June 12, 2014 – You may know the Belgian numismatist François de Callatay by many of his thorough numismatic studies which are solidly based on facts, numbers and quantification analyses. Now, as he himself declares, he has changed subject looking on the single coin and its beauty in a lecture given at the Brussels Ancient Art Fair in 2013.
As many people judge Greek coins to be the most beautiful ever made, Dr de Callatay asks why this is so referring to famous collectors, numismatists, and artists. In his conclusion four aspects which he illustrates abundantly distinguish Greek coins particularly: their high relief, the abundance of types, the excellency of the art of engraving, and the freshness of these coins given by hammer striking.
The lecture was part of the series of Archaeology and Ancient Art on June 8, 2013. It has now been made available online and we recommend to you this lecture vividly as it shows Dr de Callatay’s great expertise on Greek numismatics and his stimulating approach to an aspect of cultural history. The lecture was given partly in English and partly in French but there are English subtitles available. To watch the lecture click here.
You can find more interviews on the Art Connoisseurs website.