Sir Andrew Fountaine (1676-1753) and his early numismatic correspondence with Andreas Morell (1646-1703) François de Callataÿ ‘Sir Andrew’, as he used to be called after his early elevation to a knightood in 1698 at the precocious age of 22, was a true virtuoso who marvelled his frst masters in England before being applauded by European courts and scholars during his frst grand tour in his mid-twenties. 1 1. Sir Andrew Fountaine, the attractive virtuoso educated in eton, then in oxford, andrew Fountaine (1676-sept. 4, 1753) was chosen by Henry aldrich, the dean of Christ Church, as a ‘canoneer student’ and selected in 1698 as ‘the best classical scholar in the University’ to deliver a latin oration during the visit of the king William iii. 2 From august 1701 to spring 1703, he travelled across europe and became acquainted with such prominent fgures as Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) in Berlin, Cosimo III de Medici (1642-1723) in Florence and, on an antiquarian level, Francesco Ficoroni (1664-1747) in rome. Leibniz described Fountaine as ‘a conspicuous ornament of the most brilliant circles in Europe’ 3 when he replied positively to Fountaine’s request to be elected as a member of the Royal Society of Berlin: ‘I have no doubt that M. Morell at Arnstadt, and M. Imhof at Nürnberg, will also be much obliged to me. One is fortunate when one has a person like yourself to produce. Mademoiselle de Pellnitz, 4 as well as the other ladies, often ask me news of you; not to speak of your wit, your good looks, or rather your beauty, remain engraved in their imagination, and makes as much noise at Court as your learning does among our savans, who have had the advantage of your acquaintance’. 5 Queen Sophia Charlotte of Hanover 6 expressed herself in a similar vein to Hans Caspar von Bothmer 7 in November 1702. She notes: ‘Mylord Woodstock 8 is here as a triumphant man in good fortune. All his appearances are for the good opinion he has of his beauty. The Chevalier Fontaine who is with him does not make as much case of his own. He is mocked as preferring better to see an old medal than a pretty woman. This is due to the fact that he is thinking more freely and he is witty’ (II.14). The handsomeness of the young Andrew Fountaine is still visible in some early portraits (Fig. 1), 9 including a red chalk drawing made in Rome by the most illustrious portraitist of the time, Carlo Maratta (1625-1713). 10 1 This paper is dedicated to Andrew Burnett to whom I am much indebted for having contributed in a certain jury to no less than changing my life. Most correspondence given in this paper (see annexes i and ii) is in French; i have taken the liberty to slightly adapt it to modern usage, for which i give translations in english when quoted in the text. i am very grateful to Jonathan Kagan who revised my english and commented a draft of this paper. 2 Printed in 1714: The Arrival of the king: a poem: inscrib’d to Sir Andrew Fountaine, london. 3 Anon. 1858, 11. 4 Henriette Charlotte von Pöllnitz (c. 1670-1722), lady in waiting of sophie-Charlotte (1668-1708), queen consort of Prussia. 5 Letter of Leibniz to Fountaine (Berlin, Nov. 12th, 1701; see Kemble 1857, 253-4). 6 Queen Sophia Charlotte of Hanover (1668-1705), frst queen of Prussia. 7 Count Hans Caspar von Bothmer (1656-1732), Hanoverian diplomat then in london. 8 Henry Bentinck, 2nd Earl of Portland, Viscount of Woodstock. 9 Christian Friedrich Zincke (c. 1685-1767), Sir Andrew Fountaine, 46mm high (ex Christie’s, 15 oct. 1996, lot 135; Bonham’s, 21 Nov. 2007, lot 112 and Sotheby’s, 14 July 2010, lot 14). See Moore 1985, no. 19, p. 94. 10 Carlo Maratta (1625-1713), Sir Andrew Fountaine, 1702, red chalk on ivory laid paper, 46.7 x 32.3 cm (narford Hall). See Moore 1985, no. 15, p. 93.