Le numismate

Un exemple de curiosités recherchées

en commun par Peiresc

et des collectionneurs belges. 

Rubens et Peiresc avaient un goût commun pour nombre de choses. Et, en particulier, pour les monnaies et médailles.

Ce goût, Peiresc l'avait cultivé dès sa prime jeunesse, encouragé par les découvertes que l'on pouvait encore faire, dans sa région, de pièces datant de l'occupation romaine.

Très vite, il constitua une collection, qu'il enrichit au gré de ses voyages : de Rome où, on l'a dit, il vécut quelque trois années, il expédia à son père, une dizaine de caisses, dont beaucoup remplies de médailles, et de monnaies antiques. Mais aussi, s'attardant en Flandres, au retour de Londres, il acquiert des médailles d'or de "la première race des rois de France".

A Anvers, s'il rend visite à Nicolas Rockox, bourgmestre de la ville, c'est essentiellement pour découvrir sa collection de monnaies. Peu après, il visitera, à Beaumont, la collection de Charles de Croy, duc d'Aerschot, considéré comme l'un des plus grands numismates du temps aux Pays-Bas. Une collection dont il facilitera la vente, à Paris, plus tard, après la mort de "de Croy", et pour être agréable à Nicolas Rockox, chargé de la négociation.

De 1620 à 1628, les relations nées entre Rubens, Rockox et Peiresc allaient d'ailleurs être placées, essentiellement, sous le signe de l'intérêt qu'ils portaient tous trois aux monnaies antiques et aux camées. Divers projets de publications communes, à cet égard, furent envisagées entre les trois correspondants. Et il n'était pas rare que Rubens et Peiresc s'échangent des caissettes, contenant des moulages ou empreintes de monnaies antiques.

Numismatist 

An example of the curiosities

sought out together by Peiresc

and Belgian collectors.

Rubens and Peiresc had a shared taste for many things. And in particular for coins and medallions.

Peiresc had cultivated this taste from his early youth, encouraged by the discoveries which could still be made in his region, of coins dating from the Roman occupation.

He very rapidly built up a collection which he added to in the course of his travels: from Rome, where, as has been said, he lived for three years, he dispatched around ten boxes to his father, many of which were filled with medallions and ancient coins. But in Flanders, too, when he stopped off on the return journey from London, he also acquired gold medallions from 'the first dynasty of French kings'.

In Antwerp, when he paid a visit to Nicolas Rockox, the city's burgomaster, it was principally to view his collection of coins. Shortly afterwards, at Beaumont, he was to see the collection belonging to Charles de Croy, Duke of Aerschot, who was considered to be one of the greatest numismatists of his time in the Netherlands. This was a collection whose sale he was later to facilitate in Paris, after the death of "De Croy", in order to be helpful to Nicolas Rockox, who had responsibility for the negotiations.

From 1620 to 1628, the contacts which sprang up between Rubens, Rockox and Peiresc fell in the main within the area of the interest which all three of them had in old coins and cameos. Various plans for joint publications in this field were contemplated by the three correspondents. And it was not unusual for Rubens and Peiresc to exchange small cases containing castings or rubbings of old coins.