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Medallist: Maffeo Olivieri, 1484-1543/1544
commemorating Altobello Averoldo of Brescia, Bishop of Pola (Croatia), 1497-1532
Cast bronze medal undated (around 1517-1521). (Ø 94,2 mm; 287,50 gr). ALTOBELLVS AVEROLDVS BRIXIEN POLEN EPS VEN LEGTS APOST. Bust right, wearing berretta and rochet // VERATI D, in exergue. Truth, as a nude female figure, struggling with two nude men trying to cover her with a veil, to a corner of which she clings with her right hand.
Of the highest rarity. Suspension hole. Extremely fine contemporary cast
Lot 9 / estimation CHF 100’000/ hammer price CHF 80’000
Reference: Armand II, p. 104, n°12 (Ø 94 mm); Hill, Corpus I, p. 128, n°486 (Ø 92-94 mm); Hill & Pollard (Kress Coll.) n°161 (Ø 93 mm).
Provenance: Auction Spink & Son’s 8004, London (UK), 24 January 2008, lot n°109.
This beautiful bronze medal was crafted somewhere around 1517-1521 to commemorate an important Italian political figure and Roman Catholic prelate: Altobello Averoldo (1468-1531).
It is attributed to a bronze-worker of Brescia, Maffeo Olivieri (1484-1534). Within the medallic production of this artist, this medal is considered as one of the finest achievements.
Born in 1484 as an illegitimate son of an important Brescian family, Averoldo studied law at Padua where he obtained a doctorate and was later named bishop of Pola (Croatia) in 1497 by Pope Alexander VI.
At the time of the production of this medal, from 1517 to 1521, Averoldo served as an ecclesiastical diplomat, or Papal Nuncio, in Venice, with the difficult task of gaining Venetian support for a crusade under Pope Leo X against the Ottomans.
Portrait of Altobello Averoldo, 1468-1531
On the reverse of the medal, you can see a beautiful depiction of a scene where truth, represented as a nude female figure, is struggling with two nude men trying to cover her with a veil, to a corner of which she clings with the right hand. The legend below VERATI D D[icatum], can be translated as „dedicated to the truth“.
While at first sight this representation could be interpreted as an allegorical way to depict the violent human desire to cover or hide truth, a deeper message, directly linked to Averoldo‘s life, might be expressed here:
In 1518, a wealthy ten-year old girl, stepdaughter of a relative of Averoldo, was abducted and abused by Camillo Martinengo, a member of an aristocratic Brescian family and four armed men.
Altobello Averoldo did not hesitate to use his power and influence to have Martinengo condemned and to unveil the truth about his wrongdoing. His efforts lead to the rescue of the young girl and to the condemnation of the five assailants to be banished from the city for periods ranging from three to ten years. When the sentence was announced, a day-long ball was held in front of Averoldo‘s house on the Grand Canal to celebrate his help in this tragical event, that might be commemorated here.
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