Written by Greta Gazzaniga
The Milan mint and the gold double ducat of Bona of Savoy: history and numismatics
The Milan mint was the beating heart of Italian Renaissance coinage. Thanks to the Sforza family, who took control of the city in 1450, significant changes occurred in the monetary emissions of the era, such as the introduction of the lira—better known as the testone—which saw the return of physiognomic portraits of the issuing authorities of the time.
The first female Renaissance portrait on a coin
Among the various innovations is the first female Renaissance portrait on a coin: the gold double ducat bearing the effigy of Bona of Savoy, consort of Galeazzo Maria Sforza.
These coins were issued with the specific aim of establishing the Duchess and her son as the rightful Dukes of Milan. Following the death of Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1476), Bona of Savoy assumed the regency of the Duchy at the beginning of 1477. However, the official ceremony in which her son was formally invested as Duke of Milan did not take place until 1478, due to his young age and the attempts by the late Duke’s brothers to seize control of the Duchy.
Unreleased coinage projects
Her effigy appears not only on the double ducat but also on several testoni issued during her regency alongside her son, Gian Galeazzo Sforza. Although these are the only surviving coins bearing her image, they were likely not the first ones conceived with the Duchess’s portrait. In fact, a document from 1470 states that Galeazzo Maria Sforza had asked the treasurer Antonio Anguissola to produce 50 pieces, each worth two ducats, featuring the Duchess’s effigy, to be either struck or cast. It is unknown whether these ‘coins’ were ever actually issued, but the document proves that a coin featuring the double portrait of the two consorts was already being planned.
Emilio Motta, Documenti Visconteo-Forzeschi per la storia della zecca di Milano in Rivista Italiana di Numismatica del 1894
This is not the only instance in which documents attest to the creation of the Duchess’s portrait for this purpose. In the same year, 1470, mint records reveal an order for ten gold medals with a total value of 10,000 ducats, which were to depict Bona. The document states that those commissioned for this work were Zanetto Bugatto—a painter sent by the Duke himself to portray his future consort during marriage negotiations—and Matteo da Civate, whose son Ambrogio had been tasked with portraying the Duchess for the previous request of the 50 two-ducat pieces.
Unfortunately, these portraits have not survived to the present day, and only a few paintings and frescoes of Bona of Savoy remain, which differ from the portrait found on the coins.
Iconographic analysis of the gold double ducat
Absolute certainty is not possible, but it is highly probable that the portrait on these coins was created at a later date. On the double ducat, indeed Bona is depicted with her son at a more advanced age and is wearing a mourning veil; in the best-preserved specimens, one can also observe the string of pearls bordering the Duchess’s veil. This detail does not appear in the surviving portraits, which depict her with a different style of headdress from the one seen on the coins
Asta 2, Lotto 737, MILANO Bona di Savoia e Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1476-1481) Doppio ducato
A further element suggesting that the portrait was created at a later date is the legend surrounding the effigy. Gian Galeazzo Sforza is, in fact, referred to as the sixth Duke of Milan, a title he had already inherited from his father. Regarding the dating of the issue of these coins, we have a certain date: 1479. Indeed, the Cronaca Civitatis Placentiae by Giovanni Agazzari and Antonio Francesco Villa reports that it was in that very year that both the testoni and the double ducats bearing the Regent’s effigy were issued.
Numismatic rarities
The coins of Bona of Savoy had an extremely brief period of circulation. In 1480, Ludovico il Moro forced the Duchess to abdicate and to retire to the castle of Abbiategrasso.
Given the extreme rarity of these pieces, they represent a true crown jewel for elite collecting. We had the privilege of presenting a specimen of this rare double ducat (Lot 737, Auction 2), which reached the exceptional figure of € 32,500.00.
See also:
- Blog post Renaissance coins? So much of… cap!
- Blog post Verona, Bologna, Urbino and pope Julius II
- Blog post The famous 50 Lire 1864