DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68735#0092
267-71 PART II
which may therefore also be his work. He was still living 1 Jan. 1541, from a letter of
which date it appears that about 1535-6 he made dies for the gold scudo of Reggio with
Christ holding the cross.
U. Rossi in Riv. Ital. di Num., v (1892), pp. 483-5. F. Malaguzzi-Valeri, Riv. Ital. di Num., vii (1894), P- *99- Forrer,
Diet., i (1904), p. 365. G. F. Hill in Thieme-Becker, vi (1912), p. 220.
GONZAGA (Federigo ii), Marquess of
Mantua.
267. Obv. FE • II • MAR. • MANTV A. • V • Bust 1.,
with short curly hair and beard, wearing close-
fitting dress; truncation hollowed out and
pointed in front. Inscr. between two incised
circles.
Rev. GLORIAM • AFFERTE • DOMINO • David,
wearing short tunic which leaves 1. arm and
shoulder bare, seated 1. on a seat, playing his
lyre, his 1. foot resting on head of Goliath;
behind him Victory alighting on the seat places
a wreath on his head; in front, hanging on
a stump, sling and scimitar. Inscr. between
two incised circles.
Arm. II, 156, 4 (52 mm.); Ill, 34, b. [a. Pl. 44.]
(a) Milan (Brera), lead, f 53 mm. Litta, Gonzaga, no. 19.
(Z>) T. W. Greene, 52 mm., rev. only, formerly heavily
gilt; surface now destroyed.
The motto: Ps. xxii. 2, &c.
268. Similar type and inscription to preceding
on both sides; stop before FE as well as after V.
Struck.
Arm. II, 156, 5 (34 mm.). U. Rossi in Riv. Ital. v (1892),
p. 484. Hab., Pl. Ixix, 12. [d. Pl. 44.]
(a) Milan (Med. Mun.), \ 36 mm. (b) London, \ 36 mm.
Purchased 1881. Cast, (c) Paris, 34 mm. Silver.
Arm., loc. cit. Corpus Numm. Ital., iv, p. 268, no. 20,
Pl. Suppl. ii, 8. («Z) Henry Oppenheimer, silver,35-5mm.,
ex L. Hamburger Sale, Oct. 1905. Arethuse, i, p. 65,
Pl. xii, 4.
In a letter of 12 July 1523 this piece is called a moneta,
but it is medallic in style, and the word may have been
used loosely for a medal. Both this and no. 267 have
usually been attributed to Caradosso on the strength of
a statement by Milanesi (apud Arm.) that a letter of Federigo’s
agent at Rome, 26 Sept. 1522, says that Caradosso was
working on ‘cette medaille’ for the Marquess. But, as
shown elsewhere (see under Caradosso, no. 666 bis}, the
work on which the Milanese artist was engaged represented
David as the slayer of Goliath, not as the Psalmist; there
must have been in it a more definite representation of the
death of Goliath than is found on the piece which is now
rightly assigned to Cavalli.
MANTUA, c. 1519-30
GONZAGA (Federigo II).
269. Obv. FEDERICVS T 11 T MAR t V ▼ MANTVA t
Bust to front, head 1. with short hair and beard,
wearing plate-armour. Faint inner circle, pearled
border.
Rev. No inscr. St Catherine, wearing tunic
and mantle, standing to front, looking 1., holding
palm-branch in 1., r. resting on her wheel.
Pearled border.
Struck.
Arm. II, 155, 2 (34 mm.). Arethuse, i (1924), p. 66.
[c. Pl. 44-]
(«) Milan (Med. Mun.), J 35-5 mm. Struck. Litta, Gon-
zaga, no. 13. (b) Another (Brera), -> 35 mm. Struck,
(cj Vienna, 35 mm. Struck.
Possibly a pattern for a coin ; cp. Corpus Numm. Ital., iv
Pl. xxii, no. 6. This and nos. 270, 271 are between 1519
(when Federigo succeeded) and 1530 (when he was created
Duke).
270. Obv. FEDERICVS a II t M t MANTVAE r v ▼
Bust L, with short curly hair and beard, wearing
plate-armour.
Rev. A mountain, with spiral road winding
up it, and trees growing; on summit, seated 1.
on an altar inscribed F1DES, a female figure
draped, holding sword erect in r., cornucopiae
in 1.; below 0AYMFI07
Arm. HI, 221, a (57 mm.). Arethuse, i (1924), p. 66.
[a. Pl. 44.]
(a) Berlin, 59 mm. Simon, no. 304. (3) London, V. A. M.
(Salting), J 57 mm.
The bust is closely related to that on no. 269, which may
be a rendering by a die-engraver of this model. The work
is very bad for the time.
271. Obv. Similar to no. 270, except that bust
is clothed in mantle fastened with bulla on 1.
shoulder (from same model as no. 270, with bust
altered).
Rev. Similar to no. 270.
Arm. II, 155, 3 (57 mm.). [6. Pl. 44.]
(a) Florence, 58 mm. Sup., no. 665. Fair. (6) Milan
(Med. Mun)., J 58 mm. Litta, Gonzaga, no. 18? (for-
merly Mus. Belgiojoso).
The motto O AY MHOS, below the crown, and the altar of
Faith, placed above the crown, on the arms of Mantua,
were granted by Charles V in 1523 in reward for the defence
of Pavia against the French in 1522. These two medals
are therefore not earlier than 1523.
