LEONI, Leone
(b. 1509, Menaggio, d. 1590, Milano)

Andrea Doria (obverse), Leone Leoni (reverse)

1541
Cast bronze, diameter 4 cm
British Museum, London

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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