Italy 50 Euro Gold Coin 2013 Renaissance
Coins of the Italian Republic: Fauna in Art Series
The spirit of the art and history of Renaissance is perfectly represented on the coin dedicated to Fauna in art, that depicts the marzocco, a lion symbol of the power of people in the Republic of Florence, drawn from a sculpture by Donatello, and a fierce horse advancing with Gianfrancesco Gonzaga, first marquis of Mantova, equestrian scene inspired to a medal by Pisanello.
Obverse: the marzocco, a lion holding with its right forefoot a shield with the lily of Florence, symbol of republican liberty, from a sculpture realised by Donatello nowadays conserved at the Museo del Bargello in Florence. Around, left to right, “REPUBBLICA ITALIANA”; below, heraldic lily, symbol of the city; all encased in a dot-decorated frame.
Reverse: drawn from a medal realised by Antonio di Puccio, called Pisanello, probably in 1447, Gianfrancesco Gonzaga, first marquis of Mantova (1432-1444), advances on a horse with the typical forms of the art of Pisanello. Around, on the left, “FAUNA NELL’ARTE”; on the right, on two lines, “50 EURO”; below “R”; on the bottom, on two lines, “2013”, “V. DE SETA”; all encased in a dot-decorated frame.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Denomination: 50 euro.
Metal: gold.
Fineness: legal 900 - tolerance ± 1 ‰.
Weight: 16,129 g - tolerance ± 5 ‰.
Diameter: 28 mm.
Finish: proof.
Designer: Valerio De Seta.
Mintage: 1500.
Edge: continuous milled.
Proof: € 853.
Gianfrancesco Gonzaga medal by Pisanello (1439)
Pisanello invented this type of portrait medal. The profile portrait of Gianfrancesco Gonzaga is identified by the Latin inscription which also alludes to his military prowess. On the reverse he is depicted on horseback and in armour. Pisanello was probably inspired by examples of Ancient Roman coins excavated and collected in Italy. He had trained as a goldsmith and so was familiar with modelling and casting. The drawn design, once approved by the patron, was translated into a wax model from which the metal medal was cast. The quality and refinement of Pisanello's technique set the standard for subsequent medal production.
Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua
Gianfrancesco I Gonzaga (1395 – 23 September 1444) was Marquess of Mantua from 1407 to 1444. He was also a condottiero.
Gianfrancesco was the son of Francesco I Gonzaga and Margherita Malatesta. He inherited the rule of Mantua in 1407, when he was 12. In his first years, he was under the patronage of his uncle Carlo Malatesta and, indirectly, of the Republic of Venice. In 1409 he married Paola Malatesta, daughter of Malatesta IV Malatesta of Pesaro, by whom he had two sons, Ludovico, who succeeded him as Marquess of Mantua, and Carlo. He was the first Gonzaga to bear the title of marquess, which he obtained from Emperor Sigismund on 22 September 1433.
He fought for the Papal States and the Malatestas in 1412 and 1417, respectively, and was capitano generale (commander-in-chief) of the Venetian Armies from 1434. Later he left the alliance with Venice and entered at the service of the Visconti of Milan, starting an unsuccessful war against Venice which caused the loss of several Mantuan territories.
During his reign the famous humanist Vittorino da Feltre was invited to Mantua, as well as numerous artists like Pisanello and others, starting the traditional role of the city as a capital of Italian Renaissance. He founded the first workshop in Italy for the manufacture of tapestries.
Pisanello
Pisanello (c. 1395 – c. 1455), known professionally as Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, was one of the most distinguished painters of the early Italian Renaissance and Quattrocento. He was acclaimed by poets such as Guarino da Verona and praised by humanists of his time who compared him to such illustrious names as Cimabue, Phidias and Praxiteles.
Pisanello is known for his resplendent frescoes in large murals, elegant portraits, small easel pictures, and many brilliant drawings. He is the most important commemorative portrait medallist in the first half of the 15th century, and can claim to have originated this important genre.
He was employed by the Doge of Venice, the Pope in the Vatican and the courts of Verona, Ferrara, Mantua, Milan, Rimini, and by the King of Naples. He stood in high esteem of the Gonzaga and Este families.
Pisanello had many of his works wrongly ascribed to other artists such as Piero della Francesca, Albrecht Dürer and Leonardo da Vinci, to name a few. While most of his paintings have perished, a good many of his drawings and medals have survived.