Josep Salat i Mora (1762-1832). Una vida dedicada a l'estudi de la història monetària de Catalunya

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide a biographical outline of Josep Salat Mora, a lawyer who was born in Cervera in 1762 and died in Igualada in 1832. His entire life focused on studying Catalan coinage, from its origins in the High Middle Ages to the early nineteenth century. This scholarly research effort culminated in the publication in 1818 of his Tratado de las monedas labradas en el Principado de Cataluña... [Treatise on the coins pro¬duced in the Principality of Catalonia]. The study is one of the most important contributions to the process of historio¬graphical renewal experienced by Catalo¬nia from the late eighteenth century onwards, and cemented Josep Salat's status as the father of Catalan numismatists. However, a paradox applies to this author: while the memory of his work persists and is frequently cited, very little is known about his life. This study therefore aims to resolve this anomaly. It highlights the vi¬cissitudes he experienced during his life, particularly during the period when he lived in Igualada and held the post of at¬torney for the Duke of Medinaceli, when he reached the peak of his studies of coinage.