Sale: CNG 67, Lot: 1950. Estimate $1500.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 22 September 2004.  Sold For $1950. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

ITALY, Milan. Ludovico Maria Sforza, il Moro. 1494-1499. AR Testone or Lira (9.70 gm). Cuirassed bust right / Crowned ducal coat-of-arms; laurel and olive branches emanating from crown; two buckets hanging from branch arising from flames on either side of shield. CNI V pg. 199, 18; Crippa 6; Biaggi 1578. Good VF, toned. Very rare. A choice example of an attractive Renaissance portrait ($1500)

Ludovico, the "Dark One", brother of Galeazzo Sforza, was in fact the real master of Milan during the rule of his nephew Gian Galeazzo, who eventually died un-mourned in 1494. Ludovico was a true Renaissance prince- bold, scheming, a lavish patron of the arts. Bramante, da Vinci and other artists found a welcome at his splendid court, and his patronage of the arts is reflected in the continuing Milanese tradition of magnificent numismatic portraiture. He also, unfortunately, strove to elevate his status, and encouraged the French king Charles VIII to meddle in Italian affairs, intending to use French patronage to expand his realm. Instead, he was expelled from Milan by the French in 1499, and died their prisoner in 1508. His two sons held the title of Duke of Milan at the sufferance of the contending armies of France and Switzerland, and the dynasty ended ignominiously with the early death of Francesco Maria in 1535.