Genova. Republic, 1139 – 1339. Second period: Life-Tenured Doges and Foreign Dominations, 1339-1528. Giano II di Campofregoso, 1512-1513. 10 scudi, AV 34.42 g. ø 37 mm. Campofregoso coat of arms IANVS II DE CAMPO F DVX IANVE Male bust l., wearing cap (Maximilian I or Giano II?). Rev. + CAESARIS MAXIMIL SEMPER AVGV Crowned coat of arms, charged in centre with double-headed eagle. L. Travaini-B. Prokisch, QT XXXIX, 2010, p. 417, pl. I, 1 (this coin illustrated). MEC 12, p. 300. Friedberg 395a (this coin illustrated). Apparently unique and a numismatic riddle of the greatest historical interest. An issue of tremendous importance and fascination with a very interesting portrait of the Emperor of fine style struck on a very broad flan. About extremely fine From the collection of the City of Leipzig deaccessioned in 1840 to a Viennese dealer and eventually sold to William Albert, Prince of Montenuovo. Ex Dura-Sambon 6th December 1880 and ff. days, Rossi 1529 (erroneously attributed to Giano I) and Stack’s 7th March, session I, 2006, 834 (also erroneously attributed to Giano I) sales. The Italian Wars, 1494–1559 The Italian Wars, which began with the invasion of Italy by Charles VIII of France in 1494 and continued, with varying intensity, for more than six decades, profoundly affected the political and monetary landscape of the Italian peninsula. The major powers—France, the Habsburgs, Spain and the principal Italian states—fought repeatedly for control of Milan, Genoa, Naples and other strategic territories. The wars brought about frequent changes of sovereignty and, consequently, of monetary types and minting authorities. French, Spanish and Imperial issues circulated alongside the coinages of the established Italian states, while newly occupied territories sometimes saw the introduction of foreign denominations or the continuation of local types in the name of the new ruler. Milan in particular changed hands repeatedly between the Sforza, the French and the Habsburgs, while Naples passed from the Aragonese to the French and subsequently to Spanish rule. The period also witnessed a marked increase in the production of large gold and silver denominations, reflecting both the financial demands of prolonged warfare and the growing importance of international monetary circulation. Along with those, a number of unusual and extremely interesting presetation issues were produced and the one presented here belongs to this extremely interesting and fascinating group, which are in some cases medals as they lack a logical metrological pattern. In this auction are present some of this medals (lots 1036, 1038, 1037, 1028 and 1034) A study by Lucia Travaini and Bernhard Prokisch, published in Quaderni Ticinesi (XXXIX, 2010), examines the extraordinary example of the 10 scudi gold multiple attributed questionably to Giano II Campofregoso, building upon the earlier research of Giovanni Pesce (1979), who regarded it as a commemorative medal. The authors discuss the piece from the perspectives of Renaissance portraiture, the mint at which it was struck, and its historical and political context. In June 1512, following the withdrawal of the troops of Louis XII of France from northern Italy after the defeat at Ravenna, Genoa succeeded in freeing itself from French rule established in 1499. Giano II Campofregoso was elected Doge on 29 June 1512, in a markedly anti-French and pro-Imperial political climate. It is precisely in this context, we believe, that this issue should be placed. Contrary to the interpretation proposed by Pesce Prokisch we don’t disregard the possibility that the portrait on the obverse could be that of the Emperor Maximilian I rather than Giano II Campofregoso. It would in fact have been most unlikely, within the context of the Genoese Republic, for a Doge to place his own effigy on a coin, whether an official issue or merely a piece intended for presentation. Moreover, although less refined in execution, the portrait recalls that on the quarter-guldiner of Maximilian I struck at the Hall mint, the work of the Mantuan engraver Gian Marco Cavalli. Prokisch takes a different view, suggesting that the portrait may be that of Giano II, on the grounds that the figure does not wear imperial vestments. It is worth noting, however, that the Emperor is likewise not shown in imperial dress on the quarter-guldiner. The possible effigy of Maximilian I on the obverse, together with the legend referring to Doge Giano II Campofregoso, and the reverse bearing the Imperial arms and the legend CAESARIS MAXIMIL SEMPER AVGV, would appear to confirm the restoration of Genoese independence and of its rights to strike coinage freely under Imperial authority. We presume that the MVNVS found, for example, on the coinage of Bologna under Giovanni II Bentivoglio, may be implicitly understood in the reverse legend here: the Bolognese coins bear the legend MAXIMILIANI MVNVS, confirming that the rights of these mints to strike coinage had been authorised by the Emperor. This coin may plausibly have been conceived as an extremely limited issue intended for presentation rather than circulation, to be presented to high-ranking dignitaries and used as an instrument of diplomacy and political propaganda. It would thus have served to proclaim the gratitude and loyalty of Giano II's Genoa towards the Empire at a moment when the Republic, having just freed itself from French domination, was reasserting its traditional relationship with the Emperor. An especially interesting piece of evidence is provided by a decree reproduced in extenso by Gaetano Avignone in his Medaglie dei Liguri e della Liguria, published in the proceedings of the Società Ligure di Storia Patria. The decree records that Giano II asked the Council of Elders to reproduce the Campofregoso arms on the coins to be issued in his name. It should be remembered that Giano II's predecessors had used the compass as their family emblem. The present coin, however, bears the Campofregoso arms and must therefore have been struck after this authorisation had been granted, although in a context quite different from that of an issue intended for circulation. The period during which this coin could have been produced was extremely short. Following a conspiracy by the Fieschi and Adorno families, which once again brought the Republic under the influence of the French king Louis XII, Giano II was forced to leave Genoa by ship on 25 May 1513. He subsequently entered the service of the rival Republic of Venice as a military commander during the Italian Wars. In the course of these campaigns, he defeated the army of Emperor Maximilian I at the battle of Rocca d’Anfo, near Brescia. Contrary to the medals produced in the same period, the weight of this coin is a multiple of 10 scudi del sole, the denomination which was circulating in Genoa at the time, which makes in our view incorrect the definition given by Pesce of a medal. This circumstance might suggest that the piece was a product of the Genoese mint, but the complete absence of official documentation confirming its issue, together with the exceptional nature of the type, makes such a hypothesis impossible to establish. The fact nevertheless remains that the coin must necessarily be described as a 10 scudi multiple of the scudo del sole, since its weight is incontrovertible. Another element which could point at a Genoese mint production is the poor quality of the portrait on the obverse and the coat of arms on the reverse since the engraver employed by the mint were neither used to portraiture nor to reproduce the Imperial Eagle. In conclusion, determining the mint of production beyond reasonable doubt is extremely difficult in the absence of documentary evidence. The question is nevertheless closely connected with the history and political circumstances of the Genoese Republic, as well as those of the Empire at the time. The identity of the personage depicted on the coin likewise remains uncertain: there are arguments in support of both identifications, and only the fortuitous discovery of new documentary evidence may ultimately resolve this intriguing question. Please find here the video of the coin