Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Keystone Auction 6 11 Mar 2022
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Vitellius. AD 69. Cast Æ "Sestertius" (35mm, 19.36 g, 6h). Paduan type. Later cast after Giovanni da Cavino, 1500-1570. Laureate and draped bust right / Mars advancing right, holding spear and trophy; S/C. Klawans 4. VF, brown surfaces.
From the Ken Bressett Collection. Purchased from Walter Sheridan in 2003 for @ $100.
Trained as a goldsmith and metalworker, Giovanni da Cavino is best known for his medals, in particular those imitating ancient coins. Whether Cavino's ancient imitations were intended to deceive has been a matter of debate, but the majority of scholars are now in agreement that they were not. Rather, Cavino's medals demonstrate a shift from fanciful interpretations of ancient coins, such as those produced by Valerio Belli, to a more serious study of the originals. It was only later in the 16th century, when a forgery industry developed around Padua, that Cavino's work became lumped in with these forgeries, and both the Cavino medals and the outright forgeries began to be referred to together as "Paduans."
From the Ken Bressett Collection. Purchased from Walter Sheridan in 2003 for @ $100.
Trained as a goldsmith and metalworker, Giovanni da Cavino is best known for his medals, in particular those imitating ancient coins. Whether Cavino's ancient imitations were intended to deceive has been a matter of debate, but the majority of scholars are now in agreement that they were not. Rather, Cavino's medals demonstrate a shift from fanciful interpretations of ancient coins, such as those produced by Valerio Belli, to a more serious study of the originals. It was only later in the 16th century, when a forgery industry developed around Padua, that Cavino's work became lumped in with these forgeries, and both the Cavino medals and the outright forgeries began to be referred to together as "Paduans."