Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Mints, Medals and Ancients Department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) preserves and exhibits the collections of numismatics and antiques collected since the Middle Ages by the kings of France. Originally constituted for the pleasure of the sovereigns and as a metal reserve, this cabinet was distinguished by François I, who attributed to it an existence peculiar to the Château de Fontainebleau. Catherine de Medici and Charles IX, who created the office of "special guard of the king's medals and antiques", contributed to its development.

Under Louis XIV, the Cabinet enjoyed a major expansion thanks to prestigious acquisitions, such as the treasure of Childeric I offered by Emperor Leopold I in 1665. Abbé Breunot, intendant of the Cabinet, supervised his transfer from Fontainebleau to the Louvre and then to the Library of the King on Rue Vivienne after a tragic incident in 1666. Colbert played a key role in this transition. In 1684 the Cabinet was moved to Versailles, where Louis XIV had a dedicated hall built, before his definitive return to Paris in 1741, in the hotel of Nevers.

Open to the public in 1791, the Cabinet of Medals became a place of major research and exhibition. Over the centuries, it was enriched with exceptional gifts, such as Joseph Pellerin's collection of 32,500 Greek coins in 1776 or the ancients of the Count of Caylus. Despite two spectacular thefts (1804 and 1831) that resulted in the loss of priceless objects, its collections now number 520,000 coins, 35,000 antique objects and a documentary fonds of 80,000 books. Since 2022, it occupies a renovated space on the site Richelieu de la BnF.

The Cabinet of Medals is also a national reference centre in numismatics and glyptics. It publishes scientific catalogues, such as the BNCMR (since 1976) and the Treasury series, and houses the Société française de numismatique. Its history reflects the evolution of royal collections towards a public heritage, marked by figures such as the Abbé de Louvois, who organized his repatriation to Paris in 1717, or Ernest Babelon, director during his reconstruction in 1917.

The architecture of the museum includes historical elements, such as the 18th-century medallists and paintings (Boucher, Natoire, Van Loo), saved during the destruction of the "Louis XV Salon" in the 1860s. Jean-Louis Pascal and Ernest Babelon re-established this exhibition when the department was installed in the Vivienne wing (1890–1913). Today, the Cabinet combines conservation, research and exhibition, with dedicated spaces such as the Mazarine gallery or the Luynes hall, opened since 2022.

Collection

Le Cabinet des médailles abrite 520 000 monnaies et médailles. Les monnaies, majoritaires, sont réparties en plusieurs collections.

External links