Featured 3 old commemorative heavy medals

So, are your questions answered?

 

Since you don't have any work by Nino Caruso, I wouldn't worry about it. You have a one-sided medal celebrating/commemorating him, made by someone else.

 

Thanks

 

From what I understand,
this is the medal that has more value than 3 in photos.
But I do not understand what is represented, perhaps a face in profile that looks to the right, but I do not understand anything else

 

@Bronwen
I do not understand, you mean that it is not a medal created by Nino Caruso, but a medal that commemorates Nino Caruso?
So why is present his signature?
Thanks for your explanation

 

Actually, I think the medal dated 1948-1962 dates to 1963. Browsing Google.it, I saw that, in 1963, the organization published some sort of catalog for the years 1948-1962. Imagine it was a commemorative medal of that.

Debora

 

Yes, that is what I mean. If that is his signature, it is a replica. See this recent thread:

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/history-buffs-who-is-on-this-bronze-medallion.30860/#post-408900

Even though his 'signature' is on the reverse, the conductor Toscanini surely did not design this medal with his image on the obverse. It is not common for medallists to celebrate themselves, and there is no evidence that Caruso did modeling for medallions at all.

 

Caruso has a web site. It's possible to ask whoever maintains it.

http://www.ninocaruso.it/home_eng.htm

Debora

 

@Bronwen I understand you, but I do not understand what makes you think with certainty that this is his portrait made by someone else. For example, it could be a medal made by Caruso, with a subject different from himself. Moreover, the signature to which I refer is not that manual engraved in italics, but the one on the front side more sharp.
For example, considering the period of his life, he lived the Fascist period totally during the first 17 years, and that face in profile looking right could be referred to Benito Mussolini. That element on the left of the face, vertical, could be the fascist beam, emblem of fascism.
Often the face of Mussolini is represented in fact in profile, and to the right.
Obviously, that lopsided "signature" on the back, I do not think it belongs to Caruso, but to the previous owner, collector of the medal.
The frontal signature instead, coincides perfectly with the signatures of the other works by Nino Caruso.
I read his biography. He has known and has been a friend of artists of great value, such as Guttuso, Mazzacurati, Leoncillo, and Brunori.
Therefore, even assuming that the creator of the coin is another artist, it could very well be a valuable artist, who has commemorated Caruso through this medal.
But I tend to think that the author of the coin is Caruso who represents Mussolini.
What do you think ? Thank you

 

Here is some of Caruso's work:




The imagery of the medal looks to me like it references his mature artistic style.

Caruso was a respected ceramicist who had a long life & career. It is not surprising that someone would have made a medal for him. As INH suggested, possibly a souvenir made to go with a retrospective exhibit of his work. It is quite usual to put the name of the subject on a portrait medal. One way of doing this, as with the Toscanini medal in the thread I pointed out to you, is to include a replica of the subject's signature.

While the making of medallions is not entirely unrelated, we have no evidence Caruso ever turned his hand to this form. Living in the same time period as a political leader does not mean you are necessarily such an enthusiastic supporter of that leader that you would feel impelled to make a medal in celebration. What evidence do you have that Caruso was ever a Fascist? Because of my interest in cameos, I look at coins and medals fairly often. The vast majority of heads/busts are presented in profile, and these are about 50/50 right- and left-facing. Usually I refer people here to point out that left-facing cameos are not rare, so not worth more. I refer you to point out that not one of the right-facing profiles is Mussolini.

https://www.pinterest.com/cameotimescom/cameo-portraits-of-victorian-gentlemen/

I don't know what the Fascist 'beam' is, only the fasces, which was also used as a symbol of Imperial Rome.

I think it was a very creative explanation, completely without reasonable support. There is a saying: When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.

It actually interests me more that someone scratched the name Nino Caruso in cursive script on the back when the name is already on the front, so not needed for identification. It was not easy to do.

 

Thanks for your time and reply, but it sounds unusual for me to read from you words like souvenir replica, in do easy way without any evidence, even because I bought these medals next estimated auction houses where there are experts too, and also that sign is identic to the sign of Caruso, and also you are wrong about profile of Mussolini I let you notice that most of medals of Mussolini, stamps, and even commemorative coins are made with Mussolini facing on the right side.Do you want to see them?

 

I realize you are following in a language not your own, so it is natural there will be some misunderstandings.

I did not question about Mussolini facing right (we need to clarify whether we are talking about the viewer's right or his own 'proper' right; the profile on the Caruso medal is viewer's right). What I question is the reasoning that goes: Medals of Mussolini show him in profile facing right; this medal has a profile facing right; therefore this is a medal of Mussolini. By that logic about 47% of all portrait medals ever made are Mussolini. Besides:


https://www.aspireauctions.com/#!/catalog/343/1748/lot/72811


https://www.vcoins.com/en/stores/co..._of_italians_abroad_medal/337685/Default.aspx


https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=297622


https://www.emedals.com/mussolini-hitler-silver-medal-g2592

I found very few medals of Mussolini on which he faces viewer's right; the majority are proper right.

I am not sure I understand this correctly:

Were you told by an auction house where you bought the Caruso medal that it was made by Caruso? It is not true that: A) every item sold by an auction house is examined & appraised by an in house expert; & B) experts always know what they are talking about. For most items the house accepts the description provided by the consignor, the person who placed the item with them to sell. Consignors also can be wrong.

I have explained this several times, using the word 'replica', which means an exact copy. The artists who made medals of Mussolini that have his name by his face could have used a copy of Mussolini's signature in place of the block letters to make it clear who is on the medal. By your logic, the medal of Toscanini must have been made by Toscanini. (Did you look at that thread?)

I'm not sure medal/medallion is even the correct word for this piece. It is more like a token.

We have given you links to a web site dedicated to Nino Caruso twice now. The suggestion that you contact them is a good one.

 

They know what they sell ? Are you sure ? If they know about that Salha (remember the thread?) that i bought they will never sell for the price that i payed.
And then auction house is not ebay.
By they way "I found very few medals of Mussolini on which he faces viewer's right; the majority are proper right." ...















are they enough ? if you want i can provide other 40 kinds of medals .

One thinking, my personal thinking, maybe if you are the owner of this medal, you will never speak so about it.

Thanks for everything, i will just contact the official website of Caruso for a consulence.

I'm not here to discuss and we are not at school, so, always thanks for your time

 

thanks a lot, i'll follow your advice 100%

 

I did not say there are no right facing ones. When I searched simply for 'Mussolini portrait medal' the top results were all left facing. What I noticed about the right facing ones that were among the top results was that they were not issued during WWII by Mussolini himself. And you're cheating on this one, which you show backward:



The point is, your argument that the Caruso medal is Mussolini is very weak. Not all medals of him are right facing; not all right facing profile medals are him.

I'm sorry. I thought you were here to learn. And if I owned the Caruso medal I would come to the very same conclusions without feeling that I had somehow made it worthless.