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1 Osella - Sebastiano Venier
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|
| Year | 1577 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Osella (3.9) |
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| Obverse description | St. Mark seated facing left, presenting a staff bearing a cross and pennant to the kneeling doge Sebastiano Venier at right. The investiture scene is rendered in high relief typical of Venetian oselle, with both figures shown in elaborate drapery. The legend encircles the composition, and the Roman numeral ANNO. I appears in the exergue, denoting the first year of Venier's dogeship. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (1577) - I |
| Additional information |
The osella was Venice's answer to a persistent diplomatic problem: the Doge was constitutionally prohibited from accepting or distributing gifts of monetary value, yet the annual New Year's presentation of live wildfowl from the lagoon hunters had become an embarrassing logistical ritual. From 1521 onward, silver struck pieces replaced the birds entirely, one per year, each specific to the reigning Doge.
Sebastiano Venier's single osella of 1577 is among the more historically weighted in the series. He had commanded the Venetian fleet at Lepanto in 1571, and his election as Doge came just months after the catastrophic Palazzo Ducale fire of May 1577.