DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.68735#0179
FRANCESCO FRANCIA
606
medals that can safely be ascribed to him. Even the coins which were distributed at
the entry of Julius II into Bologna were not the work of Francia, whose employment
at the mint did not begin before 1508. The small struck medals of Julius II which
Friedlander wished to assign to Francia are by Giancristoforo Romano; nor have any
of the other attributions made by Friedlander to this artist any plausibility. The
small struck medal of Giovanni Sforza commemorating his recovery of Pesaro in 1503
is quite different in lettering as well as general conception from the Bentivoglio medalet.
The Ferrarese testoons of Ercole I are also different in their way. To presume that
these differences are due to separate die-engravers working on Francia’s designs, when
there is no evidence but Vasari's loose general assertions that Francia made such
designs, and no original model to compare them with, is to take refuge in mere
speculation.
The medal of Julius II dated mcccccvi on the obverse which Malaguzzi (Riv. Ital.,
xi, 1898, p. 78) would attribute to Francia, supposing it to have been presented on the
Pope’s entry into Bologna, must have been made in Rome, since it refers to the foundation
of St Peter’s (see under Caradosso).
The portrait-medal of Francia {Fran. Francia Pit. Bolognese, rev. Pivos ducit vultus) is
a grotesque restitution, not earlier than the seventeenth century, by the same hand as
medals of Primaticcio and Guercino. See Hill, P.M.I.A., pp. 24-5, Pl. xxxii.
Vasari, Vite, ed. Milanesi, iii (1878), pp. 533 IF. J. A. Calvi, Memorie della Vita, e delle Opere di F. Raibolini (Bologna,
1812). J. Friedlander, Ital. Schaumunzen (1882), pp. 172-6. A. Armand, Med. ital., i (1883), pp. 103-4; ii, pp. 289-90;
iii (1887), pp. 30-2. F. Malaguzzi, La Zecca di Bologna in Riv. Ital. di Num., x (1897), pp. 478-82; xi (1898), pp. 76-8.
C. v. Fabriczy, Ital. Med. (1904), pp. 92-4. W. Bode in Zeitschr. f. bild. Kunst, xv (1904), p. 40. L. Forrer, Diet, op
Medallists, i (1904), pp. 137-44; vii (1923), P- 3Z8. A. Venturi, Storia del!arte ital., vi (1908), pp. 799-802. G. Gronau in
Thieme-Becker, Allgem. Lexikon, xii (1916), pp. 319-23 (with bibliography). Hill, Med. Ren. (1920), pp. 64-5. Habich,
Med. d. ital. Ren. (1924), pp. 100 f.
MEDALS ATTRIBUTED TO FRANCIA
BENTIVOGLIO (Giovanni II).
606. Obv. JOANNES • BENTIVO LVS II • BONONI
ENSIS • Bust r., with long hair (parted to show
the ear), wearing low cap with back-flap turned
up; doublet and coat with open collar. Pointed
truncation to bust. Pearled border.
Rev. No type. • MAXIMILIAN! • pMPERATO
Ris I • MVNVS • I MCCCCLXXXX|I1II • Pearled
border.
Struck.
Arm. I, 104,1 (28 mm.). Herrgott, Pl. xviii, 86. Mazz.
I, xxxi, 2. Litta, Bentivoglio, Monete, no. 16. Hab.,
Pl. Ixx, 1. [e. Pl. 108.]
(a) Berlin. Friedl., p. 173, Pl. xxxiv, 1. (Z») Another,
28 mm. Simon, no. 131. (c) Copenhagen, bronze
gilt, -> 30 mm. (d) Florence, 29 mm. Sup., no. 222.
(e) London (George III), -> 27-5 mm. Cast. Keary,
no. 77. Guide Ren. Med., p. 22, fig. 24. (/) Another,
Parkes Weber Gift (1906), J 29 mm. Struck. (^) Lon-
don, V. A. M. (2382-55), / 29 mm. Cast. (A) Another
(Salting), -» 28 mm. Struck. (?) Vienna, 29 mm.
Struck. (7) Another, silver, / 28 mm. Struck?
