Photo, Print, Drawing Royal Coin, Francis I. Sample Teston. Monnaie royale, François Ier. Essai de teston
About this Item
Title
- Royal Coin, Francis I. Sample Teston.
Other Title
- Monnaie royale, François Ier. Essai de teston
Summary
- This gold sample teston (16th-century French silver coin) representing the King Francis I (1494--1547; reigned, 1515--47) of France is one of the most characteristic monetary expressions of the Renaissance. The realistic portrait, classical inspiration, significant relief, and weight of the piece are all features that represent a break from the money of medieval times. The 19th-century numismatist, Henri de La Tour, showed that this 1529 coin was the work of Matteo del Nassaro (circa 1490--1547), an Italian artist from Verona who first entered the service of Francis I in 1515. Nassaro's authorship is known to historians through an account statement that shows he was paid 112 livres Tournois (Tours pounds), 15 sous, of which ten livres, five sous were "for the gold he gave and used in a medal that he struck on the corner of these testons." The gold specimen shown here is almost certainly this unique medal.
Names
- Francis I, King of France, 1494-1547 Associated Name.
- Nassaro, Matteo del, circa 1490--1547 Creator.
Created / Published
- [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], 1529.
Headings
- - France
- - 1529
- - Coins
- - Coins, French
- - Francis I, King of France, 1494-1547
- - Kings and rulers
- - Portraits
Notes
- - Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
- - Original resource extent: 1 coin: gold. 17.36 grams; 3.0 centimeters in diameters.
- - Original resource at: National Library of France.
- - Content in Latin.
- - Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.
Medium
- 1 online resource.
Digital Id
Library of Congress Control Number
- 2021669233
Online Format
- compressed data
- image