102996 | ITALY. Papal States. Pope Pius VII bronze Medal.

102996  |  ITALY. Papal States. Pope Pius VII bronze Medal. Issued 1807 for the renovation of the outer wall of the Colosseum in 1806 (68mm, 144.61 g, 12h). By Tommaso Mercandetti at the Rome mint.

 

PIVS SEPTIMVS PONTIFEX MAX, bust left, wearing zucchetto, mantum, and ornate pallium // AMPHIT FLAVIVM REPARATVM, façade of the repaired outer wall of the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre); in three lines in exergue, ANNO A NATIVITATE / CHRISTI / CIƆIƆCCCVI [MDCCCVI]. Edge: Some light marks as made, otherwise plain.

 

Patrignani 45; Bartolotti 78; Weber 232; Bertuzzi 76. Choice Mint State. Deep chocolate brown surfaces, with great depth among the devices and brilliance in the fields. An exceptional architectural type, and one that remains free from the commonly encountered scuffing and bruising that most exhibit. Characteristic die break on the reverse, though still from an earlier state than most.

 

Construction on the Colosseum was begun in the early portion of the reign of Roman emperor Vespasian, with the iconic edifice completed during the reign of his elder son and successor, Titus. Given their importance in its creation, it later gained the name of the Flavian Amphitheatre in honor of their dynastic family. Some estimates point to its capacity being some 80,000 spectators, with crowds likely routinely averaging more than 60,000. While it fell into disrepair during the ensuing centuries, efforts were made to renovate the outer wall during the reign of Pius VII—the event commemorated on this highly impressive architectural medal that predates many of the other Italian, Belgian, and British architectural medals that would come to life in the mid-19th century.

 

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Upload: 16 December 2024.