Italy. Medal ITALIE Gênes, République ligurienne (1797-1805). Médaille, entrée de Napoléon ler à Gênes, par H.

ITALY
Genoa, Ligurian Republic (1797-1805). Medal, entry of Napoleon I into Genoa, by H. Vassallo 1805, Genoa
Avv. IMP. NAPOLEONE. PFA REX. ITA. Laureate bust of Napoleon I on the right, with the coronation cloak and the great necklace; inscribed beneath H. VASSALLO. F.
Rev. FELICI. FAUSTOQ. AVVENTUI. Bust of Janus on a column adorned with the shield of the Ligurian Republic. On the left, caduceus, trumpet, sextant, governor, anchor and the ingots, of which
• one inscribed M. 2 and another with the signature HV On the right, two flags, a Globe, and ingots in bars. On the reverse: II. KAL. LUG. MDCCCV. e
SPQ LIGUR
Br.428 - Lug. 1404 (Br) - Ess. 1080-36,58 g - 49 mm - 12 h
By Hieronymus (Gerolamo) Vassallo, born in Genoa in 1773 and a student of the Academy of Fine Arts of this city, then pupil of Anton Guillemard at the Monnaie de Milan. In 1797, he enters the Monnaie de Genoa and becomes Chief Engraver in 1800. He works there until 1808 when he is sent to Milan to assist Luigi Manfredini. He is the author of Genoese coin dies before 1808 as well as of numerous medals in Genoa and Milan for France and then for Francis I of Austria before his death in 1819.
In 1797, the Republic of Genoa was forced to change its constitution to replace the government of the Doges with two councils within a Ligurian Republic. Sister republic of France, the Ligurian Republic established in 1800 a doge for five years, then in 1802 a doge named for life. On June 4, 1805, however, the Ligurian Republic was attached to the Empire and transformed into three departments, the Appennines to the east (Chiavari), Montenotte to the west (Savona), and Genoa in the center. In July, the department of Genoa newly created the Emperor’s visit, freshly crowned
• King of Italy since May 26, 1805 in the cathedral of Sant’Ambrogio in Milan. A new prefect, Bureaux-Pusy, formerly prefect of Allier and of the Rhône, was appointed on July 4, 1805 (15 messidor An XIII, the day after the date of our medal!). The old Mint is preserved and becomes one of the sixteen establishments authorized to circulate gold and silver coins bearing the effigy of the new sovereign. It receives the workshop mark CC (in memory of Christopher Columbus) but would not commence monetary activity until April 1811 with the mark CL. Our medal relates to this administrative transformation and to the passage of the Emperor and the King of Italy into the city and the department of Genoa; it is not the work of one of its most talented engravers, probably with the aid of the Monnaie’s local tooling.