The obverse of the medal shows Andrea Doria, the great naval commander, wearing an antique-style cuirass with a trident behind him and a dolphin below. On the reverse, the bust of the artist is seen against a galley, a hammer, an unfastened fetter-lock, and a grappling iron. The medal commemorates Doria's aid in getting Leoni released from his grueling service in the papal galleys, then a common punishment for male criminals.
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