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.

物件編號: A1171

年代: 公元 1763-1778 年

材料: 黃金

尺寸: 20.7 x 20.6 x 0.6 mm

重量: 3.65 g

來源: 莫頓與伊登 2024

這是一枚座落於義大利半島東北部繁忙的商業共和國：威尼斯機鑄的達克特金幣。金幣側邊帶有齒邊。金幣正面的中央，左側是站立和手持旌旗的城市守護神：聖馬可，右側是單腳跪立的威尼斯總督。旌旗的右側以拉丁文刻著「DVX」，即代表領袖的意思。左側銘文「S.M.VBNET」是威尼斯守護神聖馬可的簡稱，右側銘文「ALOY.MOCEN.」則是時任威尼斯總督的阿爾韋塞四世·莫塞尼格全名。當新任總督上任後，達克特金幣僅會更換為新任總督的名字，其餘銘文和圖像多保持原樣。錢幣背面的中央是珠圈組成的橢圓空間，裡面是十六顆星星環繞下，手持福音書的耶穌基督像。上方的銘文「SIT.T.XPE.DAT.Q.TV.REGIS.ISTE.DVCA」是「將你統治的這個公國獻給你，噢，基督」的意思。

阿爾韋塞四世出身於威尼斯顯赫的家族，其祖上亦有多人擔任威尼斯總督一職。然而公元1763年，阿爾韋塞四世出任總督之際，威尼斯的商業地位已經走向沒落，但他仍試圖維繫跟北非甚至美洲的貿易。同時為削弱神職人員的權益，跟時任羅馬教宗的克萊孟十三世有衝突。

威尼斯原先是一個接受拜占庭總督管轄的小港口，公元9世紀，隨著拜占庭帝國的衰弱，威尼斯在頭銜為總督的歷任領導者帶領下，逐步成為地中海首屈一指的商業共和國。威尼斯共和國高品質和標準穩定的達克特金幣，使其成為環地中海地區通行的國際貨幣，義大利的其他城邦甚至埃及的馬木路克蘇丹都相繼模仿威尼斯達克特鑄造貨幣。

威尼斯不拘泥於宗教和利益至上的觀念，使其從公元9世紀起，就扮演基督信仰的歐洲欲獲得遭伊斯蘭勢力阻隔，亞洲一側豐富的絲綢、瓷器和香料等貴重寶物的壟斷者。威尼斯憑藉著靈活的貿易和外交手段，成為歐洲在中世紀和文藝復興時期最重要的城市。然而隨著公元15世紀，西班牙和葡萄牙開啟的地理大發現，讓大西洋國家找到通往印度和中國的新航路，甚至是發現美洲新大陸讓威尼斯的重要性逐漸下降。最終公元1797年面對拿破崙的入侵，這個歷史長達近一千年的商業共和國就此走入歷史。