COINS AND METALS IN ART

[ominus1]

last week i got a copy of  Botticellis 'Young Man with a Metal' for it shows a metal of Cosimo the elder, since this years focus is on the Medicis. and lo and behold one came up for sale the very next day in an auction.. it was a fine looking piece from a renowned collector... it was however a remake of the originals. (in fact the one the lads holding in the painting has a marked scratch on it) and the authors name is not known..it got 6 bids and i lost out so it's still a want. i always have a hard time justifying buying tokens and metals for my collection of 'coins'..but things like this make it more palatable ...i got a few more art works coming featuring those things we collect as coiners   Post some artwork of coins, metals or whatever feels good Peeps! 

[AETHER]

Very cool!

Sorry for the bad picture, I have this which I'm fond off.

Portrait of Alexander III of Macedon, and Philip II of Macedon, on cornelian from Lord Bessborough's collection. Copperplate engraving by Thomas Worlidge from James Vallentin's One Hundred and Eight Engravings from Antique Gems, 1863.

And some of my silver and bronze coinage..

 

[Marsyas Mike]

Interesting post, @ominus1.... don't get me started on medals - about two weeks ago I accidentally bought a 19th century Papal metal and I am going into collector's feeding frenzy mode...I need help.  From an old CT post:

A few years ago I lucked into a big batch of 17th century engravings based on gems and seals from Greece and Rome. Here is what they are:

Leonardo Agonstino Gemmae et sculpturae antiquae depictae, [Amsterdam: Abraham Blooteling, 1685]

The work consists of "engraved gem illustrations mostly taken from the antique with annotations by Giovanni Bellori, the noted Italian antiquary. the text is little more than a factual explanation of the objects depicted, but the engravings are remarkable for 'relatively little detail' but done in a 'clever, fresh buoyant manner'" (Sinkankas quoting C. W. King, Antique Gems and Rings). The designs in Part I are mainly portraits of one kind or another plus some of animals, the designs in Part II are of gods, heroes and philosophers in various poses and activities plus some animals. All the plates have a title at the top and below the name of the gem on which they are carved (cristallo, onice, lapis lazzali etc). The designs are by Agostini and the engravings by Giovanni Battista

Galestruzzi. Agostini (1593-1669) was born near Sienna and served as antiquary to Francesco Cardinal Barberini. He was appointed by Pope Alexander VII as superintendent of antiquities in the Papal States, and he directed in Rome the excavations of the Forum and of thermae near the church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna.

And here are a few examples of things we'd see on ancient coins - Septimius Severus & Julia Domna:



Bacchus in a biga pulled by panthers - meow!



Faustina the Elder -


Isis & Serapis -


Asclepius, Hygia & Telesphoros - no offense to the God of Healing, but Telesphoros gives me the creeps:


A trophy and a deer(?) -



Sabina, wife of Hadrian - 

I have a couple dozen of these. They frame nicely - here's an Unknown Poet - Poeta Incognito - good name for an alternative band:

Edited May 18 by Marsyas Mike

[ominus1]

1 hour ago, Marsyas Mike said:

Interesting post, @ominus1.... don't get me started on metals - about two weeks ago I accidentally bought a 19th century Papal metal and I am going into collector's feeding frenzy mode...I need help.  From an old CT post:

A few years ago I lucked into a big batch of 17th century engravings based on gems and seals from Greece and Rome. Here is what they are:

Leonardo Agonstino Gemmae et sculpturae antiquae depictae, [Amsterdam: Abraham Blooteling, 1685]

The work consists of "engraved gem illustrations mostly taken from the antique with annotations by Giovanni Bellori, the noted Italian antiquary. the text is little more than a factual explanation of the objects depicted, but the engravings are remarkable for 'relatively little detail' but done in a 'clever, fresh buoyant manner'" (Sinkankas quoting C. W. King, Antique Gems and Rings). The designs in Part I are mainly portraits of one kind or another plus some of animals, the designs in Part II are of gods, heroes and philosophers in various poses and activities plus some animals. All the plates have a title at the top and below the name of the gem on which they are carved (cristallo, onice, lapis lazzali etc). The designs are by Agostini and the engravings by Giovanni Battista

Galestruzzi. Agostini (1593-1669) was born near Sienna and served as antiquary to Francesco Cardinal Barberini. He was appointed by Pope Alexander VII as superintendent of antiquities in the Papal States, and he directed in Rome the excavations of the Forum and of thermae near the church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna.

