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Filippo Della Valle (Florence, 1698 – , 1768) Medal of Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Circa 1722

Monogrammed Bronze, 9 cm (diameter)

Provenance: Sir John Pope-Hennessy, CBE, Palazzo Canigiani, Florence, until his death in 1994, by descent until 2014; Private Collection, London

Literature: Centro Di Cataloghi 48, Gli Ultimi Medici: Il tardo barocco a Firenze, 1670- 1743, Detroit Institute of Art, 1974, p. 148 Vernon Hyde Minor, Passive Tranquility: The Sculpture of , Volume 87, Part 5, p. 89. Vernon Hyde Minor, Filippo della Valle as Metalworker, Art Bulletin, 1984, pp. 511-514

Our refined medal depicts a right-facing bust of Cosimo III de’ Medici (1642-1723) on the recto, and Cosimo’s equestrian statue surrounded by allegorical and holy figures on the verso. In both representations, Cosimo is wearing an ermine cloak and displaying the cross of St. Stephen. The cursive and highly precise treatment of the bronze confers a dynamic and lively touch to the represented characters, who are skilfully defined through a master game of lights and shadows. The medal results in a precious representation of Cosimo III de’ Medici’s power, clearly stated on the verso through the motto “Gloria Etrvscorvm”. There is another version of our elegant medal in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, in Florence.

Cosimo III de’ Medici was the sixth and longest ruling Grand Duke of Tuscany (1670-1723). He was an enthusiastic patron of the arts who bought and commissioned works from many of the

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great painters and sculptors of the time both within and in Europe, where he travelled widely. On meeting him in England, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary dated 5-15 April 1669 that he seemed ‘a very jolly and good comely man.’ Despite this, Tuscany is considered to have declined under his rule.

Jan Frans van Douven, Portrait of Cosimo III de’ Medici, c.1700

Before embarking upon his career in Rome in 1725, Filippo Della Valle learnt the art of metalworking either from his uncle Foggini, or from Massimiliano Soldani Benzi, the Master of the Mint. Before departing from Florence, he certainly struck at least two medals, one of Cosimo de’ Medici III, like our example, and another of Prince Giovanni Gastone de’ Medici (Vernon Hyde Minor, Passive Tranquillity: The Sculpture of Filippo Della Valle, Volume 87, Part 5, p. 89).

Born in Florence in 1698, Filippo della Valle is perhaps most famous for the sculptures he realised in Rome. He moved to Rome to work with in 1725 following the death of his uncle, the sculptor G.B. Foggini, to whom he had been apprenticed. He soon won the first prize in a competition held by the and began to attract commissions from notable patrons, such as the Florentine-born Pope Clement XII Corsini. Among Filippo della Valle’s most esteemed works are his allegorical statues of Health and Abundance for the , and his statue of Temperance for the Corsini Chapel in San Giovanni in Laterano.

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CALLISTO FINE ARTS

44 Duke Street London SW1Y 6DD +44 (0)207 3397037 [email protected] www.callistoart.com

Filippo della Valle, Abundance (right) and Health (left), Trevi Fountain

John Pope-Hennessy held our Medal of Cosimo III de’ Medici in his precious private collection in his Florentine residency, Palazzo Canigiani, where he lived, with his partner, Michael Mallon, from the age of 75 until his death.

Portrait of art historian Sir John Pope-Hennessy, New York, March 21, 1978. (Photo by Arnold Newman Properties/Getty Images)

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CALLISTO FINE ARTS

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Palazzo Canigiani, Florence

Pope-Hennessy was one of the most important scholars of Italian Renaissance art of the twentieth century, so much as his colleagues nicknamed him as “The Pope”. He was Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Victorian and Albert Museum between 1967 and 1973, and Director of the British Museum between 1974 and 1976. Subsequently, he moved to New York City, where he taught at NYU and was Head of the European Paintings Department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among Pope-Hennessy’s most important publications, we would like to remind the tripartite Introduction to Italian Sculpture (1955-1963), and, especially, Donatello: Sculptor (1993).

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