Naville Numismatics Ltd.
Auction 74 19 Jun 2022
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In the name of Nero Claudius Drusus, father of Germanicus and Claudius Plated denarius Rome circa 41-45, AR 20.00 mm., 2.94 g.
Laureate head l. Rev. Vexillum between two crossed oblong shields, two pairs of spears and two trumpets. C 6. RIC Claudius 74.
Toned, silver Este countermark behind bust. Very fine
From the collection of a Mentor.
Of further interest is the small eagle inset in an oval behind the head on the obverse, which shows that this denarius was at one time in the collection of the Gonzaga family of Mantua in Italy. The collection was first formed under the guidance of Isabella d'Este (1474-1539), a humanist and trendsetter of the times who was deeply committed to the arts and had been educated in the classics – and, very interestingly, has recently been identified as a plausible candidate for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (see Frank Zöllner, Leonardo da Vinci – Sämtliche Werke, 2007, p. 241) – and was further built upon by her descendants. The mark was applied to all of the coins in the collection by the early 17th century, usually in silver for gold coins, and in gold for silver and bronze. Although some or all of the coin collection may have been sold to pay off family debts, whatever remained was certainly looted in 1630 during the sack of Mantua by imperial Landsknecht forces who pillaged the city over the course of three days. Afterwards, coins from the collection appeared in all of the major coin cabinets of Europe. Although they are rare, coins with the Gonzaga mark still occasionally come up for sale on the coin markets of today, and conveniently provide proof of a pedigree to the early 1600s at the latest if not to the original collection formed by Isabella d'Este herself.
In addition, winning bids of UK (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) clients for this coin are subject to a 5% fee on hammer price as a reimbursement for import duty paid to HMRC.
Laureate head l. Rev. Vexillum between two crossed oblong shields, two pairs of spears and two trumpets. C 6. RIC Claudius 74.
Toned, silver Este countermark behind bust. Very fine
From the collection of a Mentor.
Of further interest is the small eagle inset in an oval behind the head on the obverse, which shows that this denarius was at one time in the collection of the Gonzaga family of Mantua in Italy. The collection was first formed under the guidance of Isabella d'Este (1474-1539), a humanist and trendsetter of the times who was deeply committed to the arts and had been educated in the classics – and, very interestingly, has recently been identified as a plausible candidate for Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (see Frank Zöllner, Leonardo da Vinci – Sämtliche Werke, 2007, p. 241) – and was further built upon by her descendants. The mark was applied to all of the coins in the collection by the early 17th century, usually in silver for gold coins, and in gold for silver and bronze. Although some or all of the coin collection may have been sold to pay off family debts, whatever remained was certainly looted in 1630 during the sack of Mantua by imperial Landsknecht forces who pillaged the city over the course of three days. Afterwards, coins from the collection appeared in all of the major coin cabinets of Europe. Although they are rare, coins with the Gonzaga mark still occasionally come up for sale on the coin markets of today, and conveniently provide proof of a pedigree to the early 1600s at the latest if not to the original collection formed by Isabella d'Este herself.
In addition, winning bids of UK (England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland) clients for this coin are subject to a 5% fee on hammer price as a reimbursement for import duty paid to HMRC.