Money Matters in European Artworks and Literature, c. 1400-1750

Money Matters in European Artworks and Literature, c. 1400-1750 explores coins as material artefacts and agents of meaning in early modern arts, highlighting their power, labour, and illusion. It includes essays on power and authority, currency and global trade, coins and persons, circulation, credit, and risk, and an Afterword on a contemporary artist.

Format: Hardback
Length: 326 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2022
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press

Money Matters in European Artworks and Literature, c. 1400-1750 delves into the significance of coins as material artefacts and agents of meaning in early modern arts. These precious metals, with their double-sided form and emblematic character, held profound resonance in European culture and cultural encounters. They embodied Europe's power and the labor involved in extracting gold and silver, particularly in colonized regions. The efficacy of coins relied on faith in their inherent value and the authority perceived to be imprinted into them, guaranteed by the institution of the Mint. However, they could also speak eloquently of illusion, debasement, and counterfeiting. The book begins with a substantial introduction that precedes essays by interdisciplinary scholars on five themes: power and authority in the Mint, currency and the anxieties of global trade, coins and persons, coins in and out of circulation, and credit and risk. An Afterword on a contemporary artist demonstrates the continuing expressive and symbolic power of numismatic forms.

Dimension: 240 x 170 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789463726078