FOUNDATION OF THE MONTE PIO DE COSECHEROS OF MALAGA
(Assistance Rendered to Farmers by the Bishop of Malaga)

GIL, Geronimo Antonio: Spain, 1776, Bronze, 60 mm
Obv: Bust of Carlos III    . CARLOS . III . PADRE . DE . LA . PATRIA .
Rev: Man kneeling before woman with shield. Farm implements and cornucopia around. Landscape with ships at sea in background     SOCORRE AL DILIGENTE . NIEGA AL PEREZOSO
Signed:  G. GIL. / GIL
Exergue:  REALMONTE PIO DE SOCORRO PARA LOS COSECHEROS DEL OBISPADO DE MALAGA ESTABLECI.O ANO DE 1776.
Ref: Forrer VII, p.358 "This medal brought Gil's name to the fore."

Malaga is a maritime province of Spain, one of the eight modern subdivisions of Andalusia. The city of Malaga, the capital of Malaga province, is an Episcopal see and a port of southern Spain situated on the Mediterranean. The city has a long and tumultuous history. It was founded by the Phoenicians, passed to Carthaginian rule and became an ally of Rome. Later it fell to the Visigoths, then to the Arabs, and finally to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1487. It survived rebellions of the Moors in 1501, an English naval attack in 1570 and French occupation from 1810 to 1812. The provincial museum of fine arts contains paintings by Zurbaran, Guido Reni and other masters including several by Pablo Picasso, who was born in Malaga. The medal apparently commemorates one of the quieter and more peaceful periods in the history of the area.

LINK to painting  Saint Luke as a Painter before Christ on the Cross  by Francisco de Zurbaran (from WebMuseum)

LINK to painting Atalanta and Hippomenes by Guido Reni (from Web Gallery of Art)

LINK to painting The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso (from  Art Institute of Chicago)

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