Silver testoon of Charles II. The medal illustrated is thought to portray Giambattista Giustiniani of Villanova who may have belonged to Genoese family of this name. The sitter is identified by his name and age (twenty-nine). The reverse shows Neptune riding out to a shipwrecked man and is inscribed 'your help' in Greek suggesting that Giustiniani had made a miraculous escape from a raging storm at sea. This lends support to the idea that he may have been from Genoa, a large seagoing merchant community
Provenance
Collection of Mr R C Fisher