Giacomo Gradenigo (1721–1796)

This medal celebrates the admirable work of Gradenigo as Provveditore Generale in Dalmatia and Albania, which at the time were part of the republic of Venice. Originally from Grad and with a long history of dedication to the security of the border territories of the Republic, the Gradenigos were one of the most important Venetian families. The figure on the reverse of this medal has been interpreted variously: Voltolina calls the figure a Tyche, who was a goddess of the prosperity of a city. The figure is wearing a moggio or corn measure as a crown and carries a cornucopia, a symbol of prosperity. The inscription, however, would seem to support the identification of the figure as the genius of the Albanian army and thus is an elaborate allegory of military stability and prosperity. Gradenigo inherited a richly documented catalogue of Italian medals from his brother Giovanni Agostino, a scholar. He, however, personally completed collecting the section on Venice.

Source: Scher, Stephen K., et al. The Scher Collection of Commemorative Medals. New York and London, 2019.