Sixteen Medals with Decorated Frames, Six Blank - Simon de la Boissière

A detailed seventeenth-century engraving featuring sixteen ornate frames for numismatic display, with ten populated by classical coin designs and six left blank.

This engraving by Simon de la Boissière presents a systematic arrangement of sixteen circular frames, each designed to house a numismatic portrait or scene. The composition follows a grid, typical of seventeenth-century catalogue plates intended for scholarly or collector reference. Ten of the frames contain detailed depictions of Roman-style coins, featuring profile busts of emperors, allegorical figures, and symbolic imagery. The remaining six frames are left intentionally blank, suggesting this print functioned as a template or a page from a larger numismatic treatise where the collector could record their own specimens.

The frames themselves exhibit the characteristic ornamentation of the Baroque period. Each is surrounded by delicate scrollwork, acanthus leaves, and floral motifs, providing a decorative contrast to the precise, linear quality of the coin engravings. The artist employs fine hatching to create depth within the circular fields, ensuring the relief of the coins remains legible despite their small scale. The background of the plate is filled with horizontal lines, a technique that flattens the visual space and directs the viewer's attention to the individual medals.

Simon de la Boissière was active in the late seventeenth century, a period when the study of classical antiquities gained momentum among European elites. Prints such as this were essential for the dissemination of knowledge regarding ancient coinage. By combining rigorous documentation with decorative framing, the work bridges the gap between scientific record-keeping and aesthetic display. The clarity of the line work and the balanced distribution of the elements demonstrate a high level of technical proficiency in copperplate engraving. This print remains a valuable example of how historical research was presented and organised in early modern collections, offering a glimpse into the methodical approach of contemporary numismatists.