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Testone of the Sforza

1466–1476　・　silver　・　15th century　・　Milan

Testone of the Sforza（obverse）obverse
sailko / CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）

About the photos

The reverse is not shown on this page. Only the obverse is pictured.

A large silver coin of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, duke of Milan. True to its name—testone, "big head"—it bears a realistic portrait complete with wrinkles and jaw. The living human face, absent from coinage since ancient Rome, returned here with the carving of the Renaissance.