Kolbe & Fanning
Auction 162 22 Jan 2022
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Augustin Dupré's Proposals for Reforming French Coinage during the Revolution
Dupré, Augustin. OBSERVATIONS PRÉSENTÉES AU COMITÉ DES MONNAIES DE L'ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE, (OCTOBRE 1790) PAR M. DUPRÉ, GRAVEUR EN MÉDAILLES. Paris: de l'Imprimerie de Didot le jeune, rue des Maçons-Sorbonne, no 13, 1790. 8vo, self-covered in somewhat later plain paper covers . 15, (1) pages [page 13 numbered 31 in error]. With the ink stamp of Narcisse Dupré, son of Augustin. Minor toning and spotting. Near fine. A remarkable publication of exceptional historical interest. Augustin Dupré (1748–1833) remains one of the most important engravers of French coins in modern history, and his designs for early U.S. medals (mostly notably the Libertas Americana) have ensured his lasting fame in the western hemisphere. An engraver by trade, Dupré began to work on medals in the early 1770s and quickly became adept. Notable works include several classic medals of the Comitia Americana series: those for Nathanael Greene, John Paul Jones and Daniel Morgan, as well as the related Diplomatic Medal and the Libertas Americana medal. Had the last been his only contribution to the field of American medals, he would justly have remained famous in this country. During the French Revolution, however, he became interested in applying his ideas to the new national coinage that was under discussion. On September 11, 1790, the National Assembly appointed a seven-member committee charged with studying the laws of coinage (Saunier, Augustin Dupré, page 48). Dupré wrote his October 1790 Observations addressed to the Comité des Monnoies de l'Assemblée Nationale, a short work that was printed at least three times, two of which should be considered drafts (this is the final version). Richard Margolis has described this work as "Perhaps the best evidence of Dupré as advocate of change," noting that in it, he "criticized the organization of the French Mints and suggested extensive changes in the existing Mint Administration." The final lines of Dupré's work call upon Newton as an example of the artist/scientist in service to his state: "L'example de Newton rendant sous ce rapport des services essentiels à sa patrie peut, je pense, servir d'excuse à ceux qui sont animés du mème motif." In early 1791, the Assembly adopted some of Dupré's ideas and initiated a contest for new coin designs under the eye of painter Louis David. Dupré won the competition and became the 14th graveur général des monnaies on July 11, 1791. Dupré managed to retain his position as graveur général des monnaies until being replaced by Pierre-Joseph Tiolier in 1803. The present work is rare, being known primarily from institutional holdings. Little-known in the numismatic world, it is rarely included in the usual bibliographies (Engel & Serrure list only a preliminary draft as 2376). It is unmentioned by Lipsius at the end of the eighteenth century and by Dekesel at the beginning of the twenty-first. O.-C. Reure's Bibliothèque des écrivains foréziens ou qui se rattachent au Forez par leur résidence ou leurs fonctions jusqu'en 1835 (Montbrison, 1914) lists it (pages 282–283), as do a few other specialized French bibliographies (though they remain unlisted by Brunet). They were virtually unknown to modern numismatists until the April 2, 2014 sale of the Dupré archives by Bonhams in New York.
Dupré, Augustin. OBSERVATIONS PRÉSENTÉES AU COMITÉ DES MONNAIES DE L'ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE, (OCTOBRE 1790) PAR M. DUPRÉ, GRAVEUR EN MÉDAILLES. Paris: de l'Imprimerie de Didot le jeune, rue des Maçons-Sorbonne, no 13, 1790. 8vo, self-covered in somewhat later plain paper covers . 15, (1) pages [page 13 numbered 31 in error]. With the ink stamp of Narcisse Dupré, son of Augustin. Minor toning and spotting. Near fine. A remarkable publication of exceptional historical interest. Augustin Dupré (1748–1833) remains one of the most important engravers of French coins in modern history, and his designs for early U.S. medals (mostly notably the Libertas Americana) have ensured his lasting fame in the western hemisphere. An engraver by trade, Dupré began to work on medals in the early 1770s and quickly became adept. Notable works include several classic medals of the Comitia Americana series: those for Nathanael Greene, John Paul Jones and Daniel Morgan, as well as the related Diplomatic Medal and the Libertas Americana medal. Had the last been his only contribution to the field of American medals, he would justly have remained famous in this country. During the French Revolution, however, he became interested in applying his ideas to the new national coinage that was under discussion. On September 11, 1790, the National Assembly appointed a seven-member committee charged with studying the laws of coinage (Saunier, Augustin Dupré, page 48). Dupré wrote his October 1790 Observations addressed to the Comité des Monnoies de l'Assemblée Nationale, a short work that was printed at least three times, two of which should be considered drafts (this is the final version). Richard Margolis has described this work as "Perhaps the best evidence of Dupré as advocate of change," noting that in it, he "criticized the organization of the French Mints and suggested extensive changes in the existing Mint Administration." The final lines of Dupré's work call upon Newton as an example of the artist/scientist in service to his state: "L'example de Newton rendant sous ce rapport des services essentiels à sa patrie peut, je pense, servir d'excuse à ceux qui sont animés du mème motif." In early 1791, the Assembly adopted some of Dupré's ideas and initiated a contest for new coin designs under the eye of painter Louis David. Dupré won the competition and became the 14th graveur général des monnaies on July 11, 1791. Dupré managed to retain his position as graveur général des monnaies until being replaced by Pierre-Joseph Tiolier in 1803. The present work is rare, being known primarily from institutional holdings. Little-known in the numismatic world, it is rarely included in the usual bibliographies (Engel & Serrure list only a preliminary draft as 2376). It is unmentioned by Lipsius at the end of the eighteenth century and by Dekesel at the beginning of the twenty-first. O.-C. Reure's Bibliothèque des écrivains foréziens ou qui se rattachent au Forez par leur résidence ou leurs fonctions jusqu'en 1835 (Montbrison, 1914) lists it (pages 282–283), as do a few other specialized French bibliographies (though they remain unlisted by Brunet). They were virtually unknown to modern numismatists until the April 2, 2014 sale of the Dupré archives by Bonhams in New York.