Albert V, Duke of Bavaria
Allegorical Scene
Bronzed Tin, 124.0 mm Ø, 400.8 g
By Hans Ässlinger, 1558.
Obverse: Half-length bust of Albert V facing right with divided beard, wearing decorative armor and chain with the Order of the Golden Fleece. Around, ALBERTVS · COM : PALAT : RHENI · VTRI : Q : BAVARIÆ DVX (Albert V, Palatine of the Rhine and Duke of Bavaria).
Reverse: On the left, a lion attacking a bull. On the right, another lion protecting a lamb. Above, an angel in the clouds with outstretched arms holds two wreaths. In the background, two cities connected by a bridge over a river. Around, PARCERE SVBIECTIS ET DEBELLARE SVPERBOS 1558 (To spare the subjugated and defeat the haughty, 1558).
Albert V (b. 1528) was Duke of Bavaria from 1550 until his death in 1579. He was a leading figure in the German Counter-Reformation. The reverse is taken from Virgil's Aeneid (VI.853), and in this context refers to the Roman Catholic Church protecting the populace from the Protestant movement. Of numismatic interest, Albert V founded the Staatliche Münzsammlung Munich.
Provenance:
Fritz Rudolf Künker 297, 27 September 2017, lot 3250 (Dr. Rainer Opitz collection).
Dr. Busso Peus Nachf. 411, 31 October 2013, lot 1621 (Dr. Günther Brockmann collection).
References:
Habich 1929-34, no. 3176
Cupperi et al. 2013, no. 158