John Roettiers (4 July 1631 – 1703) was a celebrated English
engraver and medallist.
Roettiers was the oldest son of Philip Roettiers, a
goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...
of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, . He took up the profession of stonecutter and medallist, with his earliest known productions being dated 1658 and 1660. In 1661
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest surviving child o ...
invited Roettiers and his brother
Joseph
Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the m ...
(and subsequently a third brother Philip) to join the British
Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins.
Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury and is un ...
, and by 1662 Roettiers was one of the mint's chief engravers. He was aided by his two sons, James and Norbert. He produced many important coin and medal designs throughout the reign of Charles II, including a new Great Seal in 1666–1667. He also produced the official coronation medals of
James II of England
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
(1685) and
William III and
Mary II
Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694.
Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife A ...
(1689). He died in 1703 and was buried in the Tower.
Roettiers was widely credited as one of the best engravers ever employed at the English mint.
John Evelyn
John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.
John Evelyn's diary, or m ...
termed him "that excellent engraver... who emulates even the ancients in stone and metal" (''
Diary
A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...
'', 20 July 1678), and
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...
declared his medals to be "some of the finest pieces of work, in embossed work, that I ever did see in my life" (''Diary'', 26 March 1666).
John's brother, Joseph, was Engraver-General at the
Monnaie de Paris.
[The French Engraver at the Dublin Mint, Coin News, June 2019.] His sons
James Roettiers (1663–1698) and
Norbert Roettiers (1665–1727) were also famed engravers and medallists both in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
and in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
See also
*
William Chaloner
References
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roettiers, John
1631 births
1703 deaths
17th-century engravers
English medallists
English goldsmiths
English engravers
English silversmiths