ITALY, Papal States. Rome. Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphilij), 1644-1655. Medal (Bronze, 40 mm, 27.05 g, 12 h), by Gaspare Morone (1603-1669), on the fountain at the center of the Piazza Navona, Anno V = 1648. INNOCENTIVS•X•PON•MAX• Bare-headed bust of Innocent X to right, wearing cope; below truncation, •AN•V•; under the shoulder, GM•. Rev. ABLVTO AQVA VIRGINE (= I wash with pure water View of the Piazza Navona with the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi and its obelisk at the center; below, AGONALIVM CRVORE (= agony ⟨washed⟩ with blood - this refers to the obelisk, which was originally dedicated to Domitian but later was in the Circus of Maxentius). Bargello 414. Whitman & Varriano 75a. Attractive and nicely toned. Good very fine.

From the collection of a Bon Vivant.

The famous Fountain of the Four Rivers (the Nile, the Ganges, the Danube and the Rio de la Plata) was designed by Bernini. There is a story that the statue of the Nile has its face covered because it can't bear to look at Borromini's church of Sant' Agnese; in fact the fountain was built before the church was!