Crusty Heritage win - Papal States Piastra
worldcoinguy
Posts: 2,999 ✭✭✭✭
I like coins with character, and I think this one fits the description. I like the boldness of the Innocent XI pieces in particular. I think the coinage issued during his papacy marks the height of beauty, style, and design for papal coinage. As for the circulated grade........somebody has to breathe some life into the lifeless EF/AU market, right?
1684 Italian Papal States Piastra
NGC EF-45
Profile of Innocent XI (1611 - 1689) - courtesy of wikipedia
Much of his reign was concerned with tension with Louis XIV of France. A conservative, he lowered taxes in the Papal States during his pontificate and he also produced a surplus in the papal budget. Because of this surplus he repudiated excessive nepotism within the church. Innocent XI was frugal in matters of governing the Papal States, from dress to leading a life with Christian values. Once he was elected to the papacy, he applied himself to moral and administrative reform of the Roman Curia. He abolished sinecures and pushed for greater simplicity in preaching as well as greater reverence in worship - requesting this of both the clergy and faithful. After a difficult cause for canonization which attracted considerable controversy over the years, he was beatified with no opposition in 1956. Innocent XI has been considered to be one of the greatest popes of the 17th century, renowned for his holiness, personal piety, firmness and for also being a well educated man.
1684 Italian Papal States Piastra
NGC EF-45
Profile of Innocent XI (1611 - 1689) - courtesy of wikipedia
Much of his reign was concerned with tension with Louis XIV of France. A conservative, he lowered taxes in the Papal States during his pontificate and he also produced a surplus in the papal budget. Because of this surplus he repudiated excessive nepotism within the church. Innocent XI was frugal in matters of governing the Papal States, from dress to leading a life with Christian values. Once he was elected to the papacy, he applied himself to moral and administrative reform of the Roman Curia. He abolished sinecures and pushed for greater simplicity in preaching as well as greater reverence in worship - requesting this of both the clergy and faithful. After a difficult cause for canonization which attracted considerable controversy over the years, he was beatified with no opposition in 1956. Innocent XI has been considered to be one of the greatest popes of the 17th century, renowned for his holiness, personal piety, firmness and for also being a well educated man.
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How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
Taler Custom Set
Ancient Custom Set
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
<< <i>Great portrait and detailed stole on that piastra, wonderfully indicative of the Hamerani quality of the period. >>
Are you really going to make me look this up?!?
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
<< <i>
<< <i>Great portrait and detailed stole on that piastra, wonderfully indicative of the Hamerani quality of the period. >>
Are you really going to make me look this up?!?
Which part?
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
<< <i>Hamerani >>
The engraver of this coin, Giovanni Hamerani, was part of the so called "Hamerani Dynasty", where several generations of family members were the leading figures at the Papal mint. This includes his father, Alberto, and Giovanni's sons Ottone and Ermenegildo. Giovanni's daughter, Beatrice, also showed great promise, but unfortunately died young (as an aside, there is a wonderful cast medal produced by her which she signed in a rather flamboyant script).
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
How does one get a hater to stop hating?
I can be reached at evillageprowler@gmail.com
Taler Custom Set
Ancient Custom Set
<< <i>
<< <i>Hamerani >>
The engraver of this coin, Giovanni Hamerani, was part of the so called "Hamerani Dynasty", where several generations of family members were the leading figures at the Papal mint. This includes his father, Alberto, and Giovanni's sons Ottone and Ermenegildo. Giovanni's daughter, Beatrice, also showed great promise, but unfortunately died young (as an aside, there is a wonderful cast medal produced by her which she signed in a rather flamboyant script). >>
His signature appears under the portrait on the obverse. According to Coffin, Johann Hameran - a Bavarian - settled in Rome and began to work for Paul V (early 1600s) but none of his work is signed. His son Alberto was the first of the family whose signature appears. There seems to be at least some family presence at the mint until Gioacchimo Hamerani at the very end of the 1700s who also engraved dies for the short lived Roman Republic. Arguably, the Hamerani along with St Urbain represent the high point of the Baroque style during the quarter century, or so, on either side of 1700 and this coin is a very nice example.
There are several varieties of this basic design which also includes undated varieties, placement of the date and different treatment of the wreath on the reverse. This one appears to be Muntoni 25. The basic type was struck in some quantity both because it was part of the reformed coinage and because the coin probably refers to the raising of the siege of Vienna in late 1683 - a huge event at the time. Appropriately, the reverse echos the use of the inscription to commemorate the victory at Lepanto in 1571 and translates roughly as "Thy right hand, O Lord, has struck the enemy," a paraphrase of Psalm 88:11.