-16 juin 1770 : « 1770. 16 giugno. In questa mattina fu da me messer d’Ennery cittadino di Parigi, e uno dei più grandi ed indefessi raccoglitori di medaglie che abbia la Francia. ... Questo gentiluomo è la prima volta che viaggia in Italia, tutto che mostra cinquata e più anni di età. Egli è passato qui a Milano per ripatriare, essendo di già stato a Roma e in tutte le altre citta più cospicue della nostra Italia. Osservate che ebbe le mie medaglie, ne chiedette tre d’oro, cioè il Marco Antonio col rovescio della testa di M. Antonio figlio; il Gallieno con la testa unita a quella di Salonina, ed il Vittorino con la quinta legione macedonica. Egli mi mostrò per far cambio, delle medaglie d’oro a lui duplicate; e tutto che fra queste vi fossero delle teste mancanti a me, in oro, non volli far promessa: nonostante che m’avvedessi, che egli me ne averebbe date a mia scelta, sei, o otto, ed anche più. La ragione di non accudire a questo cambio e, perche due delle mie tre teste sono estremamente rare, cioè il Marco Antonio coll’accennato rouescio, ed il Vittorino con la legione. Il solo Marco Antonio, messer Beauvais, nell’indicata opera, dice trovarsi soltanto nel Gabinetto del Re di Francia, ed in quello di Vienna, e lo prezza seicento franchi, che fanno cinquanta e più giliati; il Vittorino poi con la legione V, forse, è l’unico. Quanto al Gallieno, tutto che in oro non abbia gran rarità, divienne però rarissimo per la testa di Salorina che congiunta con quella del marito si ha nel dritto della
medaglia. Io dissi a questo signore che averia acquistato volentieri da lui, col denaro, delle sue medaglie duplicate in oro; ma non vi fu modo, per quante preghiere facessi, di piegarlo a contentarmi". Addendum: « Dovendo io scrivere l’anno scorso, <1774.>, a Parigi al chiarissimo signor Giuseppe Bartoli che colà si trova da un anno e più, li scrissi di portare i miei rispetti a messer D’Ennerij, e dirli che se per sorte tenesse fra le duplicate qualche moneta d’oro di Carlo Magno col ritratto, assai volentieri l’averei aquistata col denaro. A tal dimanda quel francese mi ha scritto una compita lettera in data di Parigi 27. marzo 1775. esibendomi una medaglia d’oro assai pesante di Carlo Magno, ed alcune altre parimente in oro di molto peso ancor esse, di Lodovico XII. re di Francia come ancora una sacra tavoletta dipinta ne passi tempi, Greca mosca, della quale mi ha complicato nella lettera un accurato disegno: soggiungendo che egli è pronto a far negozio di questi casi, ogni volta che io voglia privarmi delle già di sopra accennate medaglie. Di grazia, qui si ponga mente che dopo cinque anni, tutt’ora questo antiquario mi fa inssanza di avere quelle medaglie: in verità non è poco che un antiquario che raccoglie per tutte le parti, e così ricco come è in uerità messer D’Ennerij non si alì avvenisse di acquistare in qualche museo le tre dette medaglie: questo prova la loro uarità. Questo francese nel propormi li accennati suoi capi, crede forse di allettarmi per medaglie d’oro di qualche peso: ma s’inganna a partito. … ».
("This morning Monsieur d’Ennery, a citizen of Paris, has been with me. He is one of the greatest and indefatigable collectors of medals in France. His Cabinet is often mentioned by Don Tommaso Mangerat (sic!), Benedictine and antiquarian of his royal highness Prince Carlo of Lorraine, governor of the Austrian Netherlands, in his work: Introduction a la science des medailles etc. printed at Paris in the year 1763 in folio magno, but much more is spoken of it by Monsieur Beauvais in his work: Histoire abrégée des Empereurs Romains et Grecs, des Imperatrices, des Cesars, des Tyrans, et des personnes des fammilles imperiales pour lesquelles on a frappé des medailles etc. at Paris 1767, three volumes in duodecimo. This gentleman travels for the first time in Italy, he seems to be over 50 years old. He came through Milan in order to travel back home, having already been to Rome and to all the other most conspicuous cities of our Italy. Having observed my medals, he asked for three in gold, i.e. the Mark Antony with the head of M. Antonius, the son, on the reverse; the Gallienus with the head united to that of Salonina, and the Victorinus with the fifth Macedonian Legion. In exchange he showed me some gold medals which he had in duplicate, and even though among these were heads which I did not have myself, I did not want to commit myself, even though I was fully aware of the fact that he would given my free choice of six or eight, and even more than that. The reason for not concluding the exchange was because two of my three heads are extremely rare, i.e. the Mark Antony with the aforementioned reverse, and the Victorinus with the Legion. The Mark Antony alone, is said by monsieur Beauvais, in his aforementioned work, to be found only in the cabinet of the king of France and in that of Vienna, and the price is of 600 Franks which translate to 50 or more silver coins with the lily stamp. The Victorinus with the fifth Legion is perhaps the only one. As far as the Gallienus is concerned, even though it is in gold, it has no great rarity, it became however very rare through the head of Salonina which is conjoined with that of her husband on the right hand of the medal. I said to this gentleman that I would gladly have made purchases from him, paying with money for the medals he had in duplicate in gold, but there was no way, however much I entreated him, to convince him to satisfy me. P.S. Addendum. Having to write last year <1774.>, to Paris to the very renowned Giuseppe Bartoli who has been living there for the past year or more, I wrote to him to give my regards to monsieur D’Ennerij, and to tell him that should he have among his duplicates some gold coin of Charlemagne with the portrait, I would very happily purchase it in return for payment with money. This Frenchman has responded to my request with a letter written from Paris on 27 March 1775 showing to me a rather heavy gold medal of Charlemagne and others also in gold and of heavy weight of Louis XII, King of France, as well as a holy panel painting executed in the Middle Ages, in Greek style, of which he has compiled me an accurate drawing in the letter, adding that he would be prepared to negotiate a sale of these pieces, as soon as I would wish to deprive myself of the already above-mentioned medals. Goodness gracious, it is hard to believe that after five years to this day this antiquary insists that he wants to have those medals: in reality it is no little matter that an antiquarian who collects everywhere, and as rich as is in reality Mr D’Ennerij has not yet tried [?] to acquire the three above-mentioned medals in some museum: this is proof of their variety. This Frenchman, when he proposed me his above-mentioned pieces, perhaps thinks perhaps to allure me for gold medals of some weight: but he is completely wrong. His large medal of Charlemagne which he describes himself as of recent coinage since it was minted in Aquisgrana [Aachen] by the Chapter of the Basilica of St. Mary [Our Lady]: a church erected by the above mentioned emperor, in which he desired to be entombed; of these medals which are handed out by the churches founded by the Carolingian emperors, one may obtain exemplars quite easily: they have nothing to do with the coins minted while those rulers were alive, which every time that they have their likeness are very appreciated, and serve as continuation to those who wish to own the series up to the present times. But even had it been a coin of Charlemagne minted in his days, I would never have made this exchange, if not as part of a pact to give me eight or ten other gold medals, each one of a different emperor, whose heads I did not have yet.» (Doyen – Rambach 2020, p. 18, note 90).
