Pierre Joseph Tiberghien (1755-1810), "the Cellini of Flanders" in the Coin Cabinet of the Royal Library of Belgium

Abstract

There is in the Royal Library of Belgium a small collection of eleven engraved medals in gold and silver, dated between 1793 and 1810, and made in Ghent (Belgium) by Pierre Joseph Tiberghien, the “Cellini of Flanders”. Although the comparison with Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) may be an exaggeration, it cannot be denied that his engravings are of superior quality, and that these medals illustrate well the ‘fashion’ of engraved medals at the turn of the 18th century. The aim of this paper is to present the medals and explore the context in which they were produced. After an outline background to medal production in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a few words about the artist Pierre Joseph Tiberghien and his workshop, an explanation of the hallmarks and maker’s marks, the author presents the eleven engraved medals in the collection in detail. These medals reflect the beginnings of industrialization in Europe during the Napoleonic era and show the important role played by the southern Low Countries, whose industrial development was just beginning. These objects are also important from an artistic point of view. Tiberghien was a very talented engraver and goldsmith and most of his medals are little gems. They also show the use of hallmarks and makers’ marks in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.