Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Auction 123 23-24 May 2023
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
ITALY, Papal (Papal state). Leo X. 1513-1521. AR Giulio (27mm, 3.66 g, 12h). Macerata (or Ancona) mint. View of St. Peter's Basilica / Leo kneeling right, presenting model of church to St. Peter seated left, holding keys and gospel. MIR 678/2; Muntoni 73; Berman 671. Toned. Near EF. Very rare.
From the Rome on the Euphrates Collection. Ex Elsen 82 (11 December 2004), lot 1976.
Leo X was the son of Lorenzo de Medici, "il Magnifico," who succeeded the warrior-pope Julius II. A serious patron of the arts, like his father, and intimate friends with many of the titans of the Italian High Renaissance, he oversaw the completion of many of the artistic projects begun by his predecessor. Among these was the new St. Peter's Basilica. Designed by the great architect Donato Bramante and begun in 1506 to replace the earlier dilapidated Constantinian version, its construction encompassed the better part of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to complete. To provide much-needed funds for the basilica's construction, Leo in 1517 offered indulgences, papal rescripts which, when purchased, allowed partial absolution for the recipient. It was the aggressive marketing and perceived "selling" of these indulgences by the Dominican friar Johann Tzetzel in his native Germany, which in part, precipitated the actions of Martin Luther and sparked the Protestant Reformation.
From the Rome on the Euphrates Collection. Ex Elsen 82 (11 December 2004), lot 1976.
Leo X was the son of Lorenzo de Medici, "il Magnifico," who succeeded the warrior-pope Julius II. A serious patron of the arts, like his father, and intimate friends with many of the titans of the Italian High Renaissance, he oversaw the completion of many of the artistic projects begun by his predecessor. Among these was the new St. Peter's Basilica. Designed by the great architect Donato Bramante and begun in 1506 to replace the earlier dilapidated Constantinian version, its construction encompassed the better part of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries to complete. To provide much-needed funds for the basilica's construction, Leo in 1517 offered indulgences, papal rescripts which, when purchased, allowed partial absolution for the recipient. It was the aggressive marketing and perceived "selling" of these indulgences by the Dominican friar Johann Tzetzel in his native Germany, which in part, precipitated the actions of Martin Luther and sparked the Protestant Reformation.