Home World & Ancient Coins Forum

A Few Papal Medals

Pope Callixtus III

by Andrea Guacialoti

c. 1455-1458

image
Bronze, 42.7 mm, 41.6 g

Obverse: Bust of Callixtus III facing left, wearing decorative mitre and cope. Around, CALISTVS PAPA TERTIVS (Callixtus III, Pope).

Reverse: Borgia coat of arms, with a standing ox facing left on shield, surmounted by crossed keys and papal tiara. Around, ALFONSVS BORGIA GLORIA ISPANIE (Alfonso Borgia, Glory of Spain).

Alfons de Borja was born on December 31, 1378, in the Spanish Kingdom of Valencia. He was at one time a professor of law and served as diplomat to the Kings of Aragon. He was the founder of the family fortunes in Italy, under the Italianized name of Borgia. He was raised to the papacy on April 8, 1455, and ruled until his death on August 6, 1458. Austere and pious, he unfortunately surrounded himself with relatives and place-seekers. This medal, showing his coat of arms on the reverse with papal accompaniments, is the only contemporary medal of Callixtus.

References: Hill (Corpus) 747; Modesti (CNORP) 44; Pollard (NGA) 234




Pope Leo X

c. 1515/1516

image
Gilt Bronze, 42.4 mm, 41.6 g

Obverse: Bust of Leo X facing right, tonsured, wearing cope and morse decorated with figures. Around, LEO X PONT MAX (Leo X, Supreme Pontiff ).

Reverse: Allegorical representation of Peace standing, facing left, holding an olive branch in her left hand and a torch in her right hand with which she sets fire to a pile of arms. Around, SCVTA COMBVRET IGNI (The Shields She Shall Burn in the Fire).

This medal refers to the talks and subsequent concordat between Leo X and King Francis I of France following the French victory at the Battle of Marignano of September 13-14, 1515. Personal meetings between pope and king occurred on December 11-15, 1515, in Bologna, and the Concordat of Bologna was signed on August 18, 1516, in Rome. The concordat recognized the authority of the Church of Rome, that the pope and his powers were not subject to any council, and that the pope was allowed to collect all the income made by the Catholic Church in France. On the other hand, the king was allowed to tithe clerics and restrict their right of appeal to Rome. The king would also be permitted to nominate appointments of bishops and abbots, though canonical installation of church officers was reserved for the pope himself.

The reverse inscription is taken from Psalm 45:10, Auferens bella usque ad finem terrae. Arcum conteret, et confringet arma, et scuta comburet igni (Making wars to cease even to the end of the earth. He shall destroy the bow, and break the weapons: and the shield he shall burn in the fire).

The scholar Ernst Kris attributed this medal to Pier Maria Serbaldi da Pescia, called Tagliacarne, an attribution which Hill noted to be probable. However, Modesti does not agree with this attribution, based on a lack of stylistic evidence.

References: Hill (Corpus) 872 bis; Modesti (CNORP) 231




Pope Clement VII

by Giovanni Bernardi da Castel Bolognese

c. 1530/1532

image
Bronze (Gilt Reverse), 41.8 mm, 39.0 g

Obverse: Bust of Clement VII facing right, bareheaded, wearing decorative cope and morse. Sprig of olive beneath truncation. Around, CLEM VII PONT MAX (Clement VII, Supreme Pontiff).

Reverse: Across the field, eleven standing and kneeling men in various postures facing a man at right, seated facing left on an elevated throne. On the side of the throne are the Medici palle, and a vessel or lamp is at the base of the throne. Above, EGO SVM IOSEPH / FRATER VESTER (I Am Joseph, Your Brother).

