Archive – Italy
Charles of Anjou and the Sicilian Vespers
19 children Frederick II had had but his family was to be wiped out only a few years after his death. The enmity of the Pope is to blame or that – and an extremely effective opponent… [ more ]
Sigismondo Malatesta – Condottiere and Ruler of Rimini
In 1462, there was a great fire to be witnessed in Rome: Pope Pius II burnt the effigy of Sigismondo Malatesta, once beloved son and captain-general of the Holy Roman Church. Who was this man? A beast? The anti-christ? Or simply a child of one’s times? [ more ]
Striking Coins in Florence
Since September 17, 2011 visitors can see a marvelous exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. It is named Money and Beauty and is dedicated to the link between early modern banking and art. On exhibit is not only art, but documents, numismatists dream of like a book in which those responsible of striking coins have noted their decisions on the design... [ more ]
Charlemagne and the Popes – On the way to the Imperial crown
At Künker’s spring auction on March 12 and 13, 2012 a spectacular portrait Denarius of Charlemagne will be put to auction. The sole coin makes you dream. But the story behind it is fascinating as well: you can read it here. [ more ]
How Saint Mark came to Venice
From March 11 to 15, 2013, the collection of Dr Eduardo Curti will be liquidated. It contains numismatic rarities from medieval times, from the Migration Period until the Hundred Years’ War. Some of the most spectacular coins are from Venice, which, at the beginning of the 9th century, had absolutely no interest in becoming part of the Carolingian Empire. [ more ]
Expeditions into the realm of numismatics Part 1: The missing gold gulden or Basel as papal mint
In our series “Expeditions into the realm of numismatics”, we are taking you on an expedition to the treasures of the Basel Coin Cabinet. The first part revolves around a minting die for a papal gold gulden with the title of Felix V. [ more ]
The Hohenstaufen dynasty and Italy – Three regions of innovation in medieval Europe
From September 19th, 2010 to February 20th, 2011 a monumental exhibition on the Hohenstaufen era will take place in Mannheim... [ more ]
Money and beauty – an impressive exhibition in Florence
From 17 September 2011 to 22 January 2012 a rich exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, explores the links between that unique interweave of high finance, economy and art, and the religious and political upheavals of the Renaissance. Don’t miss this! Here you will spot pictures of some sources about numismatics you never have seen before, for example the Secret Account Book of the Medici Bank... [ more ]
New Gateway to Italian Numismatic
The Italian website Portale Numismatico dello Stato is a public project gathering numismatic material, catalogues, legal texts, essays and a whole journal making all that stuff available to everybody. In addition it offers virtual museum tours and much more... [ more ]
Sorrowful prince Cem issued coins
Lately we told you about prince Cem and his sorrowful life. Actually, for a short time he issued coins too. However, only few of them are preserved. What a luck that an expert on Islamic numismatics like Lutz Ilisch has turned out to be such a diligent reader of CoinsWeekly. [ more ]
The Thirty Years' War
Both religion and power were the focal points of the Thirty Years’ War that shook the whole of Europe during the 17th century. Ursula Kampmann brings that era alive. [ more ]
The Veronese currency area
Helmut Rizzolli and Federico Pigozzo have written a weighty volume on the monetary history of the Veronese currency area, including accompanying type corpora. Ursula Kampmann has taken a look at the monumental work. [ more ]
British Museum presents an exhibition on 4000 years of Sicilian art
The British Museum shows the impressive exhibition ‘Sicily: culture and conquest’. Over 4000 years of history on the island are explored through objects in the museum’s own collection alongside outstanding loans from Sicily and around the world. [ more ]
3rd Edition of Coinage in South-Eastern Europe 820-1396 released
Covering more than five centuries, the third edition of D.M. Metcalf’s “Coinage in South-Eastern Europe 820-1396” has been published. It explores the evidence of archaeological excavation and of several hundred coin-hoards. [ more ]
A must-have for every library on the Middle Ages
Still in 2016, the long-awaited fourth volume of the comprehensive standard work on “Medieval European Coinage” has been published. It deals with Northern Italy. Ursula Kampmann took a look. [ more ]