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3 Gazzette
| Issuer | Venice, Republic of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1570 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | + PAX TIBI MARCE EVANG. MEVS. |
| Reverse description | A frontal enthroned figure of Justice occupies the central field, holding an upright sword in her right hand and a set of scales in her left, symbolizing the Venetian ideal of righteous governance. A lion's head peers from behind the throne on each side, flanking the seated figure symmetrically. The Roman numeral III appears in the exergue, denoting the denomination of three Gazzette. A Latin legend surrounding the design proclaims righteous judgment. The overall composition reflects the formal, hieratic style of late Renaissance Venetian civic iconography. |
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| Additional information |
The 3 Gazzette falls within a period of acute fiscal strain for Venice — 1570 was the year the Ottoman Empire launched its invasion of Cyprus, forcing the Republic into emergency war spending that would culminate in the Battle of Lepanto the following year. Billon coinage of this fineness was a deliberate compromise, stretching silver reserves while maintaining a coin that could still pass as nominally metallic currency.
The gazzetta denomination itself takes its name from the small news-sheets sold for one gazzetta apiece on the Rialto — an etymological coincidence that gave the modern word "gazette" to most European languages.