seem to ha\e completely deserted the artist in model- 

 ing the heavy, claylike features of the Pontiff. Never- 

 theless, Patrignani considers it "a well-executed 

 medal.'- "" 



■ig- 43- 



'Pap.\l Rome. Pius \II, obverse of medal, year 

 XVIII [1818] '« 

 (Photo from Patrignani) 



There are better portraits of Pius \'II among the 

 34 medals which Mcrcandetti executed as "cameral 

 engraver" in later years, especiallv after 1807. De- 



Fig. 44. — Papal Romk, Pius VII, obverse of medal, year 



XXI [1821] ira 



(Photo from Patrignani) 



serving special attention is the three-quarter bust of 

 the aged Pontifl' (fig. 43) and a profile bust of 1821 

 (fig. 44), both highly expressive. 



A scudo of the same Pope struck in 1816 (fig. 45) 

 from dies cut by the chief engraver of the mint, 

 Giuseppe Pasinati,'"'' displays a portrait that is touch- 

 ing in its naive simplicity. .'Apparently an unsure 

 feeling for plastic values and the interplay of modeled 

 surfaces made Pasinati resort to a more linear design. 

 Physiognomic traits are overemphasized by pro- 

 tuberances which add an emaciated, haggard air to 



Fig. 45. — Papal Rome, Ptus \'II, scudo, i8i6 '"^ 

 (Photo from CM) 



the otherwi.se smiling features. '"* The strongly 

 arched forehead above the deeply set eyes cannot 

 dispel the general impression of human helplessness."" 

 It was a strange fate that deprived Pope Pius VII 

 of engravers with the artistic capacity to percei\-e and 

 translate into sculptural foriu the magnitude of his 

 extraordinary personality. '°* Chateaul)riand in his 

 Mhnoires (Toutre-lomhe describes the Pope as "««<? 

 figure admirable, pale, trisle, religicux, toiites tes tribulations 

 de rEglise son! sur son front." 



i»i Ibid., p. 52. 



>»2 Ibid., medal 84. 



'«> Ibid., medal 100. 



'"< BDM, vol. 4, p. 395: Thiemf. and Bf.cker, vol. 26, p. 269: 

 Boi.ZENTiiAL, p. 307; Carboneri, p. 156. Giuseppe Pasinati 

 and his brother Giovanni, in a heated rompetition against 

 Mcreandetti, tried to win through unfair methods and finally 

 Giu.seppe succeeded in securing the position of master of the 

 Roman mint. 



'0SCA7, vol. 17, coin 75; .Sfrafini, pi. 159, coin 13; Spaziani- 

 Testa, / Romani I'onleftci, p. 115, coin 199. 



'Oo In 1816 Pasinati was commissioned to engrave a scudo with 

 the portrait of the Pope. Apparently the die broke after five 

 or six specimens were struck, and Pasinati, of ad\anced age by 

 that time, did not re-engrave the dies. Patrignani (Pin MI, 



p. 23) states that he docs not believe that this type was re- 

 jected by the Pope. It is generally agreed, however, that the 

 Pope was opposed to having his portrait on coins. Sec also: 

 Martinori, fasc. 23, pp. 18, 27; RasN, vol. 27, pp. 68-69; 

 \Circ, vol. 18, col. 12061. 



'1" Pasinati engraved ten medals during the pontificate of 

 Pius VII. The only significant portrait was used on a medal 

 of year XV (1815), which he copied from a previous portrait 

 engraved by the Swiss medalist Brandt — P.-\tricnani, Pio VII, 

 medal 71. 



lOH Patrignani {Pio VII, p. 27) contends that, with the excep- 

 tion of two noteworthy dies of Mercandetti, there was not a 

 single medal which rose abo\'e the level of a stagnant mediocrity 

 during this agitated period of European history. 



22 



BULLETIN 229: CONTRIBU llONS IROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY .^ND TECH.NOLOGY 



