Object Description
161 MARIA MADDALENA MORELLI FERNANDEZ ("Corilla Olimpica") (1728-1800), poet, on her coronation 1776
Obv. Bust to right, laureate. Around, M . MAGD . MORELLI . FERNANDEZ . PISTOR . IN . ARCAD . CORILLA . OLYMP . ; below, IN . CAPITOLIO . CORONATA . | PRID . KAL . SEPT . MDCCLXXVI .
Rev. Indians attempting to shoot arrows at the sun. Around, QVI MALEDICVNT DIEI; in exergue, I . V .
Bronze, 82 mm. Piece missing from rim
Maria Maddalena Morelli was born in Pistoia in 1728. In 1776 she received a crown of laurel at the capitol. The reverse alludes to a poem in honor of the poet on the occasion of her being crowned. A variant of the medal dated 1779 is noted by Forrer (6, p. 404) and Brescia (i, p. 193, no. 1244).
Bibl.: C. Johnson, "Tre medaglie e tre donne 'colte' nell' Italia settecentesca," in Medaglia, anno 3, no. 6 (1973), pp. 29-39 (at pp. 35-37), fig. 20.