And here are a few examples of things we'd see on ancient coins - Septimius Severus & Julia Domna:



Bacchus in a biga pulled by panthers - meow!



Faustina the Elder -


Isis & Serapis -


Asclepius, Hygia & Telesphoros - no offense to the God of Healing, but Telesphoros gives me the creeps:


A trophy and a deer(?) -



Sabina, wife of Hadrian - 

I have a couple dozen of these. They frame nicely - here's an Unknown Poet - Poeta Incognito - good name for an alternative band:

...haha...well, who am i to 'not collect' anything....(and that's kool stuff you got there Bro! ^^)..my house, shed and barn are fULL of past stuff i'be collected...but metals for some reason don't seem worth what they are going for to me, but the metals are coin like and collectable...there is another metal by a famous engraver of a person thee is no coins of but the same persons still got it all these years later and hasn't sold it yet

[Ed Snible]

Aftercast from pierced specimen:

Italy, Florence. No Date (after 1465). Artist uncertain. 70 mm. 101 g.
Obv: MAGNVS COSMVS MEDICES P P P; Cosimo Medici bust left
Rev: PAX LIBERTASQVE PVBLICA - FLORENTIA; personification of Florence holding an orb and triple olive branch
Heritage, 2019 March 14 Weekly World and Ancient Coin Auction #231911, lot #62229
 

The auction house did not mention it, but this is an aftercast of a pierced specimen.  A plugged hole can be seen at 12 o'clock.  At first I thought it was an early aftercast, due to the good details.  However, the Harvard Art Museum suggests their example, which greatly resembles this one, was made in Paris circa 1902 by Georges Liard Sr. (French; active 1895-1913).

There has been a lot of speculation about the identity of the artist.  Flaten believes the maker was Leonardo da Vinci's teacher Andrea del Verrocchio (ca. 1435–1488). George Hill suggested Cristoforo di Geremia (1410–1476) or Niccolò Fiorentino (1418-1506). The curators of the Slater Memorial Museum offer Michelozzi Michelozzo (1396–1472). Heiss and Armand attributed the medal to Donatello.

[ominus1]

6 hours ago, Ed Snible said:

Aftercast from pierced specimen:

Italy, Florence. No Date (after 1465). Artist uncertain. 70 mm. 101 g.
Obv: MAGNVS COSMVS MEDICES P P P; Cosimo Medici bust left
Rev: PAX LIBERTASQVE PVBLICA - FLORENTIA; personification of Florence holding an orb and triple olive branch
Heritage, 2019 March 14 Weekly World and Ancient Coin Auction #231911, lot #62229
 

The auction house did not mention it, but this is an aftercast of a pierced specimen.  A plugged hole can be seen at 12 o'clock.  At first I thought it was an early aftercast, due to the good details.  However, the Harvard Art Museum suggests their example, which greatly resembles this one, was made in Paris circa 1902 by Georges Liard Sr. (French; active 1895-1913).

There has been a lot of speculation about the identity of the artist.  Flaten believes the maker was Leonardo da Vinci's teacher Andrea del Verrocchio (ca. 1435–1488). George Hill suggested Cristoforo di Geremia (1410–1476) or Niccolò Fiorentino (1418-1506). The curators of the Slater Memorial Museum offer Michelozzi Michelozzo (1396–1472). Heiss and Armand attributed the medal to Donatello.

very nice Ed! :)..the one i was looking at was a uniface one but i know the original had both sides detailed.......i really like yours!