Watch List notes:

Foreign Medals - PADUA. HERAKLES 18TH CENTURY, by Unknown (presumably by G. Cavino), Italy Bearded head of Herakles, skin of the lion of Nemea knotted at throat. Deianeira handing over the poisoned robe of the minotaur Nessos to Herakles. The original medal was made in the workshop of the Paduan goldsmith Giovanni da Cavino on behalf of his patron, the Venetian lawyer Marco Mantova Benavides. Several art historian have forwarded the hypothesis that Cavino acquired inspiration for the design of this medallion after he had seen a 7 meters high statue of Heracles his patron that had erected in the backyard of his palace. Interestingly, the monogram HB (standing for Hercules Buphiloponus) on the reverse of the medal was found on the base of this colossal statue. Nowadays, the dies for this medal are housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Although the most existing examples of the medal are casts, the present piece is very coarse and sharp. AE 56,62 g. 37 mm. R Green residue on reverse. Very fine