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1 Osella - Nicolò da Ponte
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|
| Year | 1584 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A full-length frontal figure of St. Joseph stands upon a decorated pedestal, rendered in the mannered style typical of late Renaissance Venetian medallic art. The saint is depicted in formal attire, holding attributes associated with his iconography. The surrounding legend and inscription on the pedestal allude to the flowering rod, a traditional attribute of St. Joseph, referencing the biblical account of his election. The legend reads VIRGA FLORVIT PRNC MVNVS ANNO·VII· S·IOS, indicating this osella was struck in the seventh year of the doge's reign as an official gift. |
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| Additional information |
The osella was Venice's answer to a ceremonial problem: doges had traditionally distributed live wildfowl (uccelli, hence the name) as New Year's gifts to Council members, a practice formalized under Doge Giovanni Mocenigo and eventually monetized into struck silver pieces beginning in 1521. Each year's issue bore a unique reverse, making the series a de facto annual medal run financed by the doge personally rather than the state mint. Nicolò da Ponte, elected in 1578 at the remarkable age of eighty-six, issued osellas across six years of an unexpectedly long final dogeship.
The CNI references VII#330–332 indicate multiple die combinations documented for this year.