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1 Osella - Domenico Contarini
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|
| Year | 1671 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | A crowned allegorical figure of Justice is seated facing, flanked by two recumbent lions symbolizing the strength and sovereignty of the Venetian Republic. She holds a sword upright in her right hand and scales in her left, embodying the dual principles of power and equity. An olive branch appears at lower left, representing peace. The exergue below bears the regnal year ANNO / XIII in two lines, denoting the thirteenth year of Domenico Contarini's dogeship. The surrounding legend OPVS IVSTITIÆ PAX, derived from Isaiah 32:17, declares 'the work of justice is peace.' |
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| Mintage | ND (1671) ZQ - XII |
| Additional information |
The osella was Venice's annual New Year's gift coin, distributed by the Doge to members of the Maggior Consiglio as a substitute for the live waterfowl — uccelli, later oselle — that had traditionally been presented since the medieval period. Contarini's dogeship ran from 1659 to 1675, a tenure dominated by the catastrophic loss of Crete to the Ottomans in 1669 after a 21-year siege, one of the costliest campaigns in Venetian history.
CNI VIII lists three die variants for this year across references 332–334.