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The Mezzo Scudo of Philip II of Habsburg: a masterpiece born from failure

Written by Greta Gazzaniga

A new ruler for Milan and the birth of the mezzo scudo

When Emperor Charles V decides to abdicate in favor of his son, he leaves Philip II several states to govern: namely the Kingdom of Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and, in Italy, the Duchy of Milan and the kingdoms of Naples, Sardinia, and Sicily.

In the Milanese duchy, the new king began minting coinage as early as 1554. As for the mezzo scudo featured in our Auction 12 as Lot 340, scholars all agree that it was minted between 1556 and 1557.

Nomisma Aste, Asta 12, Lotto 340, MILANO Filippo II d'Asburgo (1554-1598) Mezzo Scudo

Auction 12, Lot 340, MILAN Philip II of Hasburg (1554-1598) Mezzo Scudo 

On the obverse, the coin features an armored portrait of the monarch wearing the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece—a signature iconography of Philip II that would accompany him throughout his life. On the reverse, the patron saint of the city of Milan, Saint Ambrose, is depicted driving away the Arians at his feet with a scourge.

At first glance, it might seem like a perfectly ordinary iconography, consistent with depictions of the saint in other works of the era. However, upon closer inspection, one can spot elements that seem out of place.

The ambitious (and failed) dream of Leone Leoni

The art of minting, like all artistic fields, is no stranger to copying or drawing inspiration from other works, and this is precisely one of those cases.

This story begins with a failure. About ten years earlier, Leone Leoni, a renowned Italian sculptor and medallist who had gained the favor of Emperor Charles V, was working at the Milan mint. He wanted to create a highly ambitious composition for a scudo for the monarch, featuring the Titanomachy on the reverse in honor of the victory achieved by the Spanish army over the Schmalkaldic League at the Battle of Mühlberg (1547).

Indeed, in 1549 Leone himself had already created a medal with the Emperor’s bust on the obverse and the Titanomachy on the reverse—a highly chaotic subject, rich in figures magnificently arranged in space, reflecting his passion for monumental sculpture.

The artist wanted to reproduce this subject on the Milanese scudo. Due to the limited space and the lack of skill among the mint workers made it impossible to fulfill his expectations. As a result, today we know of dies for this scudo with slight variations between them, and very few surviving specimens of the coin.

The ingenious reuse: from giants to Arians

Despite the failure of the project, the dies remained at the mint. When Philip II succeeded his father in governing the duchy, it became necessary to update the coinage. Leone Leoni found himself working for the new king as well. Perhaps to avoid completely wasting the work already done, it was decided, in agreement with the mint, to repurpose some of the figures of the Giants from the Titanomachy. The idea was to iclude them in this mezzo scudo, transforming them into the Arians.

If one examines the reverses of both the scudo with the Titanomachy and Philip II’s half-scudo, it is possible to recognize some of these figures. The figure of Saint Ambrose, on the other hand, was taken from the dies of the 5-soldi coins, also of Philip II.

The mystery of the scourge: the legend of Parabiago

Let’s analyse a curious detail concerns the figure of the saint. During his lifetime, Ambrose always opposed Arianism, but there are no documented instances of violence against heretics. Why, then, this combative depiction?

The answer lies nearly two hundred years earlier, during the Battle of Parabiago in 1339. On that occasion, Luchino Visconti and Lodrisio Visconti clashed for control of the city of Milan. According to tradition, during the battle the saint appeared on horseback, terrifying the army of the Company of Saint George led by Lodrisio and thereby favoring the victory of Luchino Visconti.

From that moment on, the figure of the saint appeared on Milanese coins no longer bestowing a blessing, but armed with a scourge and a crosier.

A Masterpiece of Numismatic Mannerism

In conclusion, it can be stated that this coin certainly represents a superb example of numismatic Mannerism. Undoubtedly, it is also the result of a true “collage,” or “patchwork,” of multiple elements that contributed to creating one of the most refined issues of Philip II of Habsburg’s Milan.

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