must stand out lurcct'ulK on ,i coin. 'I'lic S- .iiul lil- 

 lire issue of r)25 for It.ilian Somalifnul (ii'_;. 11(1) 

 supports this assumption. 



Motti's acti\ity as an engraver cunlincs many of 

 Ills better ereations to the iu-lcl of portrail, prize, 

 and commemorative medals.-"' 'I hev .dl portray 

 a sood technician who tried to compens.ite lor 

 his mediocrity of conception with a skilllul and neat 

 treatment of the plastic surface. His pcji iraits-'"'' 

 arc sincere, unsophistic.ited jiroducis of hiniietl 

 psychological insight and .1 surprising lack of in- 

 dividualit\\ Motti's cieali\e elriv'e was not strong 







Fig. III. — Ir.\LY, \'icTOR EMM.-wn.i III. p.iiicni 2 lue, 



1922 -■'• 



(Photo from Pagani) 



enough to mold an indi\ithKil sl\le, as can be seen 

 in a 2-lire pattern of 1922 (fig. 111). A first-rate 

 diesinkcr, he cannot be compared as an engraver to 

 ills contemporaries Mistruzzi and Romagnoli. 



Attilio Motti stands at the threshold of a new era in 

 Italian coin cngra\ing. when the cold. olTicial heraldrv 

 of coin images tiun toward more inspiring s\inboLs 

 of national greatness. Diu'ing the lattir h.df of the 

 19th centiu"y, the coin, impersonal and slereotxped 

 down to the \ery portrait of the ruler, ceased to Ije an 

 e-xprcssion of anything that in\ol\ed the s])irii of the 

 nation, its art, or its national aspirations. Onl\' 

 gradually, imder the guidance of enliuluened pri\ate 

 initiati\'e and the inspiration of the |)ersonalit\ ol 

 Victor Emmanuel III, the re numisinaliai, did a 

 reform mo\'ement succeed in asserting the imp<'rali\e 

 of drastic change. 



Giuseppe Romagnoli, .Xurelio Mi>-lru//i, I'ietro 

 (liampaoli belong to the gent-rati(}n of modern llali.ui 



enur,i\ers who bronchi .iboul this ch.m'_;e lo .1 more 

 funciion.il csthelii^ of die coin. 



(;iu^<-ppe R(]m,imioli.-'' born in 1S~2 in Holoun.i. 

 ^tn(hed seulpiure and enuiaNint; with i'.niico H.jrbieri. 

 In I'lll'* he bec.nne the direelor of S,n(il(i il, IT. Uu- 

 dttla Miiliii^lia.'-^ Well known as a sculptor, he 

 p.irticip.ued in m,ni\ iiUcrnation.d eNhibilicjns in 

 Paris. Brussels, and in Munich, where he w.is .iw .n(|<-d 

 the gold medal. His W(jik i'.x .\<iluni .Im won the 

 X'eniee \n'\/r in IS')7. ( ,iiiriiiiz-ii {^'oulh). another 

 scul[)ture, is in Rome in the .\luseinii of .Mcjdern 

 Art. He is also the (rcilor ol seulplui.il ^icjiips 

 whiili .idorn the \iil(jr i.nini.innel I'l id^e .uid th<' 

 \ i( tor hmmannel .\Ionnnienl in Rome. In I'M I 

 he won the inter 11. ilion.il ( unipel il inn for the gre.it 

 monument of the I ntern.nion.il I ele'.^r.iphi( I nion 

 in Bern, Sw it/eiland, a woik which \\.iv erected in 

 1922. 



RomaL;noli is the oIIk i.il 1 cpresenl.Mix e of modern 

 Italian coin en'_;i ,i\ Jul;, while Aincljc . M istru//i i (■pr<-- 

 sents tlie |iap,il .n l ol eoin enyr.iv in;; duiin'.; llu- s.nne 

 period. ( 'ontempor.nies. Wdrkini; in close rel.itionship 

 at the Roman mint, w iR're coins .nid med.ils ar<' struck 

 for both the It.iii.ni and the \'atic .ni '_;o\ I'rnnieiUs.-''' 

 the creations ol these men evoUe in siniil.n' dire( tions. 

 although dillereiuialc (I b\ distinct personalities. 

 Romagnoli is tlie author ol .t.i ol ItaK's modern coin 

 types and also of .ni impressi\e .series of ollieial ,ind 

 private med.ds. 



With him ll.ili.m ((jin enL;i.i\ ini; appiiLU lied the 

 long-cherished i;o.il ol a more ,11 tisi ii .ilK .ippe.iling 

 coinage. .Se\erel\ jiidued In Il.ili.in .iit c 1 iii( s -'^" .is 

 ha\'ing limitt'd inspir.ition .ind inri'jin.ition. his 

 ■"shortcominns" cm be expl. lined b\ the l.iet tli.it 

 he often presented himself, is .111 eclectic .irtisi. His 

 stvle fiucliiates aceordinn to his source ol inspii.ilion. 

 Mo|io\er, he does not assinulate the spiiil ol .111 

 art period <il the p.ist .ilthoui;li he )ields compl<-lely 

 to its extern. il loi in.ilism. 



Working at the hei'^lit ol I'.isiism. when ancient 

 Rome was the oIIk i.il sl.ind.iid of ( i\ ie exeelleiue. il 

 was natiii.ii tli.il Koni.eAiioli wunld luiu for inspir.i- 

 tion to ,nu ieni soiiires. His models lor the ll.ili.m 



2'< Many ot liis medals are |)iil)lishiil .md illiisli .Urd in A'-~, 

 pp. 87-89, 92-94, 97-99, 107-1 12. 



2-5 /?~, p. 100, coin 7: p. 101, coins 211. .lO; |>. 1112, eoin .IS. 



-'''• Pag.ani, Proii- e firogriti, coin 24.S. 



r,-: BDM, vol. 8, p. 170; Thifme and lii ckik, vol. 2K, p. S4I1; 

 FiRurasdela numismatica . . . ExpimaMi ii<i, iim,il ,!,■ iniiniuuali, a 

 . . . (1951), p. 153. 



p.'iiPER 33: riAiJ.XN coin ENGR.WPKS SINCK 18UU 

 i.;iio-s..jt ° — CO 5 



2;'< Foundcil in I'Hi'i in tr.iin yniiri^ si iil|)tnrs I'oi eoin cnni.iv- 

 ing — Cakhon'i Id. p- 111: A'.^. |>. 1. 



^■••Tlic Mcmrt.iTV CiiiMiition 1)1 I'lin dcocil ih.ii ihc Wili- 

 can could Ikim- the- use of the Rom. 111 inim lor the sliikiiii; ol 



( uins .Uld Tiled. lis. 



':■" R..S., \awl; (l')-V), p. 54. 



51 



