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The Sun King's Collection of Ancient Coins

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:17,000.00 USD Estimated At:25,000.00 USD
The Sun King's Collection of Ancient Coins
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[Louis XIV]. [MÉDAILLONS ANTIQUES DU CABINET DU ROY]. No place or date of publication (Paris, 1682). Spine title: MEDAILLONS DU ROY. Large folio [50.5 by 35.5 cm / 20.25 by 14 inches], original mottled full calf; spine with seven raised bands, second spine compartment lettered in gilt, remaining seven compartments decorated in gilt incorporating fleurs de lis at the corners and a crown in the center; board edges intricately decorated in gilt; large oval arms of Louis XIV impressed in gilt on both covers. Sans title and text, as issued. 41 very fine plates, engraved by [Simon, some say Giles Jodelet] de La Boissière (a number of them signed De la Boissiere, De la Boissiere fecit, or De Laboissiere fecit), usually depicting the obverse and reverse of eight ancient Greek or, mainly, Roman portrait coins (some roundels are blank), each within a decorative cartouche incorporating a fleur de lis, all on a finely hatched background. Spine ends skillfully restored, joints tightened. Housed in a recent brown quarter leather clamshell book box, crimson "spine" label lettered in gilt. Fine. [...] Indisputably, the volume at hand was specifically designed and fabricated as a book. It is printed on folios (one plate impression on one side, another opposite on the other side), which were then folded in half, gathered, and sewn in signatures. An examination of the chain lines verifies this: in the book version, the chain lines on both plates and blanks are vertical, corresponding to a folded folio sheet, while copies of the individually printed broadsheet plates feature the horizontal chain lines of unfolded sheets. Further, it seems clearly intended for presentation (royal bestowal), featuring, as it does, the King's arms on the covers. [...] In the view of the cataloguers, the special issue of Médaillon du roi offered here may truly be considered one of the glories of French numismatic literature. [Online description truncated: see printed or PDF catalogue for full description.]