Here is a very interesting piece.
It is apparently a mule striking combining a reverse depicting the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks with an obverse depicting Pope Urban VIII. You will notice the reverse shows a very unusual strike especially when compared with the obverse which shows a very strong/sharp strike. I am not sure of the cause. A couple of coin guys have expressed the thought that it is an electrotype, but I do not see any evidence of the joining along the edge of the 2, the obverse and reverse, if it were an electrotype. It has also been suggested that this might possibly be the result of a heat damaged reverse die that might have been put back into service to strike an extra few pieces. I find this more plausible, but I can not say for sure.
This piece is a white medal, probably gilt-pewter, maybe gilt-tin dated 1571
First a little history
The victory at Lepanto is considered the greatest victory in the history of the Post Roman Latin World. All through Italy, Spain and Latin America, this battle is known to almost everyone, just as the Battle of Midway is known to most Americans. The Spanish Empire would after this Battle be considered the preeminent world power. A position it would hold until the collapse of its European Empire in the 1640′s near the end of the 30 years war. The Turks would not threatened Europe again until the 2nd siege of Vienna in 1683, where they met defeat at the hands of the Polish army. The Islamic world has in fact never recovered from this defeat which marked the end of Islamic advances and the rise of the Western world.
The Spanish and their Italian cousins did a great service to western civilization that day. By stopping cold the Turkish Jiahdists, this gave breathing room for other western nations such as the English, Dutch , French and later on America to rise. They had fulfilled their historical mission and saved the west at a critical time.
The Venetians found an ally in Pope Pius V who declared the campaign against the Turks a holy war and immediately asked all Christians to act united. Letters were sent as far as Poland and Russia, the French king and the Archduke of Austria were asked for support – but the only one who fell into line with the Holy League was Charles V of Spain.
Pius V, 1566-1572. Bronze medal to the victory of Lepanto.
Hence, on October 7th, 1571, 208 Christian galleys met 250 Turkish ships. That moment of the battle is shown on this medal. The Christian fleet comes from the left. The wind swells the canvas and the central ship depicted in the medal’s middle, carries the personification of the faith which holds a cross in the right and the chalice of the Last Supper in the left. Above God the Father is watching the scene – but he is no passive viewer, he actively intervenes. His hands send out beams hitting the enemy ships that consequently sink in heaving sea. The Latin legend interprets the scene: your right, o Lord, has hit the enemy. The battle took place 63 km west of the city of Lepanto; the medallist, however, did not bother with such geographic details: he depicts the circular harbour basin of Lepanto in the background.
Today's view of the Bay of Lepanto.
It is bounded by two impressive corner towers still accessible to the visitor. Some small figures stand to the right on the waterfront and watch the events, terrified.
The Christians’ victory was nothing less than a triumph: after a fierce three-hour combat, 80 galleys of the Turks were scuttled, 130 were captured, and only 40 managed to escape. Lepanto was the last old-style naval battle. Although the canon had long since been invented, and ships carrying that weapon on behalf of Portugal, England and the Netherlands controlled the seven seas, Don John of Austria more or less abandoned that new technology. Outdated and outmoded Spain still clung to the “gentlemanly” art of ramming and scuttling by using a prow, a procedure introduced long ago by the Greeks into the battle at sea. Fortunately, the Ottomans did not master the new technology, either. Otherwise, the Battle of Lepanto would have witness quite a different outcome.
Here is my piece which shows signs if gilding, mostly worn off:
Here is an image of a cleaner striking from this reverse die to show an image of a clean strike on what appears to be gilt-bronze.