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The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 13, March 29, 2020, Article 21

MORE ON THE MINTER'S COSTUME

Moneyer's Habit Last week Anne Bentley forwarded this delightful if creepy image of a moneyer as one with his coin press. It came from a newly-released collection of images from a group of museums in Paris. E-Sylum readers have found more background information on this unusual piece. -Editor

Daniel Demeo writes:

"It matters little, but the artist is anonymous. With a costume like that, a sure winner on Halloween, but is he giving treats from his sack of coins? Here's the link to the museum association:
http://parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/musee-carnavalet/oeuvres/habit-de-monnayeur#infos-principales ."

Actually, it turns out that while that museum didn't know who the artist was, he's not anonymous after all. The work was part of a well-known series. -Editor

Nicolas II de Larmessin: Les Costumes Grotesques

Ron Haller-Williams writes:

"A Google search on the exact phrase of the French wording (i.e. "habit de monnoyeur" - INCLUDING the quotes!) reveals all: Nicolas de Larmessin (or L’Armessin) has sons, TWO of them confusingly also called Nicholas. Both the sons worked on a series "Les Costumes Grotesques: Habits des métiers et professions". This item, a copper engraving, was published in 1695. There seem to be several different sizes. To see some more in the series, take a look at
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Costumes+Grotesques:+Habits+des+m%C3%A9tiers%22&tbm=isch ."

Costumes Grotesques 4 Costumes Grotesques 3
Costumes Grotesques 2 Costumes Grotesques 1

References:
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Ier_de_Larmessin
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_II_de_Larmessin
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_III_de_Larmessin
http://www.pierotrincia.it/en/3337/Habit-de-Monnoyeur---Nicolas-de-Larmessin-II.html
https://collections.mfa.org/objects/401616

Photo Mug of The Minter's Costume

Fancy the image on a mug? Ron even found one of those. Thanks, everyone! -Editor

https://www.mediastorehouse.com/fine-art-finder/artists/b-onnart-1650-1750-bonnart-1650-1750/minters-costume-coloured-engraving-12731384.html?prodid=6974

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: MARCH 22, 2020 : Moneyer's Habit (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n12a16.html)

Anne noted: "It could definitely serve as a Halloween costume in the times of social distancing!" Well, some old-time clothing fads were in fact a means of keeping people apart. Certain people, anyway. See this article on "The fashionable history of social distancing." -Editor

Biggest hoop skirt
A satirical comic pokes fun at the ballooning crinolines

As the world grapples with the coronavirus outbreak, "social distancing" has become a buzzword of these strange times.

Fashion might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of isolation strategies. But as a historian who writes about the political and cultural meanings of clothing, I know that fashion can play an important role in the project of social distancing, whether the space created helps solve a health crisis or keep away pesky suitors.

Clothing has long served as a useful way to mitigate close contact and unnecessary exposure.

In the past, maintaining distance – especially between genders, classes and races – was an important aspect of social gatherings and public life. Social distancing didn’t have anything to do with isolation or health; it was about etiquette and class. And fashion was the perfect tool.

Take the Victorian-era "crinoline." This large, voluminous skirt, which became fashionable in the mid-19th century, was used to create a barrier between the genders in social settings.

While the origins of this trend can be traced to the 15th-century Spanish court, these voluminous skirts became a marker of class in the 18th century. Only those privileged enough to avoid household chores could wear them; you needed a house with enough space to be able to comfortably move from room to room, along with a servant to help you put it on. The bigger your skirt, the higher your status.

In the 1850s and 1860s, more middle-class women started wearing the crinoline as caged hoop skirts started being mass-produced. Soon, "Crinolinemania" swept the fashion world.

To read the complete article, see:
The fashionable history of social distancing (https://theconversation.com/the-fashionable-history-of-social-distancing-134464)

Archives International Sale 58 cover front


Wayne Homren, Editor

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