ITALY, Milano (duchy). Giovanni Galeazzo Maria Sforza. 1476-1494. AV Doppio ducato (27mm, 6.94 g, 3h). First period. Struck 1476-1478. Good VF.

Triton XXVI
Lot: 1090. Estimated: $ 7 500

World, Gold

Sold For $ 7 500. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Go to Live

ITALY, Milano (duchy). Giovanni Galeazzo Maria Sforza. 1476-1494. AV Doppio ducato (27mm, 6.94 g, 3h). First period. Struck 1476-1478. (mitered head of St. Ambrosius) IO · G3 · M · VICECO · DVX · MLI · SX ·, capped and armored bust right / + P P · ANGLE · · Q3 · COS · 7 · C, coat-of-arms surmounted by two elaborately plumed helmets. MIR 215/1; Crippa 1; MEC 12, 745 (same obv. die). Edge marks, minor deposits, hairlines. Good VF. Rare.

The Sforza ("Strivers") dynasty began as many Italian noble houses did, with a successful condottiere (mercenary soldier) seeking respectability for his family by procuring a title and an estate. By 1450, Francesco I Sforza seized the Duchy of Milan via a strategic marriage to the daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti. Francesco was succeeded by his son, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, who ruled the duchy with an iron fist, imposing heavy taxes that caused widespread discontent. Despite being remembered today for as a patron of the arts, he was assassinated in 1476. The ducal crown fell to Galeazzo’s young son, Giovanni Galeazzo Maria Sforza, only seven years old at the time. Giovanni would prove to be mostly uninterested in government, allowing most of the work of his office to be conducted by his uncle, regent, and later advisor Lodovico Sforza. Giovanni would die young in 1494, setting up a power struggle between Lodovico and the French king Louis XII for control of Milan.

The final winners of all Triton XXVI lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 10-11 January 2023.

Triton XXVI – Session Four – Lots 991-1315 will be held Wednesday afternoon, 11 January 2023 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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