Illustrium Imagines
Authors: Andrea Fulvio
Andrea Fulvio’s Illustrium Imagines (1517) is a cornerstone of the Dwight N. Manley numismatic library, featuring the first illustrated depictions of Roman emperors, empresses, and other notable figures in history. Until the 20th century, numismatic books with detailed images of coins and medals were rare luxuries, but advances in printing eventually made them accessible to collectors. These illustrated works remain essential for studying the history, people, and technology of their times.
Andrea Fulvio (c.1470-1527) was a scholar and historian of the humanist school, focusing research on ancient texts. He was influenced by his friend Pomponio Leto and collaborated with the publisher Mazzocchi on Illustrium Imagines and other works. Where scholars of the Renaissance focused research on ancient texts, Fulvio used information gained from images and inscriptions on ancient Roman coins as his primary sources. Many large collections from this period are known due to ledgers describing the collections, including coins owned by Pietro Barbo and Lorenzo de’Medici among others.
This book describes significant figures in the history of Rome from its founding, represented in the god Janus, through Holy Roman Emperor Henry III (b.1016-d.1056). Entries include a brief biography of the individual and an illustration, and are organized chronologically and by familial relationship. Illustrations are woodcuts based on coins and medals available to Fulvio at the time of his research and are composite or representative images. Nevertheless, this book remains significant in the use of objects in historical research and to illustrate historical figures. The woodcuts are attributed to Giovanni Battista Palumba, a contemporary of Michelangelo.