Württemberg State Museum – Coin Cabinet

The German version of this text was written by Matthias Ohm.

Background

The coin collection of the Württemberg rulers dates back to the end of the 15th century. Eberhard im Bart (reigned 1459-1496) collected coins, especially those of the Roman emperors. A century later, the Stuttgart Kunstkammer (Stuttgart art chamber) was founded. Descriptions of this collection from the early 17th century indicate extensive numismatic holdings. As well as individual gold, silver and copper coins, there are also references to coin bowls, vessels with coins embedded in the base and walls. During the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War, large parts of the Stuttgart Kunstkammer were lost, including almost all the coins and medals.

Soon after the Peace of Westphalia, Duke Eberhard III (reigned 1633-1674) re-established a Kunstkammer in Stuttgart, paying particular attention to the collection of coins and medals. Roman coins in particular were of great interest to Eberhard III. He employed the Frenchman Charles Patin (1633-1693), one of the leading numismatists of his time, to document and expand these holdings.

In the 18th century, the collections of two lines of the Württemberg dynasty also came to Stuttgart: the collection from Mömpelgard (Montbéliard) was integrated in 1741, and a good decade earlier the collection of almost 8,000 coins and medals from the line of Württemberg-Neuenstadt.

The history of the cabinet since the 19th century is marked by the long tenures of its curators, such as Christoph Friedrich Stälin, Peter Goessler, Elisabeth Nau and Ulrich Klein. With different emphases, they succeeded in expanding the holdings considerably. For example, the Unger Collection (with Celtic coins and coins from the Migration Period) and the Braun von Stumm Collection (with coins from the High Middle Ages) were acquired. There are also important regional finds, such as the Marbach gold hoard of over 1,000 gold coins.