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Bertolami Fine Art Auction Highlights Renaissance Medallists Beyond Cellini

market-auction · 2026-05-27

Bertolami Fine Art's auction 384, scheduled for May 29, features coins and medals by Renaissance masters Leone Leoni, Gasparo Mola, and Martino Hamerani. Lot 79 includes a silver testone by Leoni (c. 1509–1590) depicting Emperor Charles V and a Pietà referencing a Caligula sestertius. Leoni, known as Cellini's rival who allegedly attempted poisoning, competed with ancient Roman engravers. Lot 256 is a silver piastra by Mola (1571–1640), called the 'Cellini of Lombardy,' portraying Pope Urban VIII. Mola directed the papal mint from 1625. Lot 256 also includes a piastra by Hamerani (1646–1705) for Pope Innocent XII Pignatelli, featuring a reverse image of St. Michael the Archangel inspired by Guido Reni's painting. Hamerani's version shows Lucifer as a demon (unlike Reni's human-faced Lucifer modeled on Cardinal Pamphilj) and arms St. Michael with three lightning bolts instead of a sword, possibly symbolizing the Holy Trinity and supporting France's King Louis XIV. The auction takes place at Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli in Rome.

Key facts

  • Auction 384 by Bertolami Fine Art on May 29 features Renaissance coins and medals.
  • Lot 79 is a silver testone by Leone Leoni (c. 1509–1590) with Emperor Charles V and a Pietà.
  • Leoni was a rival of Cellini and allegedly tried to poison him with diamond dust.
  • Lot 256 includes a silver piastra by Gasparo Mola (1571–1640), known as the 'Cellini of Lombardy.'
  • Mola was appointed director of the papal mint by Pope Urban VIII in 1625.
  • Another lot features a piastra by Martino Hamerani (1646–1705) for Pope Innocent XII.
  • Hamerani's reverse cites Guido Reni's St. Michael but changes Lucifer's face and adds three lightning bolts.
  • The three lightning bolts may symbolize the Holy Trinity and support for Louis XIV.

Entities

Artists

  • Benvenuto Cellini
  • Leone Leoni
  • Gasparo Mola
  • Martino Hamerani
  • Guido Reni
  • Giovanni Martino Hamerani

Institutions

  • Bertolami Fine Art
  • Palazzo Caetani Lovatelli

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Milan
  • Lombardy
  • France

Sources