W. C a r e w H a z l i t t Coinage of the European Continent

1 8 The Coins of Europe
of deniers, first of the original Prankish type, and secondly
of the less archaic one belonging to the later years of
Charlemagne, with which the French silver currency practically
commenced under Charles le Chauve.
The German series in its wealth of portraiture, and the
singularly strong personality of many of its larger silver
coins, \sfaciUprinceps. There was a manifest aim on the
part of those who controlled the designs for the currency to
profit to the utmost extent and at every opportunity by the
advantage which was undoubtedly discerned in popularising
the likenesses of reigning families ;
and even on pieces of
the smallest module we find the portrait of the sovereign
introduced. Of all the Teutonic nationalities, however,
Saxony through its length and breadth carried this principle
the farthest : on several of the thalers of the ancient dukedom
proper it is not unusual to meet with three or four portraits,
representing the prince himself and his brother or cousins
in a variety of positions; and one of Saxe-Weimar, 1615,
bears the bell, we believe, in possessing the maximum of eight
effigies those of Johann Ernst and his seven brothers an
absolute gallery of family portraits within an extremely
moderate compass.
We prefer to see in such a practice more than meaningless
self-assertion or vainglory. It was rather a method,
agreeable to the spirit and possibilities of the time, of identifying
and recognising the members of the reigning family,
and of bringing their resemblances ' before the eyes of the
people in the readiest and most frequent manner.
In venturing upon such a high estimate of German
excellence in this direction, we must remember that that
country was only carrying into a cognate and collateral
field its noble achievements in wood-engraving nor do we
;
lose sight of the early Italian school of numismatic and
medallic art, for the close relationship between Italy and
Germany under the imperial system from the time of Charlemagne
produced a community of taste and treatment easily
recognisable on the coinages of the two nations, both in
regard to portraiture and costume.