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Thoughts and input on this 1590 Papal Medal

JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum
I would love it if anyone would like to share any info on this medal
The seller of this piece described this as an original 1590 Pope Sixtus V medal (1585-1590). I do not think it is an original, but instead a 19th century restrike. It is dated 1590 (AN VI) and is a really nice high relief piece.

The obverse shows Pope Sixtus V in high relief while the reverse shows a beautiful rendition of The two horses of the Quirinal with the fountain between.
The Quirinale hill used to be called Montecavallo (Horse Hill) due to the presence of the large marble statues of the Dioscuri twins and their horses. The twins are the great horseman Castor and the formidable boxer Pollux, sons of Leda and Zeus and brothers of Helen of Troy.

I really love the work of these Vatican Papal Medals.
This one just found a long time home.

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Some coins are just plain "Interesting"

Comments

  • worldcoinguyworldcoinguy Posts: 3,030 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Love it! Its amazing to see the artistry on papal medals and coins.
  • IosephusIosephus Posts: 872 ✭✭✭
    According to CNORP, this would be a restrike from the 18th or 19th century. The amount of wear could indicate a relatively early striking, but I'm not certain about that. Your third picture, by the way, is a good giveaway clue that this is a restrike. On the original (with the same design), the obverse was done by Emilio De Bonis, and signed under the bust as ". EMILIO . B . F .". On this medal, the signature is ". NI . BONIS . ", inidcating Noccolò De Bonis as the author. The reverse design is also modified a bit from the original. No matter when it was struck, it's still a very nice medal!
    Joe
    Virtus Collection - Renaissance and Baroque Medals
  • STLNATSSTLNATS Posts: 1,601 ✭✭✭
    Joe nailed it. I usually assume bronzes before 1750 or so are restrikes unless I'm given evidence to the contrary, or had a chance to do my own research. The new research in CNORP and other recent publications is really making it a lot easier to distinguish when medals were minted. These books are pretty expensive, are in Italian and I think that a lot of dealers haven't caught up yet.

    Nice medal nonetheless and a very significant type.

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    Always interested in St Louis MO & IL metro area and Evansville IN national bank notes and Vatican/papal states coins and medals!
  • JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Great info guys.
    Thanks a million.
    Some coins are just plain "Interesting"
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