18th C. Indian Bronze Die of Venetian Ducat / Zecchino

About Auction

Live

It's a Small World | Diminutive Artifacts

By Artemis Gallery

Jun 3, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-06-03 12:00:00 2021-06-03 12:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : It's a Small World | Diminutive Artifacts https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/its-a-small-world-diminutive-artifacts-7031
Join us for a very special auction featuring art & artifacts from East to West, North to South, and everywhere in between - with one small thing in common - size! Everything in this auction is approximately 6 inches or less - perfect for that last bit of shelf space in your curio cabinet! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

View Full Catalog (135)

• Lot Description
  South Asia, India, ca. 18th to 19th century CE. A rare bronze die for creating coins, comprised of a cylindrical body and circular stamp face cast in India for replicating the Venetian ducat known as a zecchino. The bronze stamp face is of course backwards, and features a kneeling dodge, a member of the Venetian political elite receiving a standard from Saint Mark. The inscription on the left is “S M VENET” for Saint Mark of Venice, and in the center is the dodge’s title “DVX.” Included is a putty impression of the stamp to show the correct orientation of the final cast coins. The gold zecchino coins were minted in Venice and used by traders, colonizers, and missionaries spread throughout Asia. Ducats served as the model for other currencies throughout Europe during the coinage reforms of the 16th through early 18th centuries. These ducats were valued in India for their dependable gold purity and weight. This die is an example of the Indian production of imitation ducats. While this one contains the Venetian and Christian symbolism, some Indian dies replaced Saint Mark and the dodge with Hindu deities such as Radha and Krishna! Size: 0.85" L x 0.85" Diameter (2.2 cm x 2.2 cm)
  
  During the 15th century, as Europe and its traders/colonizers/missionaries spread throughout the world, merchants began to shift their business currency from the florin to the ducat. Ducats served as the model for other currencies throughout Europe during the coinage reforms of the 16th, 17th, and, in the case of England, the early 18th centuries, as European rulers standardized their coinage. The gold Venetian ducat was renamed "zecchino" in the mid-16th century when Venice began minting a silver coin also called a ducat. The word zecchino comes from the Arabic word “sikka” which means a die or coin mold.
  
  For more information see Ives, Herbert E., The Venetian Gold Ducat and its Imitations, ANS Numismatic Notes and Monographs 128, pp.25-28 and pls. XIII and XVI.
  
  Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA acquired before 2000
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #158468

  Condition

  Losses and chips to handle end. Face side is well preserved with green patina within recessed areas. Modern clay impression included.
• Shipping Info

  • All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.

• Buyer's Premium
  • 26.50 %