The Greek and Roman history illustrated by coins & medals representing their religions, rites, manners, customs, games, feasts, arts and sciences : together with a succint account of their emperors, consuls, cities, colonies and families, in two parts, necessary for the introduction of youth into all the useful knowledge of antiquity / by O.W.

CHAP. III. Of false, counterfeit, modern and rare Medals.

1. IN the late renovation of Learning divers persons, inquiring into Antiquity, took notice of the advantage to be received from Medals, towards the perfecting History, and understanding the ancient Customs of the Ro∣mans, began to search after them with great curiosity; and procured them at very great Rates, which was the cause that several Work∣men, in hope of gain, set their minds to coun∣feit them. Such were Victor Gambello; Giovan∣ni del Cavino, and his Son call'd Padoani, very excellent, yea the best Workmen, and whose Counterfeits are better than the Originals ma∣ny times, by which and by their forked Let∣ters they are discovered; Benevenuto Cellini that excellent Goldsmith; Alexander Greco; Leo Aretine; Jacopo da Tresso; Frederick Bonzagna, and Giovan-Jacapo his Brother; Sebastian Plu•…•…∣bo; and Valerius de Vicenza, Gorlaeus also; and 'tis now a Trade amongst the Jews more than the Christians. But these are more tolerable, who

did only remake ancient true Medals, than T. Annius Viterb. who himself, besides Medals, framed Inscriptions of his own imagination, and buried them in convenient places, that when they seemed ancient, he might find, pre∣sent, and vend them to the World, as he did his Berosus, &c. The same abuse of describing false Coins for true is also said to be in Gue∣vara's Epistles, Jov. Pontanus his Venditionis Formula; Pompon. Laetus his Will, Joh. Camers, Cyr. Anconitanus call'd the Antiquary and the Promptuarium Iconum, by which two last many Authors, especially the Spanish, have been misled.

2. The first who set out the Effigies of the Emperors and other famous Persons, was Card. Sadolet, or (as some say) Fulvius Ursinus (for under his Name the Book goes) under the Title of Illustrium Imagines printed * 1.1 anno 1517. or perhaps next to him Joan. Hut∣tichius put out a Book call'd Imperatorum Ro∣manorum libellus un•…•… cum imaginibus, &c. at Stras∣bourg, anno 1525. and in other places after∣wards, the Figures nothing like those upon their Medals. Jac. Strada, anno 1553. at Ly∣ons published his Epitome Thesauri Antiquit atum. This Work was again imitated at Zurich, anno 1558. and afterwards by Rouille at Lyons under the name of Promptuarium Numismatum. Stra∣da is but indifferently faithful, and this Edi∣tion especially hath added many false Images and Medals: by the way also note, that the Book of Inscriptions printed at Rome in Leo X's

time, is censured to be corruptly printed.

3. Now the ways of falsifying them are these: 1. By filing of the halves of two Me∣dals, whereof one side is wasted, and sodering them together. This is discerned easily, because many times the two parts do not belong to the same Emperor, nor are of the same Master; but chiefly because the conjunction appears by a white or silver Thread (for their Soder is made of that Metal) round about the Edge. 2. If an ancient Medal be almost consumed by working it over again with a Burin or graving Tool, and reingraving the worn Figures; if well done, these are not •…•…uch inferior to true ones: but are known, because the middle is more hollow than the edges. 3. By restamp∣ing a Medal worn on both or one side; or by stamping a new Medal, by which means most of the modern ones are made; if on one side, they lay a Felt under the other side, notwith∣standing which, that side will be flat and bat∣tered whilst the other is fresh and rough: if both sides be new stamped, the Traits will be crude and apparent, besides that the new Scul∣pture is of another Mine than the ancient: the Letters made with another proportion, the M^s straight down, whereas all the Ancients are M. And by the writing are they well dis∣cerned, for the Letters of the ancient are not uniform, nor very decent: Seeing, as Cellini very acutely observes, they graved all their Molds with Chisels or Burins, whereas the late Counterfeiters struck theirs with a Punch. But

