100613 | ITALY. Venice (Venezia) bronze Medal.

100613 | ITALY. Venice (Venezia) bronze Medal. Issued 1937. Commemorating the Opening of the Riva dell'Impero (Imperial Shores) (50mm, 55.17 g, 12h). By A. Jaccuzzi.

 

Nude female, holding victoriola and fasces, riding dolphin left; brick shores and prow of ship in background / MINISTERO DEI LAVORI PVBBLICI / MAGISTRATO ALLE ACQVE, winged lion of St. Mark seated left, head facing, resting forepaw upon open Gospels; INAVGVRAZIONE / RIVA DELL'IMPERO / XXIII MARZO / XV EF in four lines. Edge: Plain.

 

Choice Mint State. Deep green-brown surfaces, with just a hint of rub on the highest points. Rare and attractive.

 

Reminiscent of the ancient Tarentine coinage featuring Taras/Phalanthos astride a dolphin, this medal melds classical mythology with contemporary overtones, as the female is holding a fasces. Though the fasces (a bundle of rods surrounding a battle axe) was an ancient symbol of power to the Etruscans, it was revived by Benito Mussolini during the Fascist movement—the name of the movement itself emanating from the fasces. It was this classical appeal of the fasces that drew U.S. coinage engraver Adolph A. Weinman to include it on the reverse of his winged Liberty dime, more commonly known as the 'Mercury' dime.

 

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