(k) Formerly (?) Marchese Bentivoglio, Venice. Gold.
Litta, loc. cit. (Z) Gustave Dreyfus, {m, ri) Henry
Oppenheimer, 29 mm. Cast.
And many other specimens.
MVNVS is the right of coinage granted by the Emperor
to Giovanni II by a privilegium of 19 Oct. 1494 (Malaguzzi
in Riv. Ital., x, 1897, p. 478). For coins based on this
model see Serafini, Monete . . . Pontificie del Medagliere
Vaticano, i, Pl. xxvii, 1 and 4; with note 128. It is stated
by Vasari (ed. Milanesi, iii, p. 535) that Francia cut dies
for the coins of Giovanni II, with lifelike portraits; that
he was at the time in charge of the mint at Bologna, and
that he was confirmed in the office by Julius II in 1506
after the fall of the Bentivoglio. But, as Malaguzzi points
out (ib., p. 479), there is no trace of Francia having engraved
dies in any document earlier than 1508. The most that
can be said is that this medalet and the coins based
thereon possibly follow a design by Francia.
In S. Giacomo Maggiore, Bologna, is a marble relief
(Venturi, Storia, vi, p. 801) exactly resembling this portrait,
save that the profile is to 1. instead of r. It is signed
ANTONIVS BAL ANNVM AGENS XVIII and dated
1497 and is possibly a copy of an original by Francia, or
whoever designed the coins in question. (Habich, Med.d.ital.
Ren., p. 147, n. 97, refers the signature to the person who
commissioned the relief; but why then should he mention
his age ?) If the original model, from which the die was cut,
were in profile to 1., the die would have the profile also
to 1., and the coin would come out with the profile to r. as
we see it. See Burl. Mag., xxv (1914), p. 118; Hill, Med.
Ren., p. 64. The suggestion that the author of the relief
was Antonio di Battista Magnani is chronologically im-
possible, since Magnani is mentioned as working for the
mint as early as 1473 (Malaguzzi in Riv. Ital., x, 1897,
p. 470).
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606
medals that can safely be ascribed to him. Even the coins which were distributed at
the entry of Julius II into Bologna were not the work of Francia, whose employment
at the mint did not begin before 1508. The small struck medals of Julius II which
Friedlander wished to assign to Francia are by Giancristoforo Romano; nor have any
of the other attributions made by Friedlander to this artist any plausibility. The
small struck medal of Giovanni Sforza commemorating his recovery of Pesaro in 1503
is quite different in lettering as well as general conception from the Bentivoglio medalet.
The Ferrarese testoons of Ercole I are also different in their way. To presume that
these differences are due to separate die-engravers working on Francia’s designs, when
there is no evidence but Vasari's loose general assertions that Francia made such
designs, and no original model to compare them with, is to take refuge in mere
speculation.
The medal of Julius II dated mcccccvi on the obverse which Malaguzzi (Riv. Ital.,
xi, 1898, p. 78) would attribute to Francia, supposing it to have been presented on the
Pope’s entry into Bologna, must have been made in Rome, since it refers to the foundation
of St Peter’s (see under Caradosso).
The portrait-medal of Francia {Fran. Francia Pit. Bolognese, rev. Pivos ducit vultus) is
a grotesque restitution, not earlier than the seventeenth century, by the same hand as
medals of Primaticcio and Guercino. See Hill, P.M.I.A., pp. 24-5, Pl. xxxii.
Vasari, Vite, ed. Milanesi, iii (1878), pp. 533 IF. J. A. Calvi, Memorie della Vita, e delle Opere di F. Raibolini (Bologna,
1812). J. Friedlander, Ital. Schaumunzen (1882), pp. 172-6. A. Armand, Med. ital., i (1883), pp. 103-4; ii, pp. 289-90;
iii (1887), pp. 30-2. F. Malaguzzi, La Zecca di Bologna in Riv. Ital. di Num., x (1897), pp. 478-82; xi (1898), pp. 76-8.