[68]
which may therefore also be his work. He was still living 1 Jan. 1541, from a letter of
which date it appears that about 1535-6 he made dies for the gold scudo of Reggio with
Christ holding the cross.
U. Rossi in Riv. Ital. di Num., v (1892), pp. 483-5. F. Malaguzzi-Valeri, Riv. Ital. di Num., vii (1894), P- *99- Forrer,
Diet., i (1904), p. 365. G. F. Hill in Thieme-Becker, vi (1912), p. 220.
GONZAGA (Federigo ii), Marquess of
Mantua.
267. Obv. FE • II • MAR. • MANTV A. • V • Bust 1.,
with short curly hair and beard, wearing close-
fitting dress; truncation hollowed out and
pointed in front. Inscr. between two incised
circles.
Rev. GLORIAM • AFFERTE • DOMINO • David,
wearing short tunic which leaves 1. arm and
shoulder bare, seated 1. on a seat, playing his
lyre, his 1. foot resting on head of Goliath;
behind him Victory alighting on the seat places
a wreath on his head; in front, hanging on
a stump, sling and scimitar. Inscr. between
two incised circles.
Arm. II, 156, 4 (52 mm.); Ill, 34, b. [a. Pl. 44.]
(a) Milan (Brera), lead, f 53 mm. Litta, Gonzaga, no. 19.
(Z>) T. W. Greene, 52 mm., rev. only, formerly heavily
gilt; surface now destroyed.
The motto: Ps. xxii. 2, &c.
268. Similar type and inscription to preceding
on both sides; stop before FE as well as after V.
Struck.
Arm. II, 156, 5 (34 mm.). U. Rossi in Riv. Ital. v (1892),
p. 484. Hab., Pl. Ixix, 12. [d. Pl. 44.]
(a) Milan (Med. Mun.), \ 36 mm. (b) London, \ 36 mm.
Purchased 1881. Cast, (c) Paris, 34 mm. Silver.
Arm., loc. cit. Corpus Numm. Ital., iv, p. 268, no. 20,
Pl. Suppl. ii, 8. («Z) Henry Oppenheimer, silver,35-5mm.,
ex L. Hamburger Sale, Oct. 1905. Arethuse, i, p. 65,
Pl. xii, 4.
In a letter of 12 July 1523 this piece is called a moneta,
but it is medallic in style, and the word may have been
used loosely for a medal. Both this and no. 267 have
usually been attributed to Caradosso on the strength of
a statement by Milanesi (apud Arm.) that a letter of Federigo’s
agent at Rome, 26 Sept. 1522, says that Caradosso was
working on ‘cette medaille’ for the Marquess. But, as
shown elsewhere (see under Caradosso, no. 666 bis}, the
work on which the Milanese artist was engaged represented
David as the slayer of Goliath, not as the Psalmist; there
must have been in it a more definite representation of the
death of Goliath than is found on the piece which is now
rightly assigned to Cavalli.
MANTUA, c. 1519-30
GONZAGA (Federigo II).
269. Obv. FEDERICVS T 11 T MAR t V ▼ MANTVA t
Bust to front, head 1. with short hair and beard,
wearing plate-armour. Faint inner circle, pearled
border.
Rev. No inscr. St Catherine, wearing tunic
and mantle, standing to front, looking 1., holding
palm-branch in 1., r. resting on her wheel.
Pearled border.
Struck.
Arm. II, 155, 2 (34 mm.). Arethuse, i (1924), p. 66.
[c. Pl. 44-]
(«) Milan (Med. Mun.), J 35-5 mm. Struck. Litta, Gon-
zaga, no. 13. (b) Another (Brera), -> 35 mm. Struck,
(cj Vienna, 35 mm. Struck.
Possibly a pattern for a coin ; cp. Corpus Numm. Ital., iv
Pl. xxii, no. 6. This and nos. 270, 271 are between 1519
(when Federigo succeeded) and 1530 (when he was created
Duke).
270. Obv. FEDERICVS a II t M t MANTVAE r v ▼
Bust L, with short curly hair and beard, wearing
plate-armour.
Rev. A mountain, with spiral road winding
up it, and trees growing; on summit, seated 1.
on an altar inscribed F1DES, a female figure
draped, holding sword erect in r., cornucopiae
in 1.; below 0AYMFI07
Arm. HI, 221, a (57 mm.). Arethuse, i (1924), p. 66.
[a. Pl. 44.]
(a) Berlin, 59 mm. Simon, no. 304. (3) London, V. A. M.
(Salting), J 57 mm.
The bust is closely related to that on no. 269, which may
be a rendering by a die-engraver of this model. The work
is very bad for the time.
271. Obv. Similar to no. 270, except that bust
is clothed in mantle fastened with bulla on 1.
shoulder (from same model as no. 270, with bust
altered).
Rev. Similar to no. 270.
Arm. II, 155, 3 (57 mm.). [6. Pl. 44.]
(a) Florence, 58 mm. Sup., no. 665. Fair. (6) Milan
(Med. Mun)., J 58 mm. Litta, Gonzaga, no. 18? (for-
merly Mus. Belgiojoso).
The motto O AY MHOS, below the crown, and the altar of
Faith, placed above the crown, on the arms of Mantua,
were granted by Charles V in 1523 in reward for the defence
of Pavia against the French in 1522. These two medals
are therefore not earlier than 1523.
[68]