Search results for
X
No results :(

Hints for your search:

Title

Four-Excelente Coin of the Catholic Monarchs

Generic classification
Numismatics
Object
Coin
Date
ca. 1479-1504
Century
Last quarter of the 15th c.
Cultural context / style
Reign of the Catholic Monarchs
Dimensions
1,29 in
Material
Gold
Technique
Coinage
Iconography / Theme
Reyes Católicos
Provenance
Segovia Mint (Segovia, Spain)
Current location
Berlin State Museums (Berlín, Germany)
Inventory Number in Current Collection
18217881
Inscriptions / Marks

Anvers: +FERNANDVS ET HELISABET D G REX ET REGINA CA.

Obverse: SVB VNBRA ALARVM TVARVM PROTEGE NOS DE.

Object history

The Catholic Monarchs, by means of a pragmatic issued in Medina del Campo (Valladolid) in 1497, developed a uniform monetary system, which sought to bring order to the chaos inherited from the time of Henry IV. Since 1475 a new gold coin known as the Castilian ducat was in circulation, since it was based on the pattern of the reputed coin of the Republic of Venice, although its name was that of the excellent of the pomegranate. This excellent / ducat had a weight of 3.5 grams of gold of 23 3/4 carats, which means an extraordinary purity and was equivalent to 375 maravedis (11 reales and one maravedi).

From the established standard, different multiples and submultiples were minted, even casting pieces of 50 excellent ones, such as the one that belonged to the Hispanic Society of America in New York and was sold at public auction in 2012 at Sotheby's to an anonymous buyer. Among these pieces are frequent examples of four excellent, which to a large extent were minted at the Segovia mint, where the coin referenced here comes from. It is not a unique piece, as the same museum has two other examples, with the inventory numbers: 18217879 and 18217880.

This four excellent coin, with a diameter of 33 mm, weighs 13.77 grams of 23 3/4 carat gold. On the obverse the legend reads +FERNANDVS ET HELISABET D G REX ET REGINA CA enveloping the effigies of the Catholic Kings crowned and facing each other. In the upper part of the field a section of the aqueduct can be seen, which is the mark of the Segovian mint, and behind Queen Isabella appears a capital P, which must refer to the assayer and in the exergue appears IIII, denoting that it is a piece of four excellent. On the reverse the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs with the eagle of St. John reaching to the edge, with a legend that the motto of the monarchs: SVB VNBRA ALARVM TVARVM PROTEGE NOS DE (Under the shadow of your wings, protect us Lord).

Minted in Segovia, it would enter into circulation and we do not know when it left Spain, but we do know that it was in the possession of Hermann Grote (1802-1895), in Hannover (Germany). This collector sold to Hermann Jungk more than 10,000 coins in 1876 and three years later he bought them from the Münzkabinett, Staatliche Museen in Berlin for 30,000 DM.

Description

Legal tender minted in gold.

Locations
* The relative location of dealers, antique shops, art galleries, and collectors leads us to the places where they were based or had one of their main headquarters. However, this does not always indicate that every artwork that passed through their hands was physically located there. In the case of antique dealers and art merchants, their business often extended across multiple territories; sometimes they would purchase items at their origin and send them directly to clients. Similarly, some collectors owned multiple residences, sometimes in different countries, where they housed their collections. It is often difficult to determine exactly where a specific piece was kept during its time in their possession. Consequently, the main location of the dealer or collector is indicated. These factors should be considered when interpreting the map. Refer to the object's history in each case.
Bibliography
  • CASTÁN RAMÍREZ, Carlos y CAYÓN, Juan R. (1980): Las monedas hispano musulmanas y cristianas 711-1981, Los autores, Madrid.
Record manager
Miguel Ángel Zalama
Citation:

Miguel Ángel Zalama, "Four-Excelente Coin of the Catholic Monarchs" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/336

DOI
Four-Excelente Coin of the Catholic Monarchs

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett.

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Münzkabinett.

Share this work:
Facebook
Twitter

Works related to Four-Excelente Coin of the Catholic Monarchs by Anonimous

Friezes of the Palace of Curiel de Duero

Friezes of the Palace of Curiel de Duero

Anonimous
ca. 1370-1400 | Williams College Museum of Art (Williamstown)
Work by the same author
Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic

Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic

Master of the First Prayerbook of Maximillian
Entre 1492 y 1504 | Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland)
Matching keywords in the title (1)
Close date
Virgin. Adoration of the Magi. Sculpture Group from Cerezo de Río Tirón (Burgos)

Virgin. Adoration of the Magi. Sculpture Group from Cerezo de Río Tirón (Burgos)

Anonimous
1175-1200 | The Cloisters. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
Work by the same author
Altarpiece from Fuentes de Duero (Valladolid)

Altarpiece from Fuentes de Duero (Valladolid)

Anonimous
ca. 1490 | Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts (Springfield)
Work by the same author
Close date
Plaque of the Zoelas

Plaque of the Zoelas

Anonimous
ca. 152 | Berlin State Museums (Berlín)
Work by the same author
Currently sharing location
Capital with Scene of a Duel. Palencia

Capital with Scene of a Duel. Palencia

Anonimous
ca. 1175-1200 | The Walters Art Museum (Baltimore)
Work by the same author