l)ut SOUK" should lac singled out for ihoir chaiiii and 

 technical perfection. The portrait of Maria Louisa 

 on the silver and gold coinage by Manfrcdini (fig. 

 9) was considered by contein[)oraries as one of the 

 most graceful coin images of the time. 



With this coin is associated the name of Giovanni 

 .\ntonio Santarelli "' (17.S9-1826), an excellent gem 

 cutter and die sinker, who reportedly engraved the 

 dies for the coin from designs by Manfrcdini. In- 

 spired by the same [)ortrait of Maria Loui.sa, he also 

 cut a medal of the Duchess commemorating her 

 arrival in Parma (1816)."* In addition, he engraved 

 the coinage of Eliza and Feli.x Bacciocchi of Lucca, 

 designed by Luigi Siries (fig. 23), and two medals 

 dedicated to the same princely couple."'' 



After Santarelli moved to Florence, he was suc- 

 ceeded at the mint by Domenico (Donnino) Benielli.'"' 

 Born in Piacenza in 1807, Bentelli moved in 1844 to 

 Parma, where he worked as engraver at the mint and 

 later as professor of engraving at the .Academy of 

 Fine Arts. He died in 1885 at the age of 78. His 

 art studies as well as his training as mechanical engi- 

 neer "' enabled him to ])articipate eflecti\'ely in the 

 reorganization of the Parma mint in 185.3. His 

 work discloses a neat but somrwliat mediocre con- 

 cept of art. -An impressive number of official and 

 private medals "" came from his workshop. In 1852 

 Bentelli preijared the dies for the coinage of Charles 

 III of Bourbon, but the Duke's assassination in 1854 

 made the issuance of the coins impo.ssible. Dies were 

 cut only for the 5 centesimi 1852 and the 1, 3, and 

 5 centesimi 1854 in copper,''*' Bentelli also prepared 

 drawings for a grouj) of six coin [)rojects, which 

 included the 10 and 20 centesimi, and the }■<-, 1-, 

 5-, and 20-lire pieces.™ 



These coin projects betray a strong influence on 

 Santarelli by the English mint masters, es[)ecially 

 William Wyon. The arrangement of the escutcheons 

 on the reverse of the 20-ccntcsimi piece (fig. 32) is 

 practically an adaptation of a similar arrangement in 



use in England since the days of Queen .Anne. .St. 

 George killing the dragon on the 20-lire gold piece 

 (fig. 33) can be regarded only as a clumsy copy of 



Fig. 32. — Parm.a, Ch.arles in, project fur 20 centesimi, 



(Photo from BDM) 



Fig. 33. — P.ARMA, CnARi.ES III, project for 20 lire, 1852 " 

 (Photo from BDM) 



Fig. 34. — P.ARM.^, Robert a\d Marie Louise, 5 lire, 1858 " 

 (Photo from C.\7) 



the famous Pistrucci model for the coinage of George 

 III of England. 



Far superior in concept and especially in workman- 

 ship is the silver 5-lire piece (fig. 34) struck in 1858 



'3 liDAf, vol. 5, p. 334, and vol. 8, p. 18~; Thifmk and 

 Becker, vol. 29, p. 428. 



''■' CoMANDiNi, IS Italia nei cento anni, vol. 1, p. 892. 



« Ibid., pp. 143, 342. 



o« BDM, vol. 1, p. 164, and vol. 7, pp. 67-70; Thieme and 

 Becker, vol. 3, p. 353; Juillerat du Rosay, NCirc (1915), 

 pp. 669-672. 



"' Some of hi.s inventions, e.g., a new .safely catch for guns, 

 found practical application; he also invented special coin 

 scales and a device for detecting counterfeit coins. 



"* In 1872 he al.so engraved a Verdi medal, which was i.ssued 

 by the Municipality of Parma to commemorate the success 



of the opera Aida — Nataletti and Pagam, Le medaglie di 

 Giuseppe Verdi, p. 9. 



^^ CNl, vol. 9, p. 556, coins H; P.\gani, Prove e progetli, 

 coin 552; C.^rboneri, p. 252. 



™ BDM, vol. 7, p. 69. Published previously by Jlullerat 

 DU RosAV, NCirc (1915), cols. 669-6"2. 



" Loc. cit. 



" Loc. cit. 



^ C.\7, vol. 9, p. 557, coin 2; Paoani, Monele italiane, coin 

 292; Davenport, European Crowns, coin 205; Carboneri, pp. 

 250-251. 



16 



BULLETIN 229: CONTRIBUTIONS I- ROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



