ITALY. Papal Coinage. Clement XIII, 1758-1769. Medal RY 7 = 1765/6 (Silver, 39 mm, 21.58 g, 12 h), on the acquisition of the Furietti Centaurs for the Capitoline Museum. Dies by F. Hamerani. CLEMENS - XIII•PONT•M•A•VII Bust of Clement XIII to right, wearing Papal tiara and mantum. Rev. CVRA•PRINCIPIS•AVCTO•MVSÆO / CAPITOLINO // CELEBERRIMIS•ADRIANÆ / VILLÆ•ORNAMENTIS The Furietti centaurs standing facing before the façade of the Capitoline Museum. Mazio 491. Lightly toned. Minor marks, otherwise, extremely fine.


The Furietti Centaurs are a pair of Roman marble centaurs based on Hellenistic models. They were originally dug up by Giuseppe Alessandro Furietti in Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli in 1736, who refused to hand them over to the Vatican and kept them in his private collection instead. When Furietti - now cardinal - passed away in 1765, his heirs sold his Centaurs and the so-called Furietti Mosaic to the Capitoline Museum for a whopping 14,000 scudi, where they are still on display today.