Appointed by William II, King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine (1787-1871) was governor from 1841 to 1848.

In 1845, he was a founding member of the Archaeological Society. He was also passionate about coins, and own prestigious collection included Celtic, Roman and medieval coins found in Luxembourg, but also coins from older Luxembourg collections. Around 1870, he commissioned the artist Nicolas Liez (1809-1892) to produce illustration plates of his collection of 200 Luxembourg coins.

Liez was one of Luxembourg’s early lithographers. He had become familiar with this new technique at Mons and Charleroi, Belgium. In 1834, he published a collection of his lithographs in Voyage pittoresque à travers le Grand Duché de Luxembourg, testifying to his mastery. Lithography, which had been developed in Germany in the late 18th century, made it possible to print and widely disseminate drawings executed in pencil on soapstone, a very soft rock.

These original plates, which are particularly heavy and printed on both sides, have been preserved – even though the catalogue of La Fontaine’s collection was itself never published. A few prints of these plates were distributed, especially among friends of the former governor. They are the very first attempt to draw up a systematic illustrated catalogue of Luxembourg coinage.