Another Purchase - Ferdinand II Medal
Zohar
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Related in theme however a medal which I found attractive in the non floor Heritage LB auction.
Austria. Habsburg. Ferdinand II. 1619-1637, Bronze medal. Florence Mint. 44m, 43gr. ND (1623) by Pietro de Pomis (1569-1633) For the Coronation of Ferdinand II in Frankfurt which took place 9 September 1619. Förschner-67. JuF 1872. Obv: FERDINANDVS II ROM IMP SEMP AVG. Hanged Bust of Emperor with chipped millstone collar, to the right of Ferdinand II. Rev: LEGITIME: CE RTANTIBVS. Radiant sun crowned between 4 crowns; bright sun above the lower crown, sun over a monogram.. Glossy coffee brown surfaces with beautiful style and detail. NGC MS-63 BN
Undated medal, unsigned but attributed to Giovanni Pietro de Pomis (1565 or 1569/70 - March 6, 1633) who was a painter, medalist and Italian architect. His works show a marked influence of late Mannerism. Ferdinand II de Medici (1610-1670 in Florence) is a Grand Duke of Tuscany, the son of Cosimo II of Medici and Mary Magdalene of Austria. The thing that interested him the most and gave him the most satisfaction was science. Pupil of Galileo, then of his disciples Torricelli and Viviani, he founded the Academy of Experimentation of Medici in 1642, then protected the Accademia del Cimento created by his brother Leopold (1657), the first European scientific society with experimental character (the motto being "try and try again"). In this field, he perfected the invention of the thermometer and the thermoscope, and encouraged chemistry in the Botanical Gardens of Pisa. Finally, passionate about botany and meteorology, he sought a practical application in agriculture of new technical knowledge. His political weakness will prevented him from saving Galileo from the Holy Office.
From the Allen Moretti Swiss Collection. The last copy for sale at Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger, Auction 272, Lot 1487, was sold for € 1500 on an estimate of € 800.
Comments
That’s a beautiful medal. I bid on it, was surprised it didn’t go for more.
Won this one myself, not great condition obviously but found it interesting.
Great pickup with your medal. These medals are very well done especially for their earlier date. This is none core for me but thought it was reasonable in price and very well engraved. @Iosephus knows a lot about these.
Thanks! The reverse was what sold me on it. I have found medals to be the most reasonable by far in regards to pricing in this hobby.
lovely medal, the detail is amazing!
Many members on this forum that now it cannot fit in my signature. Please ask for entire list.
Stunning, but one doesn't expect otherwise when clicking open a Zohar thread.
@Zohar - I learned something new from this thread: "chipped millstone collar."
This then lead down the rabbit hole of fashion in the 16th century....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff_(clothing)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1550–1600_in_Western_European_fashion
I was up feeding our 3 month old. So this was great, I was able to fall RIGHT back to sleep!
My current "Box of 20"
Two nice medals shown here. I think the price was good for the Alexander VII medal; you don't see silver versions of these very often.
Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
The Ferdinand II medal is extraordinary in both design and execution, particularly for 1623. Compare it to the best taler designs of that period and you will see it far exceeds its peers. I was absolutely convinced that this was a retroactive design and/or restrike from the late 1700s/early 1800s but all the auction results suggest otherwise. Wow.
@jimhopkins1919 - I am digging that papal states medal! Very appealing design and intriguing reverse.