Lot 108: [ ITALIAN MEDALS ]

NICCOLÒ DI FORZORE SPINELLI, called NICCOLÒ FIORENTINO (1430-1514) Antonio Geraldini of Amelia (1457-1488), bronze medal, ANTONIVS GERALDINVS PONTIFICIVS LOGOTHETA FASTORVM VATES, bust right wearing close-fitting cap, rev., RELIGIO SANCTA, an allegorical figure of Religion holding a cornucopia and swinging a censer; signed below, OP NI FO SP FL, 66.3mm (Hill 924; Armand I, 84, 2), pierced, the fields smoothed and edge filed, a very fine old cast with brown patina

Provenance: Spink, 24 January 2008, lot 123. Antonio Geraldini was crowned poet-laureate in 1479 and made protonotary (logotheta) to Innocent VIII. The figure of Religion seems to be adopted from the figure of Pax on the reverse of two medals of the pope attributed to Spinelli (as Hill 927 and 928). The medal is of importance in that it is a signature work of the artist; of the large number of medals attributed to Fiorentino, only five are signed, and Hill noted only two examples of the present medal (in Florence and Turin).