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25 Zecchini - Giovanni Corner II
| Issuer | Republic of Venice |
|---|---|
| Year | 1709-1722 |
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| Currency | Lira (1618-1752) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Full-length frontal figure of Christ, nimbed and robed, standing erect within a beaded elliptical mandorla densely studded with six-pointed stars, His right hand raised in benediction and His left holding the Gospels. The surrounding field is scattered with additional stars between the mandorla and the outer border. The votive legend SIT·T·XPE·DAT·Q·TV·REGIS·ISTE·DVCAT· encircles the design, invoking Christ as the true ruler of the ducal realm. The overall composition reflects the deeply devotional character of Venetian multiple-zecchino presentation coinage of the early eighteenth century. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
Giovanni Corner II served as Doge from 1709 to 1722, a tenure that overlapped almost precisely with the War of the Spanish Succession and Venice's increasingly desperate efforts to maintain neutrality while its eastern territories were being gnawed away by the Ottomans. The 25 Zecchini was among the largest gold multiples struck by the Serenissima, issued more for ceremonial presentation and diplomatic gift-giving than for any practical circulation — pieces of this denomination rarely passed through ordinary hands.
Corner's dogeship also coincided with the plague epidemic of 1709–1710, which killed roughly a quarter of Venice's remaining population and strained the mint's operations considerably.