Opus. Ottone Hamerani.

Forrer II 408. Rizzini 1199. Very rare.

A small nick on the edge, but beautiful specimen with high relief and shiny metal.

SPL.

The allegorical depiction on the reverse of this rare medal alludes to Giuseppe Cervi's position as Chief Physician of Castile at the Spanish court, one of the kingdom's highest medical offices, reserved for physicians of recognized scientific and institutional prestige. The two royal crowns symbolically reference the protection of the health of sovereigns Philip V of Bourbon and Elisabeth Farnese, emphasizing Cervi's role as guarantor of the royal couple's physical well-being.

The tower, a heraldic element traditionally associated with the Kingdom of Castile, instead alludes to the other important function he exercised at court, that of Counsellor of the Kingdom, highlighting not only his inclusion in the highest levels of state administration, but also the recognition of the political and intellectual value of his work.

The iconographic elaboration and refined formal rendering of the allegory can be traced back to the work of Ottone Hamerani, a leading member of the celebrated Roman dynasty of engravers active between the 17th and 18th centuries. Son of Giovanni Martino Hamerani, Ottone stood out for his elegant line, compositional clarity, and refined use of symbolic language, qualities that made him a favorite engraver among the curial circles and European elites. His production, often associated with celebratory and commemorative medals, reveals a profound understanding of the classical tradition and Baroque allegorical rhetoric, employed here to enhance Cervi's professional and institutional prestige within the context of the early 18th-century Spanish monarchy.