the best way is that which Pliny saith, l. 33. c. 9. by comparing them with other modern and counterfeit ones. In hâc artium solâ Vitia discuntur, & falsi denarii spectatur exemplar, plu∣ribus{que} veris denariis adulterinus emitur. 4. By casting a new Medal upon an ancient one; to distinguish these, you must take notice, that Learned men do conceive the manner of coin∣ing, especially great Medals, was anciently to melt the Metal, and cast it into Molds like a Ball, or Bullet, and then being hot, to stamp them flat with a great and heavy Hammer (such a one as we see upon some Medals) whence it comes, that most of the Medals have clefts in the Edges, caused by the force of the Instru∣ment, which the cast ones do not well repre∣sent. Besides, the melted Metal doth not so well and distinctly receive the minute Traicts of the stamp. Again, be the Spaud never so fine, there will appear small roughnesses as of Sand upon the cast Piece; nor can the best Caster in the most accurate flaskes hinder, that there shall not be little Edges of Metal to be filed away; the cast ones also are lighter than the true. 5. Lastly, by filling up a corroded Medal with a certain strong Paste, and casting over all a thick Varnish made of Sulphur, Ver∣digrease and Vinegar; which when you see you must suspect, and trying with any sharp In∣strument easily discover the fraud.

4. To give Rules sufficient for discerning of all false Medals is impossible, yet some few I will set down. 1. All which have moral sen∣tences

upon them; as Festina lente; Veni, vi∣di, vici, and the like, are false: there being ordinarily nothing but the Names, Titles, Time, Offices, &c. of the Prince, &c. 2. All or the greatest part of the Ancients, who were not Sovereign Princes, or who lived in Common∣wealths are counterfeit, as of Hannibal, Plato, Alcibiades, Nero, which Petrus Galilaeus sold to Paul IV. at a vast rate, Artemisia, Fabius, Sci∣pio Africanus, and the like: also Medalions of Priamus, Dido, &c. also the large ones of Carluas M. with a long Beard, and Gothick Inscription. 3. Divers of the Augustae in AEneas Vicus (i. e.) such as he confesseth to have taken out of Promptuarium Iconum. 4. All the ancient gold Coins were fine, and if not fine, not ancient. 5. To say somewhat of the Value of them, ob∣serve these Rules: 1. Modern Medals well cast upon ancient ones, if cleansed and hansomed, are the best of all counterfeits, and may serve very well to fill up a Series. 2. Modern Me∣dals stamped of a good Master after ancient ones, and of a good representation are the next best, and are more worth than a common an∣cient one. Modern ones also stamped upon an ancient one defaced, are better than of mo∣dern Metal. 3. Of all modern Counterfeiters the Padoani are the best, and their Works, especially such as were stamped when the Stamps were fresh, are much esteemed.

5. It is very hard to cleanse a Brass Medal from Earth and Rust, some boil them half an hour in Water with Tartar, and a little Alom,

after they are cold rub them well with Tanners Oaze or with Bran; others pass them over lightly with Aqua fortis, but this is dangerous, and by no means to be used in such as are of mixed Metals; others put them in the fire, but that commonly spoils them; others rub them with Tripoly or a Wire-brush; but the best way is with the Burin or Graving tool for them that know to use it and have the patience.

6. Medals are esteemed, 1. for their Anti∣quity, 2. for the goodness of their Master; the best Masters were from Nero to Pertinax, a time of long Peace, 3. for their well-conserva∣tion, cleanness, and beauty, 4. for their great∣ness, 5. for their Erudition, 6. for their rarity, 7. to make up a Series. Now these Rules are observed by men of the Trade concerning their rareness and value.

7. The Medals are rare, when of a Person who reigned but a short time; or but few made of him, or one that is singular of an Emperor of whom there are many common. Medals Contorniate, tho of a bad Master, are rare and very much esteemed, so are they which have the Face hollow, such also as have two Heads upon them, whether on the same or divers sides; such as have the bust or good part of the Body with the Head; such are ma∣ny of those who were only Caesar's, and not Augustus's, which have no Reverses, save only an Inscription. The Medals of the lower Em∣perors in great, and of the higher in little, are rarer. Great Greek Medals of the Emperors

are not much more esteemed than the lesser, be∣cause of their ill Masters. Great Consular Me∣dals rare, if any at all. Medaglions of Gold and Silver very rare, if any at all, of Brass also rare: Which to understand, take notice there are four bignesses of Medals, 1. Medaglions, 2. great Medals which have frequently S. C. upon them, 3. mean, 4. small ones. The exact bigness of each, tho both Goltzius and Ant. Augustinus set down, yet I think them not exact enough to give them here. Note al∣so, that they are dearer in some places than others; either according as they find Chap∣men, or are known, or that the Emperors lived there; as here Carausius and Allectus are not scarce, which in other places are counted very rare.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Andreas Fulvius, not Fulvi∣us Ursinus. Vide Ge•…•…∣neri Bi∣bliot. à Simlero edit. & Phil Labbe Bibliothe∣cae Num∣mar•…•…ae. Part 1.