Joaquín Rubio y Muñoz facts for kids

Joaquín Rubio y Muñoz (born July 27, 1788 – died November 30, 1874) was a Spanish lawyer. He was also a famous antiquarian (someone who studies old things) and numismatist (a coin collector) in the city of Cádiz, Spain. He built a large library of old writings and rare books. He was especially known for his huge collection of ancient coins and medals. Many of these are now in museums in Spain and Denmark.

His Early Life and Family

Joaquín Rubio was born on July 27, 1788, in the city of Cádiz. He was baptized four days later at the San Antonio church [1]. His full baptismal name was very long: Joaquín José María Nazario Juan Nepomuceno Rubio y Muñoz. However, he usually just used Joaquín Rubio.

His parents got married in Cádiz Cathedral in 1774. But they both came from other parts of Andalusia. His father, Juan Felipe Rubio Egea, was born in Córdoba, Spain in 1740. His mother, Ana Ramona Muñoz de Pedros, was born in the small town of Villa de Casares, Málaga in 1750.

A Family of Lawyers

Joaquín became a lawyer, just like his father, brother, and son. He held several important legal jobs. For example, he was a public notary in Cádiz. He was also a secretary for a court in Cádiz.

Outside of his legal work, he was very active in other areas. He was the President of the Archaeological Deputation for Cádiz province. He was also a member of the Royal Academy of History [2] in Spain. He belonged to the Spanish Academy of Archaeology and the Cádiz Academy of Don Alonso the Wise. He even received an award from the King of Denmark, which we'll talk about later.

Marriage and Children

Joaquín Rubio married María Dolores Bosichy Pitaluga in 1823. They got married in the San Lorenzo church [3] in Cádiz. María Dolores was from Cádiz. However, her family had some Greek roots. Her grandfather, Rodolfo Bosichi, was born in Patras, Greece. He moved to Cádiz to become a merchant.

Joaquín and María Dolores had two children. They named them after themselves: María Dolores Rubio Bosichy and Joaquín Rubio Bosichy. Their son, Joaquín, married María Josefa de Artecona y de Lafuente. She later became the Marquesa de Casa Rábago. Her grandmother, María Josefa Fernández de Rábago O'Ryan, was a kind person. She worked hard to create free schools for girls in Cádiz [4].

His Amazing Collections

For over forty years, Joaquín built a huge collection of coins [5]. He especially loved old coins from ancient Carthage, Greece, and Rome. He also gathered a private library of rare books and old writings.

Because of his collections, he connected with many scholars and collectors. In 1852, a museum curator called him a "learned antiquarian and famous coin collector." In 1848, a writer named Adolfo de Castro mentioned Joaquín's "very precious" private library. He said Joaquín was "a great antiquarian and owner of many extremely rare books and manuscripts."

Working with Other Scholars

Joaquín exchanged many letters with Bartolomé José Gallardo. Gallardo was a famous writer and thinker. Fifty of these letters are now in the library of the Spanish Royal Academy of History. They talk about different literary topics.

The letters also mention a book published in 1845. It was a history of Cádiz from the late 1500s. Joaquín Rubio wrote an extra section for the book about the coins of Cádiz [6]. The letters show that Joaquín and Gallardo were good friends. Gallardo also knew Joaquín's son, Joaquín Rubio Bosichy. The son was studying law in Madrid in the 1840s.

An Award from a King

On November 16, 1847, when Joaquín Rubio was 59, he received a special award. He was made a Knight of the Royal Danish Order of the Dannebrog. This award is named after the Danish flag.

Coins for a King

Joaquín received this award because he helped King Christian VIII of Denmark. The King was also a coin collector. Joaquín agreed to sell or trade some rare coins from his collection. These were coins that the Danish King really wanted for his own collection. The coins were sent to Copenhagen in November 1847.

Today, some of Joaquín's coins are still in the Royal Coin Collection. This collection is at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. However, most of his collection is now in Spain. Over 8,000 coins from the "Rubio collection" were moved to the National Archaeological Museum of Spain in Madrid while Joaquín was still alive.

A New Home for His Collection

In the 1850s, there was interest in buying Joaquín's collection for Spain. People discussed whether it should go to the National Museum or another museum [7]. Joaquín gave some rare coins to the Academy's collection [8]. But he sold most of his coin collection to the national collection in May 1858. This included 8,298 coins, with 190 gold coins.

Joaquín likely thought about what would happen to his coins in the future. His children were both married by then. It seemed they did not share his passion for coins. In 1858, he turned 70 and wrote his will. He had already given money to his children when they married. He also had a new granddaughter that year. He realized it was smart to find a safe, permanent home for his collection. He lived another sixteen years, but he made a good choice. His collection found a home with the best coin collection in Spain.

Joaquín did not stop collecting after selling so many coins. A guide to Cádiz from 1871 said his private coin collection was "still increasing"! Even though he had given many excellent pieces to museums, he kept adding more. He lived until November 30, 1874, dying at age 86. He spent his whole life in the city of Cádiz.

See also

In Spanish: Joaquín Rubio y Muñoz para niños