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Republic of Venice
Alvise IV Mocenigo
Ducato Gold Coin
威尼斯共和國
阿爾韋塞四世·莫塞尼格
達克特金幣
Item number: A1171
Year: AD 1763-1778
Material: Gold
Size: 20.7 x 20.6 x 0.6 mm
Weight: 3.65 g
Provenance: Morton & Eden 2024
This is a milled ducato gold coin minted in the bustling commercial republic of Venice, located in the northeast of the Italian Peninsula. The edge of the gold coin is reeded.
On the obverse side of the coin, at the centre, stands the city’s patron saint, Saint Mark, holding a flag, while on the right side kneels the Doge of Venice. On the flag’s right side, the Latin abbreviation “DVX” represents the leader. The inscription “S.M.VBNET” on the left side is the abbreviation for Saint Mark, the patron saint of Venice, while the inscription on the right side “ALOY.MOCEN.” presents the full name of the incumbent Doge of Venice, Alvise IV Mocenigo. When a new Doge takes office, only the name of the new Doge is changed on the ducato coin, while the rest of the inscriptions and images remain unchanged.
On the reverse side of the coin, at the centre, is an oval space formed by a circle of pearls, within which Jesus Christ, holding the Gospel book, is surrounded by sixteen stars. The inscription above reads “SIT.T.XPE.DAT.Q.TV.REGIS.ISTE.DVCA,” which translates to “Let this duchy which thou rulest be dedicated to thee, O Christ.”
Alvise IV belonged to a prominent Venetian family, with several of his ancestors having served as Doge of Venice. However, by the time Alvise IV assumed the position of Doge in AD 1763, Venice’s commercial dominance was already in decline. Despite this, he sought to maintain trade relations with North Africa and even the Americas. At the same time, he clashed with Pope Clement XIII in an effort to reduce the influence and privileges of the clergy.
Venice originally started as a small port under the jurisdiction of the Byzantine governors. However, with the weakening of the Byzantine Empire in the 9th century, Venice, under the leadership of successive rulers titled as Doges, gradually emerged as a leading maritime republic in the Mediterranean. The high quality and stable standard of the Venetian ducato coins made it a widely accepted international currency in the Mediterranean region. Other city-states in Italy and even the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt began to imitate Venice by minting their own ducato coins.
However, with the advent of the 15th century and the Age of Discovery initiated by Spain and Portugal, Atlantic nations found new sea routes to India and China, and even discovered the New World in the Americas, gradually diminishing the importance of Venice. Eventually, facing Napoleon’s invasion in AD 1797, this commercial republic with a history spanning nearly a millennium faded into history.