This weekend I won one of my top wantlist items from Artemide Aste: an original struck paduan by Giovanni da Cavino. And, I might add, I got it for a song. The coin depicts Tiberius on one side and the altar of Lugdunum on the other. It is also (an imitation of) the very rare first bronze portrait of Tiberius. Tiberius (14-37 AD). Struck Medal, around 1550. Dies by Giovanni da Cavino. O / TI CAESAR AVGVSTI F IMPERATOR V. Bare head facing left with short beard. R / Altar of Lugdunum; below, ROMETAVG. Cease 86. Klawans pg. 27.2. Lawrence 5. Molinet pg. 95, IV. Montigny 4. Keary pg. 119. AE. RR. 36.00 mm. Very rare. Superb bronze patina with golden reflections. XF. Cavino was born in 1500 in Padua, the son of the goldsmith Bartolommeo di Giovanni. He trained initially with his father. After his father's death he trained with the brilliant Paduan bronze sculptor Andrea Briscio called Riccio, who named him as the executor to his will. Andrea Briosco, called Riccio. The "Rothschild" Lamp. Italian, Padua. c.1510-20. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Cavino is most famous for the ~140 imitation ancient coins he created (the dies for about half of which survive in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France). I chose the word imitation carefully, as there is considerable, unresolved, debate over whether they were originally intended to be deceitful. There are early accounts that stress that their manufacture was honorable, but it is also clear that they were being passed off as Roman coins (perhaps by unscrupulous third parties) at an early date. Most paduans seen on the market are cast, and often casts of casts; struck originals are very rare. I also own one of these: a "sestertius" of galba purchased from @TypeCoin971793 earlier this year. Galba. AD 68-69. Cast Æ “Sestertius” (32mm, 20.26 g). Paduan type. Later cast after Giovanni da Cavino, 1500-1570. Obv: IMP. SER. SVLP. GALBA CAES. AVG. TR. POT. Laureate bust of Galba, r., draped. Rev: The emperor on a platform, l., addressing five soldiers with standards. L. and r., in field, S.C. In exurge, ADLOCVT. Klawans Obverse type 3, reverse type 4. VF. While I don't normally collect medals, there is something extraordinary to me about these objects, that make them no less than archetypal of the Renaissance. The term the Renaissance, of course, means the rebirth: of classical style, ideals, and philosophy. With the rising interest in Classical artifacts came a rising trade in forged antiquities--often blurring the lines with contemporary classically inspired art. Indeed, one of the key moments early in Michelangelo's career revolved around this very point. From wikipedia: In 1496, Michelangelo made a sleeping cupid figure and treated it with acidic earth to make it seem ancient. He then sold it to a dealer, Baldassare del Milanese, who in turn sold it to Cardinal Riario of San Giorgio who later learned of the fraud and demanded his money back. However, Michelangelo was permitted to keep his share of the money.[2][3] When Michelangelo offered to take the sculpture back from Baldassarre, the latter refused, saying he would rather destroy it.[4] The Cupid was a significant work in establishing the reputation of the young Michelangelo, who was about 20 years old at the time.[5] The sculpture was later donated by Cesare Borgia to Isabella d'Este, and was probably collected by Charles I of England when all the Gonzaga collections were bought and taken to London in the seventeenth century.[2] In 1698, the Cupid was probably destroyed in the great fire in the Palace of Whitehall, London.[2] The Paduan medals of Cavino show the desire to imitate antiquity, to better it, and to profit from it. In addition they are exemplars of the typically Renaissance medium of the medal (Cavino is also known to have executed several superb but more conventional medals-- chief among them one showing the return of Mary Tudor to the Church under Julius III). It is often the role of forgeries to teach us more about the era that made them than the era that they are mimicking. This is typified by the Venus of Granvella, a sculpture which in its time was celebrated as one of the finest discoveries of small scale ancient bronze sculpture, but which was in fact a purpose made fake. Its feet and base are made in silver, to replace the supposedly lost originals. The result is thoroughly Renaissance in style and quite lovely. We should understand the interest and value of a Cavino as akin to this, and not to a cheap fake one might find on ebay. Venus of Cardinal Granvella, c. 1500. Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Kunstkammer. Many Paduans were complete inventions, but some, like my coin, were closely based on Roman originals. In searching for the Roman prototype I found this example on wildwind. It took me a second, but I realized the match was a bit TOO good. I'm almost sure that this is in fact Paduan that had been mistaken for a Roman original. (But please correct me if I'm wrong). It is interesting to me that Paduans are still being mistaken for Roman. I'm not sure if this is because the style is so true that they are indistinguishable, or because our view of what is truly Roman is so shaped by the Renaissance that something like this coin becomes more Roman than the Roman original. Tiberius, as Caesar, Æ Sestertius. Lugdunum mint, struck 8-10 AD. TI CAESAR AVGVSTI F IMPERATOR V, bare head of Tiberius left / ROM ET AVG, altar of Lugdunum. RIC 240 [Augustus], Cohen 28, BMC 572. (From Wildwinds) Bellow are two original examples of the Roman type. The differences are certainly subtle, but I believe the Renaissance version has delicacy and gracefulness that is not found on the Roman coins. TIBERIUS. As Caesar, 4-14 AD. Æ Sestertius (25.45 gm, 1h). Lugdunum (Lyons) mint. Struck 8-10 AD. TI CAESAR AVGVSTI F IMPERATOR V, bare head left / ROM ET AVG in exergue, the Great Altar of Lugdunum: altar enclosure; panels decorated with corona civica flanked by figures holding laurel branches; decoration along roofline; altar flanked by columns surmounted by statues of Victory standing vis-à-vis, each holding palm and wreath. RIC I 240 (Augustus); BMCRE 572; Cohen 28. VF, attractive brown and red patina. Very rare first portrait bronze of Tiberius. (from CNG) Tiberius. As Caesar, AD 4-14. Æ Sestertius (35mm, 24.71 g, 12h). Lugdunum (Lyon) mint. Struck AD 10. Bare head of Tiberius left / The Altar of Lugdunum, decorated with corona civica flanked by figures holding laurel branches; to either side, Victory atop column. RIC I 240; Lyon 99. Fine, rough brown patina. (from CNG) I know at least a few of you own Paduans, so please post them! Feel free to post fourrees or other interesting counterfeits as well.
I do not have a struck Paduan, but can assure you that your specimen easily surpasses all portraits of Tiberius on ancient coinage in artistic terms. The original Sestertii are of considerable rarity and are generally found in a very worn state of preservation. The few that do show some detail reveal a rather plain style compared to Cavino´s work or even some of Tiberius´ middle bronzes. Here is my original Sestertius of the type - still nice to have despite its´s fair state: TI CAESAR AVGVSTI F IMPERATOR V - Bare head of Tiberius left. ROM ET AVG - The great Altar of Roma and Augustus at Lugdunum, flanked by columns surmounted by statues of Victory right and left, the altar ornamented with row of uncertain objects along the top and three wreaths on the front panel. Sestertius, Lugdunum AD 10-11 (under Augustus) 36,43 mm / 22,06 gr RIC (Augustus) 240; BMCRE (Augustus) 572-3; CBN (Augustus) 1737; Cayon (Los Sestercios del Imperio Romano) 4; Cohen 28; Sear (Roman Coins & Their Values I) 1753.
Lawrence is online: https://archive.org/details/medalsbygiovanni00lawriala/page/8 I find the Lawrence 5 Tiberius interesting with the dot misplaced ROME.T.AVG when the legend was ROM ET AVG. Perhaps the cutter did not know 'et' (and)? I would call the one from Wildwinds below a Paduan and a cast, not struck. I am no expert but Wildwinds copies errors from sales so I'd need to hear from my betters before accepting this one. My ancient example is an as. As far as I know, Paduans do not come in smaller denominations. My better Paduan aftercast is the Septimius Severus medalion types - Lawrence 69. The Galba above is Lawrence 21 and demonstrates the abbreviation ADLOCVT. Lawrence comments that the originals always spell out ADLOCVTIO. There are quite a few types (usually after-after-aftercasts) that combine types not listed by Lawrence. This CONG scene is a common one but not a match for the Nerva original in Lawrence. I feel it not appropriate to list as Paduans the Renaissance and later copies of types not listed in Lawrence. I do like this Divus Pertinax sestertius. The style is not ancient but I do not know where or when it originated. It is a cast but not from an ancient original. Aftercasts should be cheap. Struck originals can be quite high.
I'd love to own a struck Paduan. Beautiful coin, congrats. I've often thought about getting an after cast but always change my mind before pulling the trigger.
That's also my impression of the wildwinds coin (forgive the pun). Almost all of the AE Paduans are Sesterii, but according to Klawans there are two dupondii dies that survive in Paris (obverses for Antonia and Otho).
I have just one example (and for me one is enough): Paduan Medal, Vespasian, after Giovanni Cavino, 1500 – 1570 AD AD Æ Sestertius, 34mm 23.18 grams Obverse: IMP CAES VESPASIAN AVG P M TR P PP COS III, Laureate head of Vespasian right. Reverse: ROMA RESVRGES, Vespasian standing left, extending hand to Roma who is kneeling right, behind her Minerva holds shield, S C in exergue. References: Lawrence32 // Klawans3
nice..i've bid on a couple of struck Paduan's that had provenance but didn't win them. i consider them very collectible