It is believed that this medal refers to Clement's relations with his native Florence. In 1527, the Florentines had driven out Clement's cardinal legate and restored the republic. Allied with Charles V, an imperial army laid siege to Florence in the autumn of 1529. After ten months of resistance, the city was forced to capitulate on August 12, 1530, due to disease and famine. After this, a Spanish Medici government took control of the city. The Medici arms which adorn the side of the throne on the reverse of the medal make obvious the interpretation of Clement as Joseph in the scene. Thusly, his brothers are the fraternal citizens of Florence, whom he graciously loves and forgives.

The reverse inscription is taken from Genesis 45:4, Ad quos ille clementer: Accedite, inquit, ad me. Et cum accessissent prope: Ego sum, ait, Joseph, frater vester, quem vendidistis in Aegyptum (And he said mildly to them: Come nearer to me. And when they were come near him, he said: I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt).

References: Modesti (CNORP) 272; Pollard (NGA) 416; Whitman & Varriano (Roma Resurgens) 2




Pope Urban VIII

by Gaspare Morone

1641

image
Bronze, 45.6 mm, 36.9 g

Obverse: Bust of Urban VIII facing right, bareheaded, wearing decorative cope with Ss. Peter and Paul and sun faces. Surrounded by two boughs of laurel, each containing three bees. Around, within laurel, VRBANVS VIII PON MAX A XVIII (Urban VIII, Supreme Pontiff, In His Eighteenth Year).

Reverse: A man stoking a furnace at left, with a kneeling man gathering a bundle of wood on the ground. In the background, nine figures involved in ore mining. Surrounded by two boughs of laurel, each containing three bees. Above, within laurel, FERRI FODINIS APERTIS (Iron Mines Opened). In exergue, within laurel, MDCXXXXI / ROMAE (1641, Rome).

Annual medal for 1641 which commemorates the mining operations at Monte Leone, near the city of Spoleto. Iron ore deposits were discovered there during the reign of Urban, and he established ore extraction and smelting furnaces at the site. However, the ore turned out to be of poor quality, and the mines were closed in 1690. Urban was born Maffeo Barberini, and the bees on the medal are a reference to the Barberini coat of arms, which contained three bees.

The nick in the upper reverse field allows this specimen to be identified as the plate medal for Il Papato dal 1605 al 1669 Attraverso le Medaglie by Walter Miselli.

References: Bartolotti (Annuale) E641; Flaten (Middeldorf) 45; Miselli 335; Modesti (Annuale) 108; Pollard (NGA) 840; cf. Whitman & Varriano (Roma Resurgens) 63

Comments

  • nicholasz219nicholasz219 Posts: 1,386 ✭✭✭
    Iosephus, very impressive. The Catholic in me wants to buy all of the papal medals. The empty bank account says no.

    Fascinating and great write ups. Congrats on wonderful pieces.
  • ZoharZohar Posts: 6,629 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Iosephus - you should really have this on a website of your own. The background info is superb along with the imagery.
  • STLNATSSTLNATS Posts: 1,597 ✭✭✭
    Wonderful medals. Esp like the flan of the Clement VII. Congrats!

    image
    Always interested in St Louis MO & IL metro area and Evansville IN national bank notes and Vatican/papal states coins and medals!
  • worldcoinguyworldcoinguy Posts: 2,999 ✭✭✭✭
    The depth of your collection is amazing. Excellent writeups. I like the character of the Pope Clement VII piece.
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,194 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The depth of your collection is amazing. Excellent writeups. I like the character of the Pope Clement VII piece. >>

    I too was drawn to the Clement VII piece. Its style just has that "Renaissance" look.

    Explore collections of lordmarcovan on CollecOnline, management, safe-keeping, sharing and valuation solution for art piece and collectibles.
  • OldEastsideOldEastside Posts: 4,602 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>The depth of your collection is amazing. Excellent writeups. I like the character of the Pope Clement VII piece. >>

    I too was drawn to the Clement VII piece. Its style just has that "Renaissance" look. >>



    Me Too image and Thanx Iosephus for a good read image

    Steve
    Promote the Hobby
Sign In or Register to comment.