C. v. Fabriczy, Ital. Med. (1904), pp. 92-4. W. Bode in Zeitschr. f. bild. Kunst, xv (1904), p. 40. L. Forrer, Diet, op
Medallists, i (1904), pp. 137-44; vii (1923), P- 3Z8. A. Venturi, Storia del!arte ital., vi (1908), pp. 799-802. G. Gronau in
Thieme-Becker, Allgem. Lexikon, xii (1916), pp. 319-23 (with bibliography). Hill, Med. Ren. (1920), pp. 64-5. Habich,
Med. d. ital. Ren. (1924), pp. 100 f.
MEDALS ATTRIBUTED TO FRANCIA
BENTIVOGLIO (Giovanni II).
606. Obv. JOANNES • BENTIVO LVS II • BONONI
ENSIS • Bust r., with long hair (parted to show
the ear), wearing low cap with back-flap turned
up; doublet and coat with open collar. Pointed
truncation to bust. Pearled border.
Rev. No type. • MAXIMILIAN! • pMPERATO
Ris I • MVNVS • I MCCCCLXXXX|I1II • Pearled
border.
Struck.
Arm. I, 104,1 (28 mm.). Herrgott, Pl. xviii, 86. Mazz.
I, xxxi, 2. Litta, Bentivoglio, Monete, no. 16. Hab.,
Pl. Ixx, 1. [e. Pl. 108.]
(a) Berlin. Friedl., p. 173, Pl. xxxiv, 1. (Z») Another,
28 mm. Simon, no. 131. (c) Copenhagen, bronze
gilt, -> 30 mm. (d) Florence, 29 mm. Sup., no. 222.
(e) London (George III), -> 27-5 mm. Cast. Keary,
no. 77. Guide Ren. Med., p. 22, fig. 24. (/) Another,
Parkes Weber Gift (1906), J 29 mm. Struck. (^) Lon-
don, V. A. M. (2382-55), / 29 mm. Cast. (A) Another
(Salting), -» 28 mm. Struck. (?) Vienna, 29 mm.
Struck. (7) Another, silver, / 28 mm. Struck?
(k) Formerly (?) Marchese Bentivoglio, Venice. Gold.
Litta, loc. cit. (Z) Gustave Dreyfus, {m, ri) Henry
Oppenheimer, 29 mm. Cast.
And many other specimens.
MVNVS is the right of coinage granted by the Emperor
to Giovanni II by a privilegium of 19 Oct. 1494 (Malaguzzi
in Riv. Ital., x, 1897, p. 478). For coins based on this
model see Serafini, Monete . . . Pontificie del Medagliere
Vaticano, i, Pl. xxvii, 1 and 4; with note 128. It is stated
by Vasari (ed. Milanesi, iii, p. 535) that Francia cut dies
for the coins of Giovanni II, with lifelike portraits; that
he was at the time in charge of the mint at Bologna, and
that he was confirmed in the office by Julius II in 1506
after the fall of the Bentivoglio. But, as Malaguzzi points
out (ib., p. 479), there is no trace of Francia having engraved
dies in any document earlier than 1508. The most that
can be said is that this medalet and the coins based
thereon possibly follow a design by Francia.
In S. Giacomo Maggiore, Bologna, is a marble relief
(Venturi, Storia, vi, p. 801) exactly resembling this portrait,
save that the profile is to 1. instead of r. It is signed
ANTONIVS BAL ANNVM AGENS XVIII and dated
1497 and is possibly a copy of an original by Francia, or
whoever designed the coins in question. (Habich, Med.d.ital.
Ren., p. 147, n. 97, refers the signature to the person who
commissioned the relief; but why then should he mention
his age ?) If the original model, from which the die was cut,
were in profile to 1., the die would have the profile also
to 1., and the coin would come out with the profile to r. as
we see it. See Burl. Mag., xxv (1914), p. 118; Hill, Med.
Ren., p. 64. The suggestion that the author of the relief
was Antonio di Battista Magnani is chronologically im-
possible, since Magnani is mentioned as working for the
mint as early as 1473 (Malaguzzi in Riv. Ital., x, 1897,
p. 470).
[ 155]