РАМБАК АДРИЕН (Королевское Нумизматическое общество Бельгии, Бельгия). Мишле д’Эннери (1709–1786) — коллекционер греческих и римских монет

HADRIEN RAMBACH (Royal Numismatic Society of Belgium, Belgium). Michelet d’Ennery (1709–1786) a Collector of Greek and Roman Coins

Abraham Joseph Michelet de Vatimont, seigneur d’Ennery (1709-1786) has been celebrated as France’s most important collector of ancient coins – equal to Joseph Pellerin whose Greek coins are now in the French national library. His name appears in every publication about numismatics in the 18th century, and his life and collection has been studied by Adrien Blanchet, Thierry Sarmant, and François de Callataÿ, but always in a rather superficial way – no systematic study has been done of his numismatic catalogue, or of his correspondence.

A rumour spread in 1777 that he had sold his coins to the Tsarin Catherine II, but this proves to be mistaken: he continued to buy coins until his last days, and the auction-catalogue of his collection has become a reference book of scholarly value, which is still used to this day because of the many unique coins that it contains.

Manuscript diaries relate his encounter with the Milanese collector Don Carlo Trivulzio, and Michelet d’Ennery’s attempts to obtain important Roman gold coins by exchange – rather than purchase. This fits with the information found in numerous letters of the time have been preserved, wihch allow us to understand his collecting habits: preferably swapping coins, and acquiring entire collections – such as that of Claude Picart Duvau.

On the basis of those unpublished sources, some very rare Roman coins that belonged to Michelet d’Ennery, and whose pedigree has been lost since, will be identified, and when possible their further provenance to earlier collectors shall be traced. Examples of unique coins will also be given, whose existence is only known thanks to their inclusion in the 1788 auction-catalogue of his collection, as well as hoards whose existence is only documented in that catalogue.

нумизматика, коллекционирование, XVIII век, римские монеты, Франция, античность, древности, греческие древности

numismatics, collecting, 18th century, Roman coins, France, antiquities, manuscript sources, Greek antiquities, Roman antiquities