of the cxtrcine coldness which grips the whole com- 

 position of the reverse. The obverse, however, pre- 

 sents a portrait that possesses an unexpected life- 

 likeness. 



Purely emblematic types, emphasizing the decora- 

 ti\c element, found a better solution. The reverse 

 of the scudo engraved for the Vacant See of 1830 

 and repeated with sli<;;ht modifications in 1846 

 (fig. 53) succeeded in conveying a celestial vision. 





=s? -^ 



[? ( -^ I'M lb. ■ , ' '^' - 



/ji' III . h iin ■' it^'J',,// 



Fig. 53. — Pap.al Rome, \'.-\c.-\nt See, .scudo, 1846, Roman 



mint "» 



(Div. of Numismatics photo) 



The halo of rays imparts an airy transparency to the 

 background of the alighting dove. This greatly 

 improved version created one of the subtlest images 

 in modern coin engraving. 



Fig. 54. — Papal Rome, Gregory X\'I, scudo, 1846, 



Roman mint ''■ 



(Div. of Numismatics photo) 



Of a similar decorati\-e nature are the reverses 

 for the silver and gold coinages of Popes Gregory 

 XVI and Pius IX, each coin (figs. 54, 57) bearing 



a brief inscription enclosed within a laurel wreath. '^^ 

 The central inscription is in rather massive letters, 

 probably to satisfy practical more than esthetic 

 purposes. This concise and salient legend apparently 

 fulfilled its practical requirements since even Carl 

 Voigt later adopted the same reverse design. 



The subject of the portrait, a challenge to any 

 artistic ability, seemed to impress Nicolo Cerbara 

 hardly at all. His portrait series of the contemporary 

 pontiffs and especially of Gregory XVI betrays 

 little tendency to alter or improve the once-estab- 

 lished images. His usual intellectual coldness be- 

 comes more evident when he is faced with the problem 

 of reproducing in plastic form not only a physical 

 likeness but a spiritual individuality. Apparently 

 incapable of sensing the depth of a subject's inner life, 

 he limited his portraits to external likenesses. A 

 slight tendency toward idealization, however, was 

 inspired by Pope Gregory XVI, who closely supervised 

 the activity of his artists, trying to suggest versions of 

 his portrait which would show him with more 

 proportioned features. The cameral aide Moroni 

 relates that the Pope often discussed with the mint 

 artists new coin designs or changes of already adopted 

 types.'-' Such supervision certainly would eliminate 

 the slightest inclination toward more original forms of 

 expression. 



Fig. 55. — Papal Rome, Gregory XVI, 10 scudi, 1838, 

 Roman mint '-* 

 (Author's photo) 



One of Nicolo Cerbara's portraits (fig. 55), ex- 

 pressing only a platitude of form and concept, was 

 adopted as the official portrait for coins and medals. 

 An earlier portrait of the Pontiff (fig. 56) by the 

 same artist, using a more sensitive psychological trcat- 



'-" CXI, vol. 7, coin 2; Serafini, pi. 164, coin 1; Spaziani- 

 Testa, p. 127, no. 237; D.wenport, European Crowns, coin 193. 

 Carboneri (p. 228) considcis this coin noteworthy from an 

 artistic point of view. 



'21 CMI, vol. 17, coin 141 ; Serafini, p. 389, coin 73; Sp.\ziani- 

 Testa, / Romani Pontefici, coin 232; Davenport, European 

 Crowns, coin 192. 



'22 Carboneri (pp. 229, 241) is impressed with the simplicity 

 of N. Cerbara's coinage of Gregory XV'l and of Pius IX: 



"Sono di una uniformity e semplicit^ degne di nota chc fa un 

 contrasto sigolare colla ricca e multifonnc collezionc di monctc 

 dci Papi anteriori a Gregorio XV'l. " 



'23 Patrignani (Gregorio XVI, p. 23) says that the Pope, 

 being aware of the propagandistic importance of portrait 

 medals, tried to minimize the prominence of his large nose and 

 preferred portraits which solved this problem in a more 

 esthetic manner. 



'2< CM, vol. 17, coin 55. 



26 



BULLETIN 229: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



