (e.g. Greek
\nCoins from 1873 onwards, or Oriental Coins from 1875 onwards). Some of
\nthe works published in the 19th century were aimed at collectors, such
\nas Th\u00e9odore Mionnet's or Henry Cohen's reference works, but it is
\nnotably thanks to their publications that scholars were able to
\nprocess coin finds as source for dating archaeological sites and
\ndiscussing social history (e.g. Theodor Mommsen identifying Kalkriese
\nas site for the battle of the Teutoburg Forest, as early as 1850, on
\nthe basis of numismatics).<\/p>\n
At the same time, large and famous collections evolved, were traded,
\nor finally bequeathed to museums leading to new research on the
\nsubject. Whilst earlier collectors were almost always generalists
\n(coins being one collecting field among others such as antiquities,
\npaintings, gems, etc.), collectors such as Hyman Montagu or Virgil
\nBrand devoted themselves only to numismatics. These famous collectors
\nwere sometimes scholars themselves, writing noteworthy articles. The
\nnames of John Evans, Friedrich Imhoof-Blumer, William Henry
\nWaddington, Archer Huntington and King Victor Emmanuel III are the
\nmost prominent examples of illustrious collectors with expertise and
\nthe desire to promote numismatic scholarship through their collections.<\/p>\n
The 19th century is also the time when collectors started paying
\ngreater attention to the condition of a coin, and to their provenance,
\nwhile the new medium of photography and improved book-illustrations
\nallowed for the documentation and recognition of individual specimens
\nin auction catalogues and scholarly works likewise. In the same
\nspirit, numismatists themselves became focus of interest: medals and
\ntokens were struck in their names, and books were written about them
\n(e.g. M\u00e9dailles et jetons des numismates in 1865).<\/p>\n
We may also think of the institutional development of archaeology out
\nof philology around the 1840ies to become a discipline of its own that
\ntriggered a shift in perceiving coins predominantly as material
\nmanifestations of the past. In addition, we need to take into
\nconsideration the large scale professional excavations of the century
\n(e.g. the foundation of the Reichslimeskommission in Germany in 1892)
\nthat enabled new methods in studying coins from an academic
\nperspective. Ultimately, this pathed the way for numismatics to become
\na university subject with the evolution of university coin
\ncollections. The 19th century was also a time that saw the growth of
\nnationalism, which was accompanied by a focus on one's history as
\nmirrored in the practice of collecting and trading coins. Questions
\nmay also include to what extend numismatics was received in the realm
\nof contemporary art such as Eug\u00e8ne Delacroix's engravings, and
\nliterature - for example with the many coin references found in the
\nwork of Victor Hugo. These are some of the various new avenues and
\nperspectives the symposium wishes to explore.<\/p>\n
Our aim is to explore the numismatic world in the long 19th century -
\nincluding both, the sphere of academia, and that of collecting and
\ndealing - with a focus on ancient numismatics but also on medieval and
\nmodern numismatics, with an interest for the political, cultural,
\neconomic, and social changes of the era. Thus, a wide range of
\ninternational experts, including numismatists, historians,
\narchaeologists, anthropologists, and art historians are invited to
\npresent their research. Papers that explore specific case studies are
\nparticularly welcome, and talks on non-Western numismatics and on
\nmedals are hoped for.<\/p>\n
Organizers:
\nStefan Krmnicek (T\u00fcbingen) & Hadrien Rambach (Brussels)<\/p>\n
--- Deadline for the submission of the abstracts is October 31, 2019<\/p>\n
\nAbstracts of no longer than 500 words should be sent by email to:
\nstefan.krmnicek@uni-tuebingen.de
\nand
\ncoinadvisor@yahoo.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n