This book, now available for the first time in an English translation, was published in Dutch in 1732 by lawyer Gerard van Loon. His aim was to give the reader a pleasant and informative tour of the history of coins and medals and the result is an astonishing, entertaining and surprisingly modern numismatic work. The format, layout and plates of this English translation follow closely those of the original edition. This translation opens up to modern readers of all kinds the fascinating thoughts and advice of a numismatist, historian and philosopher who lived and wrote more than a quarter of a millennium age.

This book analyzes the evolving interaction between court and media from an understudied perspective. Eight case studies focus on different European Empress consorts and Queen regnants from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries, using a comparative, cross-media, and cross-period approach. The volume addresses a multitude of questions, ranging from how dynastic women achieved public prominence through their portraits; how their faces and bodies were moulded and rearticulated to fit varying expectations in the courtly public sphere; and the degree to which they, as female actors, engaged with or had agency within the processes of production and reception. In particular, two types of female rulership and their relationship to diverse media are contrasted, and lesser-known and under-researched dynastic women are spotlighted. Contributors: Christine Engelke, Anna Fabiankowitsch, Inga Lena Angstroem Grandien, Titia Hensel, Andrea Mayr, Alison McQueen, Marion Romberg, and Alison Rowley.