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1 Quadrupla - Paul V
| Issuer | Papal States |
|---|---|
| Year | 1611 |
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| Value | 1 Quadrupla (4) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Saint Paul seated facing right, draped in robes, his long beard rendered in fine detail; he holds a sword upright in his left hand, his attribute as the Apostle of the Gentiles, and an open book (the Epistles) in his right hand. The figure is depicted in the monumental style of Counter-Reformation papal coinage, occupying most of the field. The encircling legend reads S PAVLVS ALMA ROMA, and the date M DC XI appears in the exergue in Roman numerals. |
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| Reverse lettering | S٠PAVLVS٠ALMA٠ROMA M٠DC٠XI٠ |
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| Additional information |
Paul V — born Camillo Borghese — issued this quadrupla during one of the most politically turbulent pontificates of the seventeenth century. In 1606, just five years before this coin was struck, he placed the entire Republic of Venice under interdict following a dispute over clerical jurisdiction, the last time any pope successfully deployed that weapon against a major state. The standoff lasted over a year and ended in compromise rather than papal victory, a result that quietly signaled the diminishing temporal reach of Rome.
The quadrupla denomination itself was never a coin of ordinary commerce — these circulated among merchants, diplomats, and treasuries, not markets. At .986 fine, the gold content is exceptionally pure for